I think the more important and chilling issue here is
that the requirements and guidelines for voting in
your neighborhood are tighter than voting in state
elections.
I could suggest that this is a measure to limit
neighborhood involvement and create animosity between
neighbors when those turned away from a vote make the
correct claim that they did not have to jump through
these hoops to vote for president - and then claiming
that the organization is exclusionary.
I would suggest that this measure should only be
passed if and when similar standards are met by the
state.
jon kelland
bryant
ps - not to mention other shortcomings...
--- "Steve, Molly, Amanda, Pat, and/or Andrew"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> House File No. 404 proposes to amend the Minneapolis
> Nonprofit
> Corporation Act. It has been introduced by
> Representatives Wagenius,
> Clark, Biernat, Skoglund, and others. The bill
> would amend the law
> specifically involving neighborhood organizations
> contracted with or
> organizations like the Minneapolis NRP. The bill is
> honestly motivated
> by a desire to make neighborhood groups more
> inclusive. Few would
> quarrel with that goal. Many member of neighborhood
> groups, such as
> myself, have worked for broader definitions of
> membership. But reading
> the bill may have other far-reaching and undesirable
> consequences. In
> reading the bill, it looks to me that it will:
>
>
> * Require physical posting of notices
> of all meetings of
> neighborhood organizations (it doesn't say just
> "membership"
> meetings and would apparently apply to all
> meetings of members,
> boards, committees, working groups, etc.). The
> physical posting
> has to be 30 days in advance of any meeting and
> must be posted in
> all "libraries, schools, park board, and other
> public buildings."
> Someone could object to a meeting if a notice
> wasn't up on all of
> the listed buildings for the 30 days before the
> meeting. It may
> also make impossible any discussion and action
> on anything that
> happened since the notice was posted 30 days
> earlier.
> *
> * Regardless of who the bylaws say is a
> member of the
> nonprofit, at any members meeting, anyone could
> vote who has proof
> of any type of residency in the neighborhood ,
> anyone owning or
> "being employed" by any business in the
> neighborhood, or a
> "government entity" in the neighborhood. So
> even if the
> organization has given careful consideration to
> the nature of the
> organization and who is a member, any
> inconsistent bylaws would be
> nullified.
> *
> * Effectively nullify any
> "anti-packing" provision of a
> nonprofit's bylaws by requiring that anyone can
> vote even when they
> have been sold a bill of goods by someone with
> a bone to pick with
> the nonprofit.
>
> Representative Wagenius wants notice of any
> "suggestions or
> concerns" by next Monday, February 26th. If you
> have suggestions or
> concerns, please let her know. At a minimum, it may
> be useful to ask
> that consideration be given to whether this cure is
> worse than the
> disease (or whether anybody is even sick).
>
> Here are my thoughts on the changes:
>
> * Is there really a problem of people not
> knowing when a
> neighborhood group is meeting? Is it already
> being publicized? Are
> those means effective? Will the physical
> posting requirement
> really get notice to anyone who hasn't gotten
> it anyway?
> *
> * Is there only one kind of neighborhood
> organization? Can a
> neighborhood have multiple organizations? Is
> it likely to be
> productive to have an organization composed of
> "those who show up"
> be at the mercy of "those who don't show up?"
> *
> * Has there been a problem in your
> neighborhood or have you heard
> about other neighborhoods where some group is
> secretly organized
> and shows up unannounced to "take over" an
> organization? Aren't
> requirements like 30-days of membership
> appropriate and common to
> keep new and current members on equal footing
> on what's going on?
>
> Whatever your views, you should tell your
> representatives at the
> state legislature what you think.
>
> Steve Cross
> President, PPERRIA
>
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