WST AGM Notice

[Quay Red]

Originally Posted by Inside Left

I understand that the club board members are selected by the WST board, who in turn have been elected by the overall membership. That being the case it is so important that members take this election seriously. It will be interesting to see the turnout.

A few years ago membership of the WST board was time limited but that has since been scrapped.

I feel that there it is good to have a steady turnover of members on both the WST management board and club board. Such a system provided the club with a sensible mix of new faces / shared experiences and stability. What do others think?

A lot depends on the skills that the WST board members have.
I think you would be hard pressed to replace someone like Mark (as an example) who once again gave a superb presentation of the financial position last Monday.
It's not that easy to find right minded people to give their time and effort FOC.
The present board appear to have learned from past mistakes. Changing the faces on the board might be counterproductive.
Anyway it's down to the membership as these WAFC board members need to be re-elected by the membership.

[Inside Left]

Originally Posted by Quay Red

A lot depends on the skills that the WST board members have.
I think you would be hard pressed to replace someone like Mark (as an example) who once again gave a superb presentation of the financial position last Monday.
It's not that easy to find right minded people to give their time and effort FOC.
The present board appear to have learned from past mistakes. Changing the faces on the board might be counterproductive.
Anyway it's down to the membership as these WAFC board members need to be re-elected by the membership.

That is the point that 1926 made. The Football Club board are not elected by the membership - only a select few - who in turn have been elected by the membership. I am not suggested it is right or wrong just trying to point out what I believe to be the facts.

The financial matters re the WST have indeed been handled well since the trusts formation and one man has been involved with that development. No arguments there.

[Quay Red]

Originally Posted by Inside Left

That is the point that 1926 made. The Football Club board are not elected by the membership - only a select few - who in turn have been elected by the membership. I am not suggested it is right or wrong just trying to point out what I believe to be the facts.

The financial matters re the WST have indeed been handled well since the trusts formation and one man has been involved with that development. No arguments there.

The 3 football club members are not standing for re election to the club board, they are standing for election to the trust board. If successful, I would trust that they retain their football board positions.
If members have issues with those board members they should make it known and challenge their re election.
WAFC 1926 is an advocate of direct election to the club board but the Trust constitution is always weighted in favour of trust board members to ensure that a level of control is maintained.
Phil Salmon was recently appointed as a board member and one who can assist the club with his knowledge and ability in respect of Stadium maintenance and development.

[Quay Red]

Members of the trust board who I believe are seeking re-election and who are current WAFC board members.
Spenser Harris, John Mills, Gavin Jones.
I think Pete Jones may also be in the group who need to be re-elected but I'm sure we'll know when the details of the election are posted.

[WST]

Just for confirmation, elected Trust Board members serve terms of up to three years before having to step down and seek re election by the membership if they so wish. There is no limit on the number of times they can do so. This year Peter Jones, John Mills, Spencer Harris, Gavin Jones and Richard Ulrich will complete three year terms.

Dave Jones has also given notice that he will be standing down from the board at the AGM after five years service. Everyone at WST thanks Dave for all his hard work.

Mark Williams, Stuart Roberts and Anita Robinson are elected board members whose terms do not expire this year.

In total there are seven vacancies for election which, as usual will give the new board the option of co-opting additional members if they have the necessary skills experience etc by advertising for expressions of interest. During the current year Brian Phillips, Sarah Smith Howard, Mike Lewis and Colin Williams were co-opted in this way. Their co-opted positions (which are always for 12 months) come to an end at the AGM

Hopefully this explains things.

[wafc1926]

Originally Posted by WST

Just for confirmation, elected Trust Board members serve terms of up to three years before having to step down and seek re election by the membership if they so wish. There is no limit on the number of times they can do so. This year Peter Jones, John Mills, Spencer Harris, Gavin Jones and Richard Ulrich will complete three year terms.

Dave Jones has also given notice that he will be standing down from the board at the AGM after five years service. Everyone at WST thanks Dave for all his hard work.

Mark Williams, Stuart Roberts and Anita Robinson are elected board members whose terms do not expire this year.

In total there are seven vacancies for election which, as usual will give the new board the option of co-opting additional members if they have the necessary skills experience etc by advertising for expressions of interest. During the current year Brian Phillips, Sarah Smith Howard, Mike Lewis and Colin Williams were co-opted in this way. Their co-opted positions (which are always for 12 months) come to an end at the AGM

Hopefully this explains things.

Thanks for that.

[wafc1926]

Originally Posted by Quay Red

The 3 football club members are not standing for re election to the club board, they are standing for election to the trust board. If successful, I would trust that they retain their football board positions.
If members have issues with those board members they should make it known and challenge their re election.
WAFC 1926 is an advocate of direct election to the club board but the Trust constitution is always weighted in favour of trust board members to ensure that a level of control is maintained.
Phil Salmon was recently appointed as a board member and one who can assist the club with his knowledge and ability in respect of Stadium maintenance and development.

Just to clarify. I argue for direct Members (Club Owners ) election for two obvious reasons . The first is that it represents the clear democracy on which any Fans' Ownership model depends. The second ....and here perhaps lies the problem ....is that too many WST members have felt excluded. We have , in recent years , seen Members' agm motions being opposed by the Board and accusations being made about the "elite" deciding deciding everything. Not saying all this is true but WST membership figures , and involvement , seem to be in decline . Worrying.

[Quay Red]

Originally Posted by wafc1926

Just to clarify. I argue for direct Members (Club Owners ) election for two obvious reasons . The first is that it represents the clear democracy on which any Fans' Ownership model depends. The second ....and here perhaps lies the problem ....is that too many WST members have felt excluded. We have , in recent years , seen Members' agm motions being opposed by the Board and accusations being made about the "elite" deciding deciding everything. Not saying all this is true but WST membership figures , and involvement , seem to be in decline . Worrying.

Fully appreciate your point of view.
We will have to agree to disagree on this issue.
From my point of view, the members elect their representatives on the trust board and can change these (or at least some of them) if they wish to annually.
The trust own the club and the only "share" and appoint their own football club board members. 3 of these are up for election this time and can be removed if the members so wish.
If you are unhappy with the way things are currently run, there is no harm in presenting a motion suggesting a change of policy in this area.
For what it's worth, I would support the election of an independent supporters representative to the club board.
As for membership goes, the base remains reasonably solid, I understand that efforts to recoup lapsed members are underway and that the membership group are actively building a comprehensive data base to assist themselves in that process.

[wafc1926]

Just to point our discussion into context and illustrate the lack of understanding in certain influential quarters .......
I posted on an "elite" site that I wished for all fans to work together for the sake of our Club. The first response was from Braziliant , a prominent member of a major Supporters' group , who replied as follows:-
" Plenty of opportunities for any knockers of how the Club is run to put themselves forward to change things as they see fit, 7 vacancies on trust (sic) board , let's see if they put up or shut up. "
Would normally ignore such rubbish but spent much of yesterday finalising the FPA quiz to raise funds for our Club. Served for 30 years on Supporters' Association committee ....see last Saturday's matchday programme for list of things we achieved . To say that I am pissed off with Braziliant , and others who view all with alternative and questioning views as "knockers " would be an understatement.