The article “SCD members stand to defend Senior Center” ends with a comment that current Senior Citizens of Davis President John Gerlich would not recognize the meeting because “the gathering was not an official SCD meeting.”

Based on the current bylaws of SCD regarding amending the bylaws, I disagree. Here are the bylaws as amended on Jan. 8, 2008:

Article IX — Amendments of Bylaws

Section 1. Recommendations to amend, alter, repeal or write a new set of bylaws shall be presented to the board for review, and then be presented to the membership, if approved by a favorable two-thirds majority vote of the board members present at a board meeting.

(Comment — The board did take this action at a regular board meeting.)

Section 2. Adoption of a proposed bylaw change requires a favorable majority voice vote of the members present at any membership business meeting providing: At least 30 days advance written notice shall have been given to the membership by posting a notice on the SCD bulletin board at the Senior Center and in the “Senior Scene” newsletter.

(Comment — The board announced the membership business meeting, posted notice in the “Senior Scene” newsletter and sent out a “digest” describing their view of the changes in the bylaws. There was no announcement regarding canceling the meeting at their last board meeting on July 31 or at town hall meetings called to discuss the bylaws on July 24 and Aug. 4 and no notice of a special meeting of the board to vote on canceling the meeting.

(More than 200 members came Tuesday to the board-called SCD membership business meeting and cast their votes in opposition to the bylaw changes.)

Rather than denying the clear will of the membership, it’s time to move forward and bring together a group of board members, SCD members and representatives from the Senior Center and the city of Davis to develop a revised set of bylaws that will begin to rebuild the trust between the SCD board, SCD members, the Davis Senior Center and the city of Davis.

Bob Schultz

Davis

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