My June G & D came today. Earliest yet. Must be the month for Southern California!

Got mine today also. Great cover photo from last year's NW. Meet.

Roger

WOW!! Mine came today also. Well, actually on Tuesday the 30th....

Clean sweep for the left coast; WA, OR and CA!

Steve's car sure looks nice on the cover.

Bill.

"WOW" got mine Tuesday also.
Cleon

Same here in Blair, Ne. Nice to see minutes of the board meeting to see motions presented and how members voted. This is a good reference for determining how to vote for members next time and how to word motions. Not sure about the practice of adding non original type sound proofing to a vintage car though. It sure helps keep car quiet, but I would opt for as original of restoration as possible. I guess the challenge is somestimes keeping authentic even in places that will only be seen if disasembled. Of course that's just my perspective. The finished project featured is very nice.

The ponies must have been rested because I also got my G&D on Tuesday.

Sure hope that Steve got the engine fixed. The car was scheduled to be on the Kanab tour but had a heart attack (bad engine) so the trusty '31 Coupe was substituted. Made the trip to and from plus all the tour miles. And it pulled the trailer most of those miles too. A real tour vehicle.

Mine arrived today 5/31/06. East coast ya know.
Pony takes a little longer. But still great to see it this early......it even beat Hemmings!!!

Mine hit the Big Sky Country yesterday.

Got my June issue yesterday as well.

Mine arrived today!!!!!!

Has not made it to Long Island yet, rare that NH and VT beat us in the mail
John

Nothing in Minnesota yet!!!

Mine arrived yesterday (May 31st) the earliest ever and 2 weeks earlier than last months

What is the model name and year of the truck on the inside of the cover? '55? suburban?

Inside back cover? '52? estate wagon?

Just trying to learn...

------------------------------------------

Don't forget it is D-Day...and the sacrifices made for us by others...

The vehicle pictured is a 1950.They were called Carryall Suburban at that time...later changed to Suburban Carryall....then to just Suburban.

Thanks Gene.

I finally got my first G&D, March with the club roster. Talk about the slow boat via china.
Now I have something to read in front of the fire on the cold winter nights.

Hey Tony,

Good to hear you (finally) recvd your first G and D!

Enjoy!!

Bill.

June G&D had both ups and downs in it... Scott's judge's article was good news IMHO.

Correct ci engine but non-correct year motor in vehicle is now -30 points when judged, good change IMHO.

It is an example of enough people contacting the "powers that be" that eventually something happens. I hear that a special Board Meeting has been called to address the "confict" issue. What is next?

Chip - you are correct.

"What's next" needs to be thought about. The cut-off for submitting Motions to be heard at next year's Board meeting is rapidly approaching, July 31. With Grand Junction taking up everyone's time in between now and then, if anyone wants a Motion submitted, you had better get it written soon.

Don Williams

I got the march issue on the 7th (first since joining in January) and then today the 9th I got the June issue. What happened to April and May?
Twice the reading I expected.
Tony

tony,

sounds like you are rapidly mastering the art of time travel...


epi

Tony,
The April and May issues are still on the boat. Don't know how the June got on the plane but don't count on it ever again.

Chipper
I wasnt counting any chickens because I dont have any eggs.
I have only had a chance to flick some of the pages as yet.
Tony

I just got around to reading the President's Message.
I'm a little dissappointed in his explanation of what transpired at the Flint meeting.
He writes that ONE board member was verbally atacked by a small number of members present at the meeting. He then says that "they" used the club's chat site to START this attack while "they" knew of the rules against such behavior on the site. I'm confused too.
Later he mentioned, what appears to me as, the chat administrator was forced to end the discussion and that he handled it very well.
(If Mr. Bill is the administrator the President refers to, Bill did handle it well, but was so upset at the time that he resigned. Thank goodness he's back for a while).
There's more about motions and we all know about that process.
What got to me is when he kinda hints that all will be find if you all just submit those motions just like the 11 guys did from that one region. mmmm... "the sky is not falling" (?)
In my opinion, he adds the thought, 11 guys from one out of 70 plus Regions really dosen't count, and not one Board member wants to address the petition they submitted. If I remember correctly, quite a few board members were here on chat and indicated they would do their best to try and straighten this all out. (I'm getting more confused now)
Indeed the sky will not fall if nobody tells ya so. Just keep up with the Jones' and the silent majority will be okee dookee.
I don't want to open old wounds here, but it sure looks like two things have happened.
One, we here at chat don't count compaired to the other 8,000 silent majority that don't get involved.
Two, all that was said and suggested here on chatter to change this club and bring it into the 21st century will never get reported correctly.
RayG

RayG, maybe not but the chat room has made quite an impression on the "Good ole Boys" I reckon you saw the statement:

another quote:

I wonder if we should keep electing those on the Board that feel so negatively about the chat room .....(IMHO)

You are aware that it don't take many members to elect a Director at Large when only a total of less than 800 members even vote!

It is a shame that those Area elected Directors get elected term after term with out any opposition.

I wonder if they are either that good or perhaps it is just that no one wants to run against their friend?

What is the deadline for sending your name or your choice for a candidate in to the G& D and do you also have to send it in to the Area Rep.?

Maybe this year will be the year for some really active candidates. Who Knows?

I think that there is a much better chance of replaceing a member of the B.O.D. than getting an amendment to the bylaws passed the B.O.D. unless there happens to be a Meeting of the Members next year.

I wonder when that will happen? And why has it not happened every year as required by the National By-Laws? There must be a catch 22 somewhere.

Ok guys let's get back to exchangeing that Chevrolet Information.

Does anyone know how to free up the rear cross shaft bushings on a 1928 AB National Sedan with out taking the cross shaft off?

next!

Since this is the "General Discussion" area I would like to add this.

One of the motions I sent in is now in committee or going to committee soon. The chairman of the committee (BOD also) called me about 10 days ago and we discussed my motion in great detail for over an hour. A very nice person and I think he understood my position and how the motion would benefit the club.

My motion was that thru the G&D (many months before the election) 'we' ask VCCA members to submit questions (snail mail or email or both) that they would like to have the candidates for VCCA national office answer or express their views on. Since all questions might be too much to deal with only the top 10 or so questions that had the most 'hits' would be given to all of the candidates and then they would all answer the same 10 or more questions in the G&D.

This way all of us would know the views and positions of candidates before we cast our votes. I (IMHO) feel that the reason why most members don't vote is because we don't know the candidates or anything about them so 'we' leave the voting to the members that know more about the candidates.

I will be interested in seeing how this motion goes thru the process...

My motion will follow soon. I just need to pick a specific item, there was and still is so many issues. I favor the electronic roster to start with so many other electric functions can work.
Notice how the discussion to improve things sort of died out? I wonder if we all will submit duplicate motions? Or is everyone here at Chatter waiting to get together at GJ?
I sure dissagree with the president's notion that all will be OK if we just stick with the status quo. Following the rules to me means being able to change them within the rules of change when a majority thinks it's time for a change. Our current problem is that most members (the majority) don't even know that there are problems and fellow members want to change the way this club operates. The watered down and confusing explanation in the G&D dose not help at all. All it does is inform the otherwise uninvolved that we had a slight problem, and all is just fine now.
Lot's has to change for me to stay with this club.
What happened to the G&D publisher's deal about not suppling the club with a copy of the data list of members. What about the chatter volunteers to help fix that error? No mention of that. Just a little dig that we here at chatter are all a bunch of radicals trying to overthrow your club. But don't worry about them, they don't count! "the sky is not falling".
Another thought here is that the silent majority will never get to hear or see those thoughts. Look at James Burns' submissions. Most if not all are great motions. Where did those motions go? Dead issues right? I feel the same will happen to all those great ideas passed around here a few months ago. Some with the backing of current and passed Board of Directors!
Something is a missque here!!!!
Good luck in Grand Junction.

I think things will change, there already has been some change to a small degree and as time passes some of these 'new' ideas will become accepted in the future.

Remember the old saying "Time solves all problems".

Gator, I edited my original post.

I just am so dissapointed in that it appears for now that the president and some of his Board are really saying that there is no room for change.

By the way, did he ever post a thought during all that discussion a few months ago?

Louis C, dear lad, Also please to remember....."Time solves nothing....What one does with time is what solves some problems!"
......"What? Me worry?"......Alfred E. Newman

Guys.... "I hate to be a kill-joy but people in leadership positions don't change...If change is what you desire, then you have to change the people in the positions of leadership."
Macky/Wacky

MM, you are thinking about short term 'time'...I am speaking of long term time, as in hundreds of years...LOL

No Louis C., dear Lad, I am talking about short term time, which when it goes on and on becomes long term time.
"Nature does not make changes, things changeing makes Nature."

Your motion has a great deal of merit (IMHO)

Just keep on sending in those good motions for change... someday soon, we could see one pass!"

Even if all of our motions 'fail' the membership will get to read them anyway and maybe it will spark some other people into action. CF (cross fingers)...

If you want to see how effective all these discussions have been, Then watch for the list of new candidates running for the B.O.D., and then the number of votes each get.

Not unless those motions make the G&D deadline, or committee in time to get discussed. Those motions are at the mercy of the commitees to act on in due time.
Therein lies a bottleneck that can cause a motion to die so it can not be voted on this year, like the data entry issue.
Just too obvious for me.

I'll tell ya what Macky...If someone wants to run for office, he or she had better start writing letters to the G&D and join us here and make their ideas known to all of the membership.
Grrreat motion, Gator!

Some timeing right? Some may call it a delaying tactic, but then have you put an ad in the G&D lately and seen how long it takes them to be read? At my age it is bad , really bad.If I put an ad in the G& D and when someone calls three months later I probably would forgot what it was I was selling, and where it is and not only that but would have forgotten how much I priced it for!!!!!!

...and they call M E Wacky!!!!

Well folks I understand that a BOD meeting was to be held by conference call a couple of days ago. Apparently it was at least partially due to petitions received from some regions concerning a possible confict of interest. You might contact your Area Board Member or other BOD member to get the results. Looks like someone is listening to the membership and change is gaining momentum. I agree with the Wackie Won that the next election for BOD members will be very intersting. Will people step forward and run for the Board? Are they committed to help lead the Club into the future?

I sure hope that the changes can be made in a way that those that have threatened (I believe some are really serious) legal action will not feel a need to actually take that route. It will be much less disruptive if the problems can be worked out logically and within the leadership of the club. If we have to change leadership that is ok too. But I sure don't want a Judge telling us how he thinks the VCCA should operate.

I agree Chip. It's best to keep the fix within house and not leave it to an outsider.
My area Rep agreed with most of our thoughts here, but according to our Prez, as of April 23 there wasn't a Board member interested.
Like Mack says, you can be long gone before your information gets out to the membership. The G&D is great for stories and past get togethers, but it stinks as a Club communication tool.
All "The powers that be" ought to be right here on Chatter, or this club should send out a monthly one page flyer strictly for updated news.
I trust you Chipper, but what you pass along and what I pass along is still from the rumor mill.

Rumor mill? The rumor mill is a result of people interpreting and expanding a nugget of information. If the information is directly from those involved or from multiple reputable sources that are involved and without personal intrepretation then it is not a rumor it is fact. The problem is knowing what is rumor and what is fact. That is exactly why I suggested people "contact your Area Board Member or other BOD member to get the results". It would be better if several posted the result on this forum but it is their choice. It is not their choice to respond directly to a query from a member. They are our elected representatives and that is part of the representation. I will see my Area Board Member today so I will get the straight story. How about you?

OK, it's a fact, not a rumor. This matter should probably appear in its own string instead of here, but this is where it is being discussed, so here goes.

For the record, the President speaks for himself in the President's Message, not for the whole Board. Certainly not for me. I believe a total of 5 of the Petitions were ultimately received. Also, several motions have come in that addressed these issues. Yes, this all had a very real impact.

Several of us worked (very long and hard) for the past couple of months on this Conflict of Interest issue. Doing research, negotiating, compromising, and communicating. We finally succeeded in building a coalition of Board members that were able to see the seriousness of this issue, and the very real threat to the Club that it represented. The petitions and motions helped us in these efforts. When language was finalized, and a majority consensus was firmly established, we called for a Special Meeting of the Board, which was conducted last Wednesday evening. The meeting took the form of a 17-way conference call, and ALL 17 board members were present.

At that meeting, the Board finally enacted this (new) motion to strictly prohibit vendors or contractors from serving on the Board. This new policy takes effect in 90 days. The minutes of this Special Meeting will appear in the G&D.

Don Williams
National Board Member

Reporting the facts here about club operational issues is just as important as the excellent interfaceing about Chevrolet technical issues (IMHO)
I understand that some of the B.O.Directors don't feel that way and they understood that the chat room would be strictly to exchange Chevrolet tech exchanges.
Boy Howdy!
They got much more than they thought. In My Humble Opinion discussing ALL issues within the club openly and frankly will have a positive influence within the "general membership" as we are often referred to. I wonder who the "Un-general membership" really consists of?...... Maybe those that are privy to the real world of VCCA? I wannabe in that group! How about YOU?

Whether the site is open to all or closed to the general public, there is another reason to have some, if not all of a VCCA site reserved "FOR MEMBERS ONLY" (IMHO)

Thanks, Don Williams for informing us of recent activity, now some of us won't have to wait till the September issue of The G&D to read the results of our B.O.D.'s action!

When I talk to my area Director it is usually in regards to other issues, but I have confidence that if he is asked he would give me the facts.

Our Region has recently started sending the "Bowtie Bulletin" newsletter by e-mail by choice, both to get a better quality issue (color rather than black&White) and also to save the club postage) Woe is the USPS! Our able Newsletter Editor was able to do this without a huge outlay of money or effort.

G&D are you listening?

It is my hope that the G&D one day will arise to that type of reporting.

Don, are some people going to be "grandfathered"?

Nope.

Was the present vendor/board member agreeable to this?

Nope. I sent you a private email.

Since the new policy takes over in 90 days, what about the contractor/board member? Does that person have to resign from the board in 90 days as well?

Chip you were right on, but I'm sure glad I used the word "rumor".
Don's response could not have better timing.
Thank you Don.
I hope the other BOD's and our President see's just how important and effective this Site can be.

I haven't read the new bylaw amendment. But unless they worded it exactly right there could be a loophole if Mrs. & Mr. Fink's publishing company is a corporation and they are merely officers of that corporation. This bylaw change could be an albatross around the neck of VCCA down the road, since it appears to be aimed at just one indivigual person at the present time.

(I really think any amendment to the by-laws should be reserved for vote by the General Membership )

Our BOD has entirely too much power in this organization. There is no balance of power like there should be. Our only collective power is a vote for a few of the BOD (IMHO)

The Conflict of Interest motion that was past by the Board last week is a Policy change not a By-Law change. It may well become a By-Law change at a later date but for now, it's a Policy change. The Motion is not aimed at any individual but at conflict of interest on the Board. The IRS and several CPA's have warned VCCA that we were in a "dangerous" position because we had no conflict of interest policy to go by. Virtually all non-profits and public companies have such policies. This put the club at risk of loosing its non-profit status (this is bad!).

As was mentioned by Don, this motion does not have a grandfather clause so it will take effect immediately and any contractor on the Board will be off by Saturday, August 13th.

Bill Bradford
VCCA Area #6 Board member

Thanks Bill. But is it not a fact that only one indivigual will be effected by the policy-change at this time?

It is a good thing to have policys restricting potential areas of self serveing and profiting from being on our BOD, whether required by the IRS or other any other outside agency.(IMHO)

Thanks for the update ChevyGuru and ChevyBill.

Sorry folks, my post said that the policy takes effect on August 13th. It's actually Sept. 12th or 90 days after it was passed. (must have been a senior moment).

---Bill Bradford

Ok Bill, we'll forgive you for that slight error.
And we all owe you, Joe and Don a round of applause for your efforts to keep me straightened out and the chatters well informed.

Regarding the "conflict of interest" with the Boardmember also providing the service, which is the G and D, as I understand it.

Is there any chance the "conflict" will be resolved by ceasing to provide the G and D, rather than "resigning" from the Board of Directors??

That doesn't sound like a favorable resolution to the "conflict" to me.

Bill.

42Bill, your observation is correct.

The Board’s intent in enacting the new Policy was truly to protect the Club. Any type of litigation, or even a complaint to the IRS, had the potential to actually destroy the Club - the situation was entirely unacceptable. Legal fees alone would have quickly wiped out all available funds. Not to mention, we would have lost the battle, because our position was in violation of many codes and statutes. That’s a pretty important problem.

This reality is what motivated us to push the rest of the Board to get this Conflict of Interest matter finally resolved.

As you point out, it is true enough that the one board member who is in a position to be impacted by this new Policy can resolve it in one of two ways: resign from the Board position; or resign as editor and (indirectly) publisher of the G&D. Either move eliminates the conflict of interest. It is assumed by most on the board that she will choose to resign from the board, as that is only a loss of “position,” not money. But of course she could also choose to resign as editor and publisher, and remain on the board. That is her choice to make by mid-September.

Some of us on the board have developed fairly extensive “back-up plans” to cover any such contingency. Consider that there are many, many antique car clubs out there, who manage to get their magazine published and mailed each month with suppliers other than the one we use. Since there has been no competitive bid for decades, there is an excellent chance that we could find a greater value. Without going into any details, please be assured that the sky would not fall.

I believe every single member of the Board is fully aware of and grateful for the vast contributions made to the Club over the years by the “impacted board member.” In fact, virtually every one in the recent Special Meeting stated as much for the record.

Finally resolving this potentially destructive Conflict of Interest issue was far, far more critical to the Club’s survival and health than any possible resulting change in vendors. It is the job of the Board to take the long-term view of things, to rise above any personal interests, and do what is right and best for the Club. That has finally been accomplished.

Don Williams
National Board Member

Regardless of "personal" feelings (mine or any other VCCA member) about the Finks, Dennis and/or Jean, it doesn't seem the Board had any alternative other than to take action to remove the 'conflict' issue.

Thanks to NBM Don Williams, and others, for providing a detailed explanation of the situation.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in September.

The only other thought I would offer at this point is this whole situation likely isn't of much interest to non-VCCA members of Chevy Chat. This does seem to reaffirm the need to have a "section" of Chevy Chat that is for VCCA members only.

Bill.

my thanks to chipper, chevybill, & chevyguru for keeping us updated...and to all those directors recognizing the gravity of the issue and taking the right action, in the best interests of the club & membership...


epi

If all goes to plan that is 1 problem that should not rear its ugly head again.
Tony

Eldredjames posted May 30th. "MY G&D CAME TODAY EARLIEST YET, MUST BE THE MONTH FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" Well I`m posting today, June 22 and "MY G&D Hasn`t come yet. MUST NOT BE THE MONTH FOR MISSOURI" :confused: :confused: :confused:

Sounds like it might have gotten 'lost' or misplaced. I get other peoples' mail a lot.

You might want to check and see if you can request that another one be mailed to you. I don't know how long the 'wait and see' if it arrives period is.

Or ask Jean to bring a few extra copies to the Anniv Meet for those that did not get one.

That oughta work.....

Yippee.

Git R Done!!!