2009 WWA ELECTION

What Happened?

 The 2009 WWA Officers and Board of Directors came up with an excellent idea to allow all WWA members an opportunity to participate in the 2009 election of officers and directors.  For the first time in the history of the WWA, members who could not attend the annual meeting on December 14, 2009, would be able to submit nominations and vote by mail.  Notices were sent out in the Rapids monthly newsletter soliciting nominations.  Once all the nominations were received at the meetings and by mail, election ballots were developed and sent out to the membership.  Those members who would not be able to attend the annual meeting could fill out their ballots and mail them in to be counted at the annual meeting.  Members that showed up at the annual meeting cast their votes and were told that they had to sign their ballots, so the election committee could make sure there were no duplicate votes and that only WWA members voted.  Votes were counted and the results for the 2010 officers and directors were announced at the annual meeting.  It was announced that the following individuals would be the officers and directors for 2010:

WWA Officers                                                           Board of Directors

President:  Bryce Roberts                                  Brian Oakey                 Mike Bell

Vice President:  Jeff Heaton                              Jim McGarvin              Craig Bartschi

President Elect:  Matt Stoffel                             Greg Dickerson           Todd Wardle

Secretary:  Wendy Mitchell

Treasurer:  Dean Hahn

In review of the election process, it became apparent to several members that proper procedures had not been followed in accordance with the WWA Bylaws and there were potential violations of the Idaho Statutes.  The concerns were that proper procedures for establishing a proxy for the election were not followed.  There were also ballots submitted in person by current WWA members at the annual meeting, which were improperly excluded from being counted, due to not having an updated list of current members.  It was also reported that some members did not receive a newsletter with a ballot in the mail.  Another concern was that for the first time in the history of the WWA, anonymity for voting was not maintained for the members who voted and how they voted as promised. Once these issues were discovered, a petition was signed by approximately 30 WWA members requesting that the 2009 officers and board of directors review the election process and conduct an official recount of the ballots.

 A meeting was scheduled for January 7, 2010, which was the first opportunity for the 2009 officers and board members to assemble and discuss the election process and results.  After a thorough review and discussion, 2009 President, Greg Dickerson, moved that the mail in ballots be excluded and ballots that had not been counted for members in attendance at the meeting should be counted.  After recounting the ballots, it would be up to the newly elected 2010 officers and directors to determine whether another election should be held.  The motion was second and unanimously approved by the 2009 officers and board of directors. 

The votes were recounted and the following individuals were announced as the new 2010 officers and directors:

WWA Officers                                                           Board of Directors

President:  Bryce Roberts                                 Brian Oakey                 Mike Bell

Vice President:  Rich Vaughn                           Jim McGarvin               Carl Norton

President Elect:  Matt    Stoffel                         Clyde Schrader            Greg Dickerson

Secretary:  Wendy Mitchell

Treasure:  Anita Shore

 After the election results were announced, the following individuals submitted their resignation:  Bryce Roberts, Matt Stoffel, Wendy Mitchell, Mike Bell, and Greg Dickerson.  The remaining officers and directors had to make several decisions, so in accordance with the WWA Bylaws members were appointed to fill vacant positions until a new election could be held.  The following members were appointed to serve temporarily:  Bob Spencer, Don Moore, Dana Schrader and Jim Shore.  Below shows how the positions were filled:

 WWA Officers                                               Board of Directors

President:  Brian Oakey (Interim)                      Jim McGarvin               Carl Norton

Vice President:  Rich Vaughn                           Clyde Schrader            Jim Shore (Interim)

President Elect:  Bob Spencer (Interim)            Don Moore (Interim)    Vacant

Secretary:  Dana Schrader (Interim)

Treasure:  Anita Shore

 It is truly unfortunate that this situation occurred and that a number of good standing and valued members felt it necessary to resign.  We sincerely hope that they reconsider their decision, but the WWA needs to and will proceed forward.

 The WWA is still planning the Banquet for February 6, 2010.  A number of members have stepped up and volunteered to help in putting this event together.  We are excited and look forward to seeing everyone that can attend.  If you are interested in helping with the Banquet, please contact Bob Hays or Jim McGarvin.

 Rest assured, the current/interim officers and board are working diligently to carry on the business at hand.  We will have someone on board soon to keep the website running and up to date.  Current events and runs are still on track and we look forward to seeing everyone who can attend and participate.

 It will be discussed with the membership on whether a new election should be held and that decision will be announced soon.  If a decision is made for a new election, members who are not able to attend the monthly meetings will be allowed to submit nominations and vote by mail.  A proxy and election committee will be selected and a process to retain anonymity of voting members will be put in place.  Every effort will be made so every WWA member gets the opportunity to vote and nobody gets excluded.

 It is unfortunate that these circumstances occurred and we sincerely apologized to the membership and to those members who in good faith participated in the 2009 election.  We especially want to apologize to those new members and those seeking to join the WWA in what they observed and heard about conflicts within the WWA.  We ask for your patience and understanding with the members who have volunteered to take on the responsibilities to serve temporarily as officers and board members until a new election can be held.  These individual bring many years of experience, vast knowledge of pending legislation and river issues, ability to address river management plans by regulating Federal and State Agencies.  They also have numerous years of experience managing the financial affairs of the WWA.  A number of these individuals have served as past Presidents and Directors and were some were selected as Jet Boater of the Year for their outstanding support and dedication to the WWA. 

 The WWA stands committed to its cause in protecting our rights for Responsible Shared Use of our rivers and natural resources and in helping new boaters learn how to operate their boats and run the rivers safely and responsibly.  Other than the possibility of a new election, nothing has changed.  Rest assured the Banquet, Runs, and all other activities of our Association remains on schedule. We look forward to seeing you at the Banquet on February 6, 2010.

 Sincerely,

 The WWA Officers and Board of Directors