Hi all,

 

   We need to come to a resolution on the issues raised by the ballot last month on the constitutional amendments and the Chancellor election.  Because these issues are exceptional in that the Constitution itself prevents them from being fixed, the Council feels that the House at large rather than itself should have the power to resolve the issues and decide what course of action to take.  A House Convention is thus being called for Saturday, November 19 at 5:00, which will decide the answer to the following three questions:

 

- Should the quorum amendments be considered passed?

- Should the other amendments on the ballot be considered passed, on the basis that each of them met both the 2/3 referendum requirements and the lowered quorum requirements?

- Should the chancellor election be considered valid, on the basis that it met the requirements of the aforementioned amendments?

 

  The Avery Council will abide by the decision of the Convention on the above three questions, whether that decision is in the affirmative or in the negative, or to take some further action such as a further House vote.  This Convention has this authority because the Constitution ultimately derives its power from the people; like the Constitutional Convention last year, this Convention is the direct agent of the Members of Avery.  We feel it is necessary to call it because the current quorum requirements effectively make the Constitution unamendable, and the only recourse is to return to this level of the people.  If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to appoint someone to proxy vote for you, provide an absentee vote, or provide comments that you would like read at the meeting, please email the Council (avery-council@ugcs) with your instructions.

 

  After the Constitutional questions are resolved, we would like to have an unstructured, non-binding discussion about the about the role of the Council and its relationship to the House, and whether any changes are needed to this.  We feel this is important to prevent future misunderstandings and ensure that the Avery governing structure can better reflect the Member’s concerns and needs.

 

  We hope that this course of action will bring us to a suitable resolution and allow us to move forward in meeting the needs of the House in a more satisfactory fashion.

 

 

Thank you.

John P. Sadowski

Member, Avery Council