Takoma Park Mobilization Officer Elections — October 12

Takoma Park Mobilization will hold elections for its officers at the Spokes Council meeting on October 12. Current officers were elected in October 2018.

Please consider volunteering! The organization needs to have these positions filled.

Process

If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Victor Thuronyi at vthuronyi@gmail.com. Let us know which position you are interested in. If you know of someone you think would be a good candidate, let us know (at the same address).

The election will take place during the Spokes Council meeting on October 12, at 7:00 p.m. At some point during the meeting, the Spokes Council will convene as the board and elect officers.

Background on TPM’s tax organization, board, and officers

Takoma Park Mobilization is officially organized as a 501(c)(4) organization in Maryland. It is governed by a board of directors. In our case, the “board” is made up of members of the Spokes Council, which deals with matters pertaining to the organization as a whole (including, for example, convening TPM “big meetings,” spending organization funds, or supporting a committee’s request to collaborate with other groups to organize a special event). The Spokes Council is made up of representatives of the various TPM committees. The Spokes Council generally meets once a month, on the second Tuesday of the month.

Occasionally, the Spokes Council convenes as the “board,” to deal with matters of the corporation—such as, for example, electing officers. It is the Spokes Council/board that elects the corporation officers.

Officers positions

Officers are President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. According to our bylaws, officers serve one-year terms, though there is no limit to the number of terms they may serve.

  • President: The current President is not seeking another term, and we are seeking someone to act as president. (See below for duties of the officers.)
  • Vice President: The current Vice President has become inactive in the organization, and we will elect a new Vice President.
  • Treasurer: Karen Elrich, the current Treasurer, is seeking re-election.
  • Secretary: The current Secretary has moved away from the region, and we are seeking a person to fill that position.

Duties of Officers

According to our bylaws, “the President presides at all meetings of the Board. The President may sign contracts and agreements in the name of the Corporation after they have been approved by the Board, signs government forms, [and] serves as the representative of the Corporation in meetings and discussions with other organizations and agencies….”

In practice, the duties of the President have included signing the occasional contract and other papers for the organization. (For example, a contract with a funder for a grant to one of our subcommittees.) The president would be expected to attend most Spokes meetings—generally, once a month. (However, meetings are often cancelled when there is no business to discuss.) Other than that, the duties of President require only a few minutes over the course of a year.

Nevertheless, the possibility of co-presidents was discussed at the last TPM-wide meeting, and we are open to that idea, if you are interested in sharing the duties of President and know of someone who would like to share those duties.

The Vice-President “performs the duties of the President if the President is unable to do so or is absent; and … assists in the performance of the duties of the President.”

The Secretary, among other things, “must keep accurate records and minutes of all meetings of the Corporation; make available minutes of the previous meeting and distribute them in advance of each meeting;” and maintain a list of board members, with contact information.

In practice, this means taking notes at Spokes Council meetings and maintaining them in a place accessible to TPM members. The secretary is also responsible for keeping a list of Spokes Council members.

The Treasurer “is responsible for maintaining the Corporation’s bank accounts, and handling its receipts and expenditures…. The Treasurer must advise the Board of any financial matters that require action by the Board. The Treasurer is responsible for tax compliance.”

In sum, with perhaps the exception of the Treasurer, these positions do not require a lot of time beyond the monthly meetings of the Spokes Council. (And, as noted above, there are no meetings in the months when there is no business to discuss. The actual number of meetings is approximately 8 or 9 per year.)

Takoma Park Mobilization is a volunteer organization. We need volunteers for these positions to maintain our status!