While our Class Association Rules and Specs are extensive, the By-Laws are quite simple. They grant the authority to call a meeting to change the rules to a Board of Governors consisting of the President, District Governors, Chief Measurer,
J/Boats Representative, Immediate Past President, and up to three At-Large Members (of which I am currently one).
Fleets, with a minimum of three full association members, may organize within each geographic District. As a practical matter Fleets and Districts have been treated as one and the same. As of this week there were 61 paid
J/30 Class Association Members, broken down below by District, number of members, and % of total membership:
A. Northern New England -- 5 (8%)
B. Southern New England -- 6 (10%)
C. Long Island Sound -- 7 (11%)
D. Chesapeake -- 15 (25%)
E. Carolina's -- 3 (5%)
F. Southeast -- 3 (5%)
G. Gulf Coast -- 6 (10%)
H. California -- 2 (3%)
I. Pacific Northwest -- 4 (7%)
J. Western Great Lakes -- 4 (7%)
K. Eastern Great Lakes -- 4 (7%)
International -- 1 (2%)
Other -- 1 (2%)
The By-Laws do not indicate what makes a quorum or how many votes are required to pass a change; typically a majority of those attending a Board of Governors meeting has ruled. If each District is represented and shared positions receive a single vote, there is the possibility of 18 votes.
I am concerned that my District, which has more than twice as many members as the next largest District and races primarily or exclusively one-design could be out-voted by Districts that have few members and rarely or never races one-design.
As such I feel it is time to consider changing the Class By-Laws to:
- Reorganize from the current eleven Districts into a smaller number of geographic units,
- Define Fleets as those that contain the minimum of three members actively sailing one-design,
- Vote either by Fleet or directly by class member,
- Set a quorum, and
- Require a two-thirds majority of those voting to make a change.
