General Meeting scheduled for October 20

There will be a general meeting online via ZOOM at 6:30 pm October 20 for the purpose of elections. Meeting details will be forthcoming.

There will be two questions to vote upon.

1. Election of a 2021 board for the neighborhood association. As of this writing, 9/29/20, there are twelve volunteers to serve on the board. Because the BNA bylaws allow for 15 seats on the board, these candidates are presented as a single slate for your approval.

The currently listed candidates are:
Bridget Bayer
Antoinette Edwards
Gorgy Gonzalez
Tom Hickey
Gayle Miller
Erik Molander
Jon Peterson
Mary Shivell
Jan Strand
Walter Valenta
Matt Whitney
Paul Wargnier

If you would like to volunteer to join the board, and help keep Bridgeton a great place to live, please contact BNAneighbors@gmail.com

2. Revisions to the BNA Bylaws

The Bridgeton Bylaws (Linked HERE) require an annual review by the board to ensure that they are up to date. The most recent update was in 2015. 

The 2020 Bridgeton Neighborhood Association board recommends the following updates, resulting in the amended 2020 Bridgeton Bylaws (Linked HERE)

Move ARTICLE XI GOVERNANCE to become Article IV and renumber all subsequent articles and references to articles. Reason: Governance sets the standards for the other functions of the BNA, so should be defined before those other articles. Further, this article defines the Portland City organizations and documents that oversee the system of neighborhood associations that are referenced in later articles. 

1. Delete references to the Portland City Office of Neighborhood Involvement and substitute the new name of “Office of Community and Civic Life” (Note that the governing document City of Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement  Standards for Neighborhood System (ONI Standards) retains that name)

    Reason: The City has changed the name of the office.

1. Replace ARTICLE IV GOVERNANCE Sec. 3 Governance Procedures

“Roberts Rules of Order shall be followed in all areas not covered by the bylaws.”

With the following: 
    “Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern formal votes on issues and elections, and may be invoked as needed by any member to govern discussions.”

Reason: Robert’s Rules of Order are occasionally useful for small organizations, especially when issues become thorny, but under normal circumstances they are an unnecessary complication and are routinely ignored. Any member who feels that they are being run over by the majority should be able to demand a systematic approach to discussion that will allow them equal opportunity to be heard. The original text is ambiguous and simultaneously limiting. 

1. Replace ARTICLE V GENERAL MEMBERSHIP Sec. 1 Qualifications

“Membership is open to all residents, property owners, and holders of a business license located within the BRIDGETON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION neighborhood boundaries.”

With the following: 
“Membership is open to any person above the age of 18 who is a resident, property owner, or holder of a business license located within the BRIDGETON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION neighborhood boundaries.”

Reason: Just as City, State and National jurisdictions limit voting to adult residents, we assert the same arguments for limiting participation to those with adult judgment. 

1. Replace the phrase “qualified members” with “members”  throughout. 

Reason: The word creates no distinction in its use. All members are qualified to participate. 

1. Add the word “members” to ARTICLE VI MEETINGS Sec. 1.c. Quorum

Reason: Clarity. The section specifies 15, but does not specify 15 of what.

1. Replace ARTICLE VI  MEETINGS Sec. 2.d.  Participation

“All are eligible to attend. Only Board members are eligible to participate in discussion and vote”

With the following: 
“All meetings are open to the public. Only Board members are eligible to vote. All BNA members can participate in discussions. The meeting chair will maintain order.”

Reason: Clarity. The board’s purpose is to understand and respond to input from the community, and to represent the community through responsible civic action.

1. ARTICLE 8 COMMITTEES, Sec. 1 & 2: Replace 

“Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement processes” with “ONI Standards”

Reason: The Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement no longer exists under that name, but the guiding principles are still found in the ONI Standards. 

1. Replace ARTICLE VIII  COMMITTEES Section 3 Board Committees

“The Board may establish committees. Committees shall not act on their own accord without Board approval.”

With the following: 
“The Board may establish committees. Committees will make recommendations to the BNA Board and shall not act on their own accord, without Board approval.”

Reason: Clarity. A positive description of a committee’s purpose is at least as important as a description of its restrictions. 

1. Assorted punctuation and spelling corrections. 

Reason: Seriously?