Jim Osburn refutes the accusation that he dominates the Board and claims it
absurd that these members would permit themselves to be dominated.
The Board is made up of some strong willed individuals; on the face of it,
you would expect they ought to hold their own. However, the E-Board members
come to a meeting for a few hours once a month while the BA works at the
Local every day and is continuously involved in the issues of the moment,
thus giving him the advantage in setting the agenda and controlling its
direction. It's entirely natural that he should be better informed and this advantage is enhanced by some conspicuously dysfunctional work from the leadership.
In a well-run organization, the disadvantaged situation of the Board is
partially offset by regular communications and by minutes of previous
meetings that keep the Board informed of the progress of events. But our
Local is not a well-run organization. Rather than having minutes distributed
and reviewed monthly, these documents are often not available until several
months after the events. By that time the Board Members have long since
forgotten their positions on the issues and approve the minutes without
debate. Several members have commented that the minutes, as presented, often seem enhanced by the hindsight available with the passage of time.
Anyone who has attended a meeting chaired by Jim Osburn knows well that
brevity and simple clarity are not his strengths. When he prevails it is
often because he talks so long and reviews so many details that others agree
so they can move on.
Because of his failure to maintain ongoing communication, Jim Osburn effectively herds the Board in the direction he chooses.
I pledge to run effective meetings that capitalize on the deliberative
abilities of the elected Board members.
I will distribute background summaries of agenda items by e-mail to the
Board prior to each meeting. Members should go into the meeting with a clear
idea of the issues to be decided.
I will make meeting minutes available on-line prior to the next
month's meeting.
In short, I will act to ensure that all Board Members are empowered and
provided with the tools they require to effectively discharge their
responsibilities.