EAA Direction (split from website feedback thread)

[Floatsflyer]

My history with EAA goes back about 40 years.
I was told that the proxy came into use after Paul nearly lost an election. So that is the legacy left by Paul.
Mr. Hightower is not to be blamed for the past, but the future is another matter.


A total removal of this proxy system is required (replaced with direct member vote only) to restore my faith in EAA. If that is possible.

Removal, at least voluntarily on the part of the most senior management, will never, ever occur. The proxy voting system was initiated to insure that absolute power and control remained in the hands of the founding family, a CEO now chosen by that family and a BOD selected by all of the foregoing. Quite the stacked deck and not to be penetrated. It's similiar to the "Poison Pill" provisions adopted by publicly traded companies to prevent hostile takeovers.

As I said just previously, the changes must come in the form of ammendments to the voting covenants and procedures as currently contained in the EAA constitution. Since this is 100% unlikely to be accomplished by those heading up current initiatives for change then other methods must be considered. One such method is the launch of a Class Action law suit to challenge and test the validity of the voting covenents with respect to their legality and reasonableness for NFP's. The hiring of a lawyer with expertise in NFP's and administrative and constitutional law who would be willing to at least look at the issues Pro Bono to make an evaluation with respect to the merits of a Class Action might be warranted.

[kmacht]

Jeeze. All this talk about laywers, boards of directors, covenants, class action lawsuits, etc. It is getting out of hand. If you are that dissatisfied with the way things are moving at EAA you need to remember that nobody is forcing you to be a member. Vote with your wallet and just don't renew your membership. Start another organization that caters to what you enjoy. It will be far easier and cheaper than all that was proposed here. Yes it won't happen over night but neither did EAA.

Keith

[martymayes]

Jeeze. All this talk about laywers, boards of directors, covenants, class action lawsuits, etc. It is getting out of hand. If you are that dissatisfied with the way things are moving at EAA you need to remember that nobody is forcing you to be a member. Vote with your wallet and just don't renew your membership. Start another organization that caters to what you enjoy. It will be far easier and cheaper than all that was proposed here. Yes it won't happen over night but neither did EAA.

Keith

I guess one could argue that the "leave if you don't like it" comments are not very productive either.

Nothing wrong with passionate members speaking what's on their mind, too bad, so sad if you don't agree with what they have to say.

[Floatsflyer]

Jeeze. All this talk about laywers, boards of directors, covenants, class action lawsuits, etc. It is getting out of hand. If you are that dissatisfied with the way things are moving at EAA you need to remember that nobody is forcing you to be a member. Vote with your wallet and just don't renew your membership. Start another organization that caters to what you enjoy. It will be far easier and cheaper than all that was proposed here. Yes it won't happen over night but neither did EAA.

Keith

Hi Keith,

I don't believe you have a grasp of the BOD voting issue being discussed here. Perhaps you don't understand the implications or you just don't care. Either way, please allow me the opportunity to put it in a comparable context that might provide a better understanding.

There's a general election this November, perhaps you've heard. How would you feel if the President sent you a Proxy instead of allowing you to vote your free will for the candidate of your choice? He says by signing this Proxy over to me, you are authorizing me to select your Congressman who will represent you.

Your attitude of "love it or leave it" is reminiscent of the early years of the Vietnam war. Many who advocated this, sharply divided the country but had a quick change of heart and mind when their son or their neighbours son or there sisters son came home in a box. You are entitled to your opinion and your right to disagree but in doing so, please don't denegrate those that see an inequity or unfairness or possible illegality that undermines basic democratic principles and prohibits individuals from meaningfull participation in their own membership driven organization.

If it wasn't for those who were "dissatified with the way things are", you'd be singing God Save the Queen as the national anthem at the Super Bowl

[kmacht]

I am very aware of the goings on with the BOD, the covenants, etc. I have followed this both here and over on the VAF before it got pulled. I do not like the way EAA is heading and have expressed that in a number of postings. I wasn't planning on renewing this year but will ultimatly have to in order to save money on airventure admission next week. I don't have any problem with members working within the system to try and get a board member elected or to at least send a message regarding their displeasure. I just think it starts crossing the line and getting out of hand when people are suggesting laywers and a class action lawsuit or now comparing it to the vietnam war.

Keith

[Phil]

I agree that simply letting your membership expire is a viable option and I've been contacted by many members who are seriously considering letting their membership lapse. I've also exchanged messages with former EAA members who re-joined so they can simply participate in raising the members awareness about an inequity of votes issue.

I can offer my perspective on the issue and will communicate what I've communicated to those considering the lapse of membership route.

In order to understand my perspective, we all have to agree that the EAA is far to valuable to the aviation community to destroy or let waste away. There is a tremendous amount of value within EAA in the softer areas such as legacy and brand recognition, but also value in the more defined areas such outreach to Young Eagles, work in Washington, and cooperative partnerships that mutually benefit GA. Regardless of how anyone feels about the overall effectiveness of EAA in these areas, we all have to agree that the EAA is valuable and it is worth fighting for.

With that said, my message to those considering the lapse of membership route is to please keep renewing their membership. I can understand not wanting to pay for something that you don't feel you are receiving equal value for, but without members the EAA would struggle to survive and we would all be destroying a great organization. Members are needed to keep the chapter communities healthy, they are needed to volunteer as staff members at AirVenture, they are needed to fly Young Eagles so our neighbors kids can have an opportunity to become pilots someday too, they are also needed to be the barometer of EAA leadership so that at the highest levels the organization can be managed in way that reflects the needs of the general membership body.

So whether you agree or disagree with this specific effort, I would encourage all of you to maintain your memberships. And if you feel like there is a specific area where the EAA can improve, then be the barometer for the leaders and get involved in rallying other members to bring it to their attention. That's what we are doing here and without members it wouldn't be possible.

On the topic of lawyers and class action lawsuits, I don't even want to go down that road. I'm a believer that litigation has become the crutch of our society and that common sense is a far more reasonable approach. In this case, there is clearly an inequity of votes issue and we don't need a lawyer to demonstrate it exist. As members, we can spotlight it and then ask the EAA to do something about it. It's really a common sense issue and I have no intention of leading a class action lawsuit against the EAA for a common sense issue.

Thanks,
Phil

[martymayes]

my message to those considering the lapse of membership route is to please keep renewing their membership.

I just renewed my EAA membership this week. And like the last 10 yrs, I did not sign the proxy!

[lordryck]

Maybe some of them, but I consider myself a friend of Mike Dale and believe you have just made an unwarranted slur on his character and motivations.

None intended. I like Mike a great deal and always enjoyed listening to what he had to say at the meetings. Mike did not resign over that issue, he decided to retire when his term was up a year later.

[Phil]

None intended. I like Mike a great deal and always enjoyed listening to what he had to say at the meetings. Mike did not resign over that issue, he decided to retire when his term was up a year later.

Things like that are easy to do on the internet and especially on message boards. It's even easier to let it happen when you're dealing with a topic such as this one fueled with some level of emotion and passion. When you're simply trying to make a basic point its easy to add some emotion when it's really unnecessary or counter productive.

God knows I have said some pretty stupid things before or have come off the wrong way too. I've fallen victim to letting emotions do the typing in the past. It's happened a couple of times related to this campaign and of course once or twice earlier in my lifetime.

It's something that's hard to keep under control, but I'm forcing myself to get better at it.

Phil

[TimRVator]

A copy of the proxy/EAA governance thread that was deleted from Vansairforce.net (mentioned earlier in this discussion) is now located in the "files" section of the Facebook "Members4Members" group. http://www.facebook.com/groups/Members4Members (Unfortunately, Facebook membership is required to reach Facebook group contents.)

A Facebook page (no membership required) with links to various discussions and the text of Dick Koehler's article is here: http://www.facebook.com/Members4Members