TWDC membership to vote on proposed bylaw changes
by Chuck Hoven

(Plain Press, November 2009) The Tremont West Development Corporation has readied its final proposal for changes in the bylaws of the organization for a vote of the membership. Tremont West Development Corporation will hold a special meeting of its membership to vote on the bylaw changes on November 11th from 6- 8:30 p.m. at Zion United Church of Christ, 2716 W. 14th Street.

Bylaw Committee Co-Chair Tim Jenkins says the proposed bylaw changes are a result of an effort that began with a TWDC Board of Trustees decision in August of 2008 to review and revise the by-laws. Jenkins and Lynn Murray were named co-chairs of the committee in December of 2008. Also serving on the committee were: Chris Alvarado, David Mehring, Deane Malaker, Deirdre Lauer, Elizabeth Schiros, Eric Russ and Katherine Bulava. TWDC staff members Chris Garland and Steve Bloom also participated in the deliberations of the By-laws committee and Carole Heyward of Cleveland State University served as a legal advisor to the group.

Jenkins says the Bylaw Committee held open meetings, posted draft proposals on the TWDC website and solicited feedback from Block Clubs and Constituency groups in meetings beginning in August. Drafts of the updates resulting from feedback from membership and the board were posted on the TWDC website. In September, a copy of the proposed bylaw changes was included in the TWDC newsletter Inside Tremont. By mid September an updated draft of the proposed bylaw changes was posted on the website.

Jenkins wanted to emphasize that the bylaw changes proposed by the committee put mechanisms in place assure the primacy of the membership in the organization. He says the proposed bylaw changes require members to receive notice of any annual or special meeting of the membership 45 days in advance. He said there is then a two week period were individual members can place an item on the agenda for the membership meeting. Jenkins says what that does is allow individual members to reach beyond the board and appeal to the membership to address their concerns.

Another goal of the Bylaw Committee’s proposed changes highlighted by Jenkins is an effort to “foster a stronger committee structure. In order to do that,” he said, “it is necessary to identify who voting members of a committee are. It finally boiled down to any member has the right to me a member of any committee.”

Jenkins further explained that any member could petition the board to be on any committee. He sees the board ratification of these applications as just a procedure that will identify voting members of the committee, not a means of excluding people from participating in the committees. Jenkins said defining membership of committees would help prevent groups of people who haven’t been participating in the committee from coming to one meeting and taking over; something which has happened in the past in Tremont.

Among the proposed bylaw changes are a change in the annual meeting date from January to May; a change in the definition of who can be a member and the process of becoming a member; and a change in the requirements for having a quorum. In the past, loose membership requirements have led to a large membership and difficulty in obtaining the required quorum at membership meetings. In January of this year, the organization failed to achieve a quorum at its annual meeting.

The proposed bylaw changes are not without opposition. Tremont residents Claude Lawrence Cornett Jr., Ronnie Baker, Robert Pinkerton and Guy Templeton Black are circulating a paper outlining “Power to the People Amendments” to the proposed bylaw changes. They raise the issue that TWDC is not only changing the bylaws, but also changing its Articles of Incorporation. They say, “The new Articles of Incorporation proposed by TWDC delete the sections of the existing articles explicitly covering humanitarian programs that TWDC has provided, and they can be easily be misused to displace poor Tremont residents.”

The group opposes the TWDC appointing committee members and their chairpersons. Among its objections to this change the group says, “it does not protect the rights of residents to protect their neighborhoods and to fully participate in TWDC committees and associated decisions.” The group warns against the top down control with board members heading committees saying, “Clearly, this deprives Tremont residents of the right to defend their homes and neighborhoods within the structure of TWDC, when targeted by the commercial and other interests that often dominate TWDC concerns.

Among its proposals the group would like to see an Ombudsman, a code of ethics and a Bill of Rights to protect them harassment and loss of voting rights in retribution for publishing or advocating their observations and opinions. They express particular concern about preventing the use of housing inspectors to harass outspoken residents. The group also expressed concern about the lack of representation of low-income individuals on the Board of Trustees of TWDC. They propose: “at least 7 of the 15 members on the Board of Trustees shall be low income.”

Claude Lawrence Cornett Jr. presented the groups’ proposed amendments at the October 19th meeting of The Old South Side Community Coalition. In all, Cornett said he had 22 specific issues he hopes to raise as amendments at the TWDC membership meeting. Cornett called the proposed article and bylaw changes “a prescription for gentrification.”

Other residents at the Old South Side Community Coalition (OSS) meeting expressed concerns about TWDC’s agenda. Jerleen Justus pointed out destruction of Frank Giglio’s house on W. 14th as an example of what residents had to fear from an agenda focused on creating model blocks and more development. Justus said, “Any of our houses could become the next Frank Giglio house.” Another resident compared TWDC to an occupying force that threatens their homes with bulldozers.

OSS members expressed concern with TWDC’s proposed changes in its Articles of Corporation would mean the loss of opportunity for low income residents to have their concerns addressed and would allow a development agenda to dominate. Residents attending the OSS meeting said in addition to considering the TWDC bylaw changes and people power amendments they would like to add an agenda item calling for a vote on whether or not TWDC should be dissolved.

News & Articles | Archives