SECOND ADVISORY : Vote ”No”on NaCCRA’s proposed Bylaws.*
The end of May the state organization Washington Continuing Care Residents Association(WACCRA) sent you an advisory to vote AGAINST the change in the proposed changes to NaCCRA Bylaws. NaCCRA adopted these changes without prior review by members, violating the existing Bylaws. The deadline for your vote is August 31, 2016. Click on link below to get a ballot if you haven’t voted yet.
After careful review of the amendments, your Washington state Executive Committee voted unanimously on Friday, May 20, 2016, to recommend that you vote “NO” on the new bylaws for the following reasons:
1. We are confused about the meaning of the new mission statement. The proposed mission reads “NaCCRA seeks to advance the quality of life for older Americans and to promote and improve congregate living and continuing care.” The word “residents” does not appear in the new mission statement.
2. The Executive Committee believes that too much authority would be transferred to the Board:
a. Of primary concern is the removal of Robert’s Rules of Order as the Parliamentary Authority. Instead, the Board would create operational rules.
b. Members would lose the right to elect directors; only the Board would elect its members as well as its officers.
c. The Bylaws would remove the requirement for 9 to 11 Directors. The Board could change the number of Directors at will.
d. The Board would gain the authority to suspend the term limits for director or any officer.
e. A Director could be retired by the President because of “the realities of aging.” with the agreement with any director or any officer.
f. Most of the accountability language for Board members has been removed.
Overall the impact of the proposed revisions removes control from members and places decisions solely in the hands of the Board. We think such changes will not encourage the growth of individual memberships across the country who are affiliated through their state chapters.
In case you misplaced the ballot, you can easily access it by clicking on this link:NaCCRA Bylaws Ballot.
Sincerely,
WACCRA Executive Committee
Jim McClaine, President
Inez Allan, Vice President
Sam Beard, Secretary
Stephanie Chamberlain, Treasurer
Don Bennett, Member-at-Large
Hellmut Golde, Immediate Past President