Time for some changes at Ames

[Len-2A Training]

One Ames bylaw violation that I was unknowingly complicit in was as follows:

Article IX Section 5 says that in the event of a tie vote in an election the run-off will be held at the next scheduled meeting.

At one annual election Ira appointed myself and two other members to count the votes. There was a tie vote for one of the BOD positions and Ira had all present vote again that night to break that tie. I had no idea that the bylaws required the vote to be taken at the next meeting instead. [This is one case where I actually think that what was done makes more sense, however it was not in compliance with the bylaws.]

 

[bsquiral]

One Ames bylaw violation that I was unknowingly complicit in was as follows:

Article IX Section 5 says that in the event of a tie vote in an election the run-off will be held at the next scheduled meeting.

At one annual election Ira appointed myself and two other members to count the votes. There was a tie vote for one of the BOD positions and Ira had all present vote again that night to break that tie. I had no idea that the bylaws required the vote to be taken at the next meeting instead. [This is one case where I actually think that what was done makes more sense, however it was not in compliance with the bylaws.]

Indeed, if an expedited result is needed then another vote that night would make more sense. I think the reasoning behind doing a vote at the next meeting is to not cause undue pressure upon members voting that night and also to afford more of the membership to step forward and help break the tie via General Membership votes. Thank you for taking responsibility and accountability. Also, were you and the two others the "election commission"? You know that the election commission is to be picked in JUNE, not the night of an election.

Respectfully,

James (Jim) Sheppard

 

[Len-2A Training]

Indeed, if an expedited result is needed then another vote that night would make more sense. I think the reasoning behind doing a vote at the next meeting is to not cause undue pressure upon members voting that night and also to afford more of the membership to step forward and help break the tie via General Membership votes. Thank you for taking responsibility and accountability. Also, were you and the two others the "election commission"? You know that the election commission is to be picked in JUNE, not the night of an election.

Respectfully,

James (Jim) Sheppard

Jim,

No, I was not a member of the "election commission" at any time. It was Ira asking each of us to go downstairs and count the votes while he proceeded with running the meeting. I really don't remember if any election commission was appointed or not back then.

There are lots of things I see in those bylaws that need changing . . . annual meeting held "whenever", general membership meetings strictly at the whim/pleasure of the president (from my reading any president could call merely 1 meeting/year), no requirement to mail out copies of the bylaws prior to voting for any changes so that members have advance warning of things that might affect them, etc.

I'm glad you are bringing all this to light. It's a really nice facility and under proper management can be a top-notch club.

 

[MassHack]

Hi Jim I was a member a few years back and 2 of us were going to run for 2 seats that were up for election that year. We were stone walled as to an "election comittee" and within weeks of the election we were warned to back off. I was nominated at the general meeting and seconded by my fellow members. I did not plan this and was not prepared for the backlash from the President. This forced a vote for 1 seat. The other seat was not an option, to no surprise the existing BOD remained. I'm not a sore loser was kind of relieved at first because I knew I bucked the system, However I was surprised at how I was treated after that. I quicly found out it was His way or No way. I hope you win this election.

 

[Fixxah]

I have been planning on joining the club for while now. Might just wait a little longer before pulling the trigger.

Good luck Jim.

 

[drumenigma]

I have been planning on joining the club for while now. Might just wait a little longer before pulling the trigger.

Good luck Jim.

Most of the major drama has passed. The final step is getting new officers elected. Hopefully Jim gets the votes as the club is in need of new management. There was a lot of backlash with some of the BS that happened which made Ira back off a bit. If you were planning on joining now is a good time to get in. We need more like minded folks in the club.

 

[Garys]

The American culture of respect for the democratic process and elections is so ingrained that even private organizations tend to respect votes, and the leadership quietly step aside if they lose an election.

I wonder, however, as a practical matter what happens if the leadership of a club loses and election and responds with "We are not leaving office, turning over keys, or changing signatures on any corporate documents or bank accounts, and have declared the election void".

Litigation would be my guess.

 

[KDK]

One thing should be noted. All the decision making process and access to information on the clubs inner workings is controlled by two individuals. The board members are good people who are not made privy to information nor have any say or even knowledge on a lot of issues. Mostly, they shake their heads and mutter to themselves wondering why decisions have been made without them being consulted. The locus of power and control is with the president and treasurer. Everyone else is left in the dark with the membership.

 

[shels45]

WOW!! Thanks to all of you that have emailed me since I posted here the other day! Also, thanks for your support here on this forum! I really miss the club, and the members. I'd like to say something about the other members of the BOD being in the dark.
After I was told that I would not be allowed to renew my membership, I received a letter from the BOD...that most of them had never seen, alleging things I had never done. I also received an anonymous letter at my home address, which is not published. That letter was a little scary, as 1, it came to my home, 2, it was an angry and threatening letter, and 3, it was very hateful. I brought the letter to the police department. That being said, I am in full support of Jim and his efforts to make Ames what it should be. I will hopefully be at the meeting as a guest of a member, and even though I won't be allowed to vote, I want to be a member again, and help the members as I always did. I hope all of you members, past and present, who were mistreated as I was, will be there on September 10th to stand up to the regime and make things right. GOOD LUCK JIM!!! You have my full support!!! Hey...do you need a secretary??!!

 

[BMass]

I was at the last Ames meeting. It appeared to me there was an unresolved disagreement between Ira and Jim as to whether a president election was warranted this year. Now I read comments leading me to believe a president vote will be held in September. Was an agreement reached? Is it going to be done by ballot "write in"? Can anyone clarify.

 

[MassHack]

From what I have read here and on other posts the Preident vote has not happened and is long overdue. There are 2 people running that club that have not been following the by-laws. They have no regard for the election process or members needs and Jim has called them on it. Best of luck Jim!! A new broom sweeps clean.

 

[BMass]

From what I have read here and on other posts the Preident vote has not happened and is long overdue. There are 2 people running that club that have not been following the by-laws. They have no regard for the election process or members needs and Jim has called them on it. Best of luck Jim!! A new broom sweeps clean.

I know the situation. I was there in person to witness a conversation a few hours before the meeting and then the debate during the actual meeting. It just seems to me no progress has been made to resolve the steelmate of whether a vote for pres can take place. If Ira says there will be no vote for president tonight because he claims one was announced last year and Jim says there certainly should be.....well,where does that end?

 

[brazen]

I know the situation. I was there in person to witness a conversation a few hours before the meeting and then the debate during the actual meeting. It just seems to me no progress has been made to resolve the steelmate of whether a vote for pres can take place. If Ira says there will be no vote for president tonight because he claims one was announced last year and Jim says there certainly should be.....well,where does that end?

The last time I spoke with Ira he told me the same thing. He said he ran unopposed last year and there will be no vote for president till 2014. I don't see anything in the bylaws that says we can force a vote, they state that this year we can only vote for directors and the club secretary.

 

[Marcus5aurelius]

Just as a heads up I know for a fact that his cronies lurk on this site quite a bit (they mentioned how pissed off they were when I rightfully badmouthed them). Just saying it so if you find anything important in the bylaws or some strategy to overthrow him, I wouldn't post it publicly so he has time to plan for it.

It's going to be an uphill battle, there's no doubt about that, but I sincerely wish you the best of luck Jim.

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Good luck! I need to check out Zero Hour sometime but it's pretty far away. Sorry to hear about Ames, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[KDK]

I know the situation. I was there in person to witness a conversation a few hours before the meeting and then the debate during the actual meeting. It just seems to me no progress has been made to resolve the steelmate of whether a vote for pres can take place. If Ira says there will be no vote for president tonight because he claims one was announced last year and Jim says there certainly should be.....well,where does that end?

Well there must be meeting minutes stating that an election occurred and a record of the results be saved. Naa I'm being sarcastic there are not records or meeting minutes. The newsletter though make no mention of an election for president taking place nor does anyone present recall a presidential election (even uncontested). Why does he want to be president so bad? He has been since time em memoriam. Doesn't he have anything else in life to do? Think about it...

 

[Billy]

People save the news letters. If the president is doing a good job he should have nothing to fear with an election. Unfortunately he has been doing a piss poor job for years and has turned the management of that club into a shit show. Ames is NOT his club, it belongs to the MEMBERS.

 

[bsquiral]

The last time I spoke with Ira he told me the same thing. He said he ran unopposed last year and there will be no vote for president till 2014. I don't see anything in the bylaws that says we can force a vote, they state that this year we can only vote for directors and the club secretary.

Ira is wrong. Last election for President and Vice President was in September 2009. This September IS the scheduled election for both seats per 3 year term as stated in our By-Laws. You are being purposefully misled. Read the By-Laws more closely (which are posted in this thread because of me) and you will see how we, the members can force OUR will in OUR club. This is not a jab at ALL members on the board, only certain ones who feel that it is ok to do what they want, when they want and how they want.

Respectfully,

James (Jim) Sheppard

 

[Acme.Armament]

Hello all,

My name is Jim Sheppard. Many of you know me from my shop Zero Hour Arms. Today I would like to inform you all that I am currently running for president of Ames Rifle and Pistol Club. I don't want to get into too many details, but I feel that lately the club has been heading into the wrong direction and is need of new leadership. I am very passionate about Ames and I will be always be there for all the members with my 100% drama free guarantee.

Thanks for your time and consideration for this Septembers elections,
Jim Sheppard

Good luck to you Jim.

 

[MassHack]

The Newsletter is WRONG. The President position is up for a vote this year. The By-Laws are in place to prevent a Dictator from rigging elections and becoming President for life. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time. Rules are rules, Stop lying. What do you have to lose? Why do you need 1 more year? Run for your position you coward, let the members vote! Follow the money people, it is YOUR club. Vote for JIM he is a leader that wants what is Best for the Club!!

 

[bullseyemama]

Hi. I'm new to Northeast Shooters, but I'm a member at Ames and a few other clubs. I've been reading the posts here about Ames, and I'm happy that someone is finally standing up to Ira. I'll be there to vote for you Jim. I also agree about the finances. The treasurer says the same thing every month..but there is never an account of the money. The other clubs I belong to give a detailed expense report at every meeting, including who spends what on what. Ames is the only club that says the same thing month after month. I'd like to know where the money is too. Ames is a great club, but some new leadership is definitely in order to make the club it can be. Maybe some of the malcontents will come back too. Those classes on Saturday afternoons were great. What happened to them?And why doesn't ames do fun things like bowling pin shoots? Some guys were talking about it a while back, but nothing ever came of it. Good luck Jim...you have my vote!

 

[MassHack]

1 week from tonight! Get out and VOTE!

 

[Billy]

BTT... Wish I could vote for Jim!

 

[Marcus5aurelius]

BTT... Wish I could vote for Jim!

Likewise. I wish I stuck around long enough to vote. We're all hoping for the best.

 

[MassHack]

Vote for JIm! There is a result party near by. The FACTS are that the election is for the President. Run for your seat Ira, you Coward. What do you have to lose? Why do you need 1 more year? What are you hidding? The members have the final say, have you done a good job?

 

[Sinitron]

Thats actually positive rep. He would have needed to leave a comment for negative rep. Since it says no comment made ( the default +1 comment) it was positive. It's not green, its gray meaning he has Zero rep power.

Regardless, he tried. Upset about post #20.

 

[Billy]

I bet Ira goes the Coward route and either cancels the election or the vote. The members have spoken! Let the election take place, you can NOT hide the truth anymore. I will be holding a sign at the entrance "polling" for Jim! Get out and vote!

 

[Garys]

I bet Ira goes the Coward route and either cancels the election or the vote. The members have spoken! Let the election take place, you can NOT hide the truth anymore. I will be holding a sign at the entrance "polling" for Jim! Get out and vote!

There isn't an election for President scheduled, or at least I haven't seen on in the meeting notice. There also seem to be two conflicting versions of the bylaws out there with two different schedules for the elections of officers. I think members might want to try to get to the bottom of those issues first.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

There isn't an election for President scheduled, or at least I haven't seen on in the meeting notice. There also seem to be two conflicting versions of the bylaws out there with two different schedules for the elections of officers. I think members might want to try to get to the bottom of those issues first.

Unless you have the funds to litigate, I expect that the people who are currently listed with the state as corporate officers and have all the keys to the facilities will get to decide if an election is due.

One thing that works pretty well about the US system is that in both public and private undertakings, if the process is governed by an election, those in office respect the process, and the losing party gracefully steps down in 99% of the cases. Of course, there is that other 1%.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Unless you have the funds to litigate, I expect that the people who are currently listed with the state as corporate officers and have all the keys to the facilities will get to decide if an election is due.

One thing that works pretty well about the US system is that in both public and private undertakings, if the process is governed by an election, those in office respect the process, and the losing party gracefully steps down in 99% of the cases. Of course, there is that other 1%.

Rob is probably correct here.

If you look at the annual report filed with the Secretary of State, each officer is listed with NO EXPIRATION of term!!
http://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/co...ReadFromDB=True&UpdateAllowed=&FEIN=042633271

Good luck Jim, you're going to need it I'm afraid.