TWDC Special Membership Meeting fails to achieve quorum
VOTE ON BYLAW CHANGES DELAYED UNTIL JANUARY
by Jerleen Justus

(Plain Press, December 2009) Tremont West Development Corporation (TWDC) voting members arriving at the Zion United Church of Christ at 2716 West 14th Street, on November 11th, 2009, near the Six O'clock hour, were greeted by TWDC staff and volunteers seated behind tables ready to assist with their system of signing in, assigning ballot numbers, and pointing the way to the pews.

Upon entering the dimly lit sanctuary, I felt being summoned here to vote on TWDC's proposed bylaw and articles of incorporation changes seemed almost profane and ungodly.

COMMENTARY

For weeks members of the TWDC Ad-hoc Bylaw Committee had taken their cause to the streets of Tremont, knocking on doors and to the many block clubs in hopes of spreading the word and convincing the ultimate authority, their membership, that the proposed changes were in the best interest of the people - "out with the old" and "in with the new."

With the voting date drawing near and after exhausting all their promotional capabilities, it was finally time to stuff, label, and stamp the envelopes that would carry the Final Draft of the Proposed Changes right to the door of each and every member of this community organization serving the neighborhood and it's residents since 1969.

The sojourners needed to do more than persuade the rank and file that it was in the best interest of the poor, long-time, elderly and minority residents to remove all humanitarian services from the organization’s Charter; it needed to coax at least 20% of the 900 plus membership to attend this special election to obtain a quorum for voting to take place. Just this past January at the board election at the Annual TWDC Membership Meeting, quorum was not reached and TWDC Board President Tom Cook "blighted" the organization with a "straw poll."

Leaving no stone unturned and in an attempt to assure that people would come to the November 11th Special Membership Meeting, the determined, unrelenting supporters of the bylaw changes decided to throw in some bait. The TWDC cover letter/MEMO, included in the mail out packages also included an italicized promise. "Local businesses have donated gift cards as door prizes/give-a-ways throughout the evening." The enticement also stated that dinner would be served following the business meeting. The slated Agenda list included the notation: "Must be in attendance to win a door prize."

As it turns out, there was no business meeting, there was no call to order and again, for the second time in 2009, there was no quorum. Of the approximately 140 residents voting, a large portion were elderly and long-time residents of the Tremont community. Some no doubt attended not only to vote, but to enjoy a good dinner and maybe hope to win a gift card, or perhaps a free dinner at a Tremont restaurant. TWDC’s Special Membership Meeting resulted in no quorum, no call-to-order, no ballot marking and no passing of any new proposed changes to the TWDC Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.

Clearly there must now be an Annual TWDC Membership Meeting in January 2010. Then there will be new candidates seeking to become new Trustees at the table of the TWDC Board of Directors. The question remains: ”Will the TWDC Ad-Hoc By-Law Committee attempt to persuade residents of Tremont to vote again in favor of making bylaw changes and removing all humanitarian services from the Articles of Incorporation?”

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