A member since 1982, I first became active in the Club in 1988 when, as a member of the NYC Group ExCom, I worked on keeping nuclear weapons out of New York harbor. Since then I’ve served terms as Group Chair, Secretary, Legal Advisor, and Hudson River Estuary Chair, and run our biggest annual fundraiser. At the Atlantic Chapter, I’ve been Chapter Secretary, Bylaws Committee Chair, Political Compliance Officer, and a member of the ExCom and the Steering Committee. My experience with the Club and my legal knowledge help me contribute to the ExCom’s boring but necessary role – keeping the organizational machinery running.
As an attorney in private practice, I’ve provided legal advice and pro bono representation in court for the Club and other environmentalists.
Why should I care about the bylaws change?
An important strength of the Sierra Club is its democratic governance. (Most of the organizations you support probably don’t ask you to vote in elections like this.) Our grassroots structure is more effective than a top-down hierarchy. Unfortunately, the trend is toward oligarchy.
Our ExCom rules have been in place for decades. Nevertheless, the national Board decided to alter our ExCom’s “composition and geographic balance” regardless of our views. Formerly, our four largest Groups, with 68.2% of the membership, had 53.5% of the ExCom. National’s imposed change cut that to 35%.
I don’t know which is worse – that National would override New Yorkers’ choice or that it would do so for such an unfair purpose.
Please support pro-democracy candidates.
For more info:
- http://JimLane.net
- http://www.leagle.com/decision/1999512252AD2d260_1473/MONICA%20W.%20v.%20MILEVOI - a victory for lead-poisoned children
- http://nyc.sierraclub.org/2015/07/the-village-loses-three-parks/ - we lost; I wasn’t the lawyer but I had the expertise to explain the decision
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