NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOC. LEADER: Fights board ouster move

John Clark

COLUMBIA, 1/7/11  (Beat Byte) --  North Central Columbia Neighborhood Association (NCCNA) president John Clark is fighting an ouster move by the association's board of directors over recent behaviors they say have discouraged involvement and stifled discussion.

 

Clark has publicly scolded association members and represented NCCNA positions to the media without prior discussion or consent, board members claim. One meeting recently erupted over a public chastisement Clark delivered to a board member he claimed had failed to follow an association protocol for contact with city government.  Board members can't locate such protocols in written guidelines and association by-laws, however, and have objected to the public outbursts.   

 

In receipt of a December 29, 2010 registered letter detailing the grievances from "9 members of the NCCNA Board of Directors," Clark -- an attorney -- responded that the letter "fails to meet the requirements for effective notice as provided in Article VIII, Section 7 of the By-Laws of the Association, as amended May 13, 2003 on two grounds."   

 

It wasn't delivered at least 30 days prior to the proposed vote on January 6, 2011; and it wasn't detailed enough. 

 

"Sufficient detail would be a list of times, dates, places, behaviors to which there is an objection, persons toward which said behaviors were directed, and the specific objection claimed and by whom," Clark wrote.

 

"Since the Board did not provide notice to me that satisfies the requirements of Article VIII, Section 7, the Board cannot hear motions, discuss, or vote on removing me as President or as a member of the Board." 

 

Clark did not appear at the board meeting yesterday, reportedly delaying a vote for his removal.      

 

3 comments:

1. 
   Charles E Dudley JrJanuary 9, 2011 at 12:56 PM

   
   Groups will always try their hardest to ouster the one who is not afraid to stand up and tell things like they really are.
   
   Is that the case here with the NCCNA?

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2. 
   Glenn Mr. Shiv January 10, 2011 at 8:19 AM

   
   Chuck, it's not. Standing up and telling things "like they really are" doesn't excuse bad behavior, especially towards like-minded colleagues. Have you attended any recent NCCNA board meetings? You might want to talk to someone who actually knows something before speculating about motives.

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3. 
   Charles E Dudley JrJanuary 11, 2011 at 7:20 AM

   
   @Mr. Shiv Mr Clark has been out spoken since I moved to this town in 2001 and IMHO we need more like him who care from the heart and have the guts to stand up for what they believe in unlike some in this city. Maybe some get offended by his manners as some do not like mine either at times but why not try listening to what he is really trying to say and put yourself on the back burner for a change.
   
   If more in this city who want to micromanage others opinions would put themselves on the back burners more often more people might just actually hear those who are trying to speak up and make a real difference.