The SITE Past President Council (PPC) wanting to reach more members posted a three-page LinkedIn message on September 6 to give them a wake-up call to be more involved in how the association is run.
Signed by 24 past presidents, the message urges members to consider the council’s opinion and to make an informed decision when they vote for three significant proposed bylaw changes sent out by SITE.
The proposals affect how the board is elected, how it is governed and “moving decisions of finance from the legitimately elected vice president of finance to a staff”.
The council’s message stated: “Without any personal prejudice, we the below Past Presidents, strongly oppose all three motions in the form presented and ask that our members critically assess these proposals themselves and consider the long-term implications for our beloved community.
“We are voting NO to all three proposals as presented. If you find any merit in our opinion, we ask that you please share this message with your fellow members and chapters so that everyone can make an informed decision. Everyone must vote. That is their duty. But vote fully informed. Not voting is also not appropriate.”
An informed source told TTGmice voting closes on September 17 and the PPC message advises members who have voted to write to SITE if they want to express an opinion.
He said the 50-year-old association has some 2,400 individual members globally, and between 10 and 15 per cent were “active internationally and in their local chapters, especially in the UK and the US”.
A two-thirds majority of votes are needed for the proposed bylaws to pass, and the source opined “not voting is an affirmation of what the board wants”.
He continued: If members vote for the changes they “give power to the board to decide who is on the board” instead of the current system which “allows anyone of any level or size of organisation to contest equally”.
SITE, he said, has commented to members that this was an “internal matter”.
