Whether you are new to Cascade or a longtime member, there is always something to learn about your club. At our Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11, Cascade staff and board members will give a “state of the club” address and be on-hand answer your questions. Board candidates will also introduce themselves, take questions and tell you how they would contribute to the future of the club. The membership meeting is a great way to get to know your club, its staff and its leaders. Even if you’re not a member, you can come learn why Cascade is the largest and most effective bicycle club in the country. We hope to see you there!

Annual Membership Meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 11
7 – 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30)
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N, Seattle

In order to ensure that your club remains strong, Cascade’s Board of Directors is in the process of revising the club’s bylaws. The bylaws were written for a much smaller club in an age before the internet; procedures that worked then, like bringing the membership together in a room to conduct club business, no longer make sense.

The board is proposing bylaw revisions in three areas:

1) The process for director recall;

2) The terms of board-appointed interim directors; and

3) The quorum required for the board to conduct club business.

You can read the full text of the proposed changes here. Members will be asked to vote on these proposed changes during the October 2011 election; they will appear collectively on the ballot along with this year’s candidates for the board of directors. Ratifying the proposed changes will require a two-thirds majority vote.

At its June 15, 2011 meeting, the Cascade Bicycle Club Board of Directors voted to review two sections of the club bylaws: 1) the tenure for an appointed board member; and 2) the length of time and process for a board recall. A task force chaired by board member Michael Snyder has been formed to undertake this assignment. The task force is looking for a few volunteers with bylaws expertise who can assist in framing the proposed revisions. If you have experience and are interested, please send your name and contact information to bylaws@cascadebicycleclub.org by July 15, 2011.

At its May 18 meeting, the Club’s Board of Directors formally convened our 2011 Nominations Committee. The Committee, chaired by board member Bill Ptacek, is charged with soliciting nominations, recommending board candidates to the Board of Directors, who must approve all candidates, and facilitating the election for the 2012 to 2014, three-year term. The board will be expanded from nine to 12 members.

Nominations—including self-nominations—for board positions can be submitted to nominations@cascadebicycleclub.org by July 15, 2011.To learn more, please review the Board of Directors job description.

Once in submission, all prospective candidates will be asked to complete a board candidate application or statement of interest and may be asked to interview with the Committee.

The election will conclude at the Club’s Annual Membership meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 11, 6:30 – 8:45 p.m., at the downtown Seattle REI Store (222 Yale Ave N). Ballots may be hand delivered at the Annual Meeting or dropped off at the Cascade office anytime before the meeting. Mail in ballots must be postmarked on or before Oct 11.

We recognize that the continuing vitality of the Club depends on an active and diverse group of directors.  We encourage you to consider nominating yourself and/or others who you believe can lead the Club on its journey to creating better communities through bicycling.

The following board of directors report has been submitted by George Durham:

I am pleased to report that on Friday, April 29, the newly elected board of directors of Cascade Bicycle Club met for the first time for an orientation meeting and for its first board meeting.  The new board of directors has now been seated and the club maintains a legal and functional operating structure.

The orientation was the board’s first meeting following last month’s special election, the results of which were certified March 30. In addition to becoming better acquainted with one another, the new board began to get up to speed on some of the items on which it will need to take action in the near future. We also had the opportunity to receive a briefing on the club and its programs, as well as finances, work on the strategic plan, and more.

Official minutes will be posted soon,, but a few key items that came out of the board’s first meeting include:

• * The board was informed that Tarrell Wright, who was elected to the board in March, has taken a staff position with Cascade and, as a result, has stepped down from the board. The board considered the option of appointing a new director in her place, but decided not to appoint a replacement at this time and to wait instead for the next regularly-scheduled board election in October, 2011. Even without Tarrell, the nine-member board provides a legal and operational governing body for the organization.

• * Cascade Board President Peter Morgan met with the board and tendered the previous board’s resignation letter. He shared his – and the outgoing board’s – commitment to the club and its mission. The new board recognized the valuable service and commitment of the prior board and recommended a formal vote of thanks/recognition for their service and contributions to the club and the community.
• * A few individuals have asked about Joey Gray’s status on the board of directors. The newly-seated board took no formal action regarding Joey’s appointment; instead the board reviewed and accepted the prior board’s determination that Joey’s appointment technically began in October 2010 and will end in October 2011, when she may stand for election to a three-year term. She remains an appointed member of the board and expressed her willingness to continue serving as the prior board had asked.
• * Executive Director Chuck Ayers provided the new board an extensive review of the club and its programs, successes, challenges, and opportunities.
• * At the conclusion of the orientation, the board went for a brief bike ride along the Burke-Gilman, and ended at a meeting space at the Pub at Third Place where we concluded some board business, including the election of officers.

I am pleased to announce that the following have been elected to serve as the new Executive Committee for Cascade’s Board of Directors. Per the bylaws, these terms will end in January 2012, when a new executive committee may be elected by the board.

• * President: George Durham
• * Vice President: Daniel Weise
• * Secretary: Don Volta
• * Treasurer: Michael Snyder
• * Executive Committee Member-at-Large: Emily Moran

As a new board, we have a lot of work to do. Items that the board needs to address in the very near future:

• * Formally accept (and vote to accept) the prior board’s resignations
• * Club’s strategic plan
• * Review of the club’s bylaws and potential changes/clarifications needed
• * Executive Director position

As a Cascade member, I am pleased to share my impression that this is a remarkably strong and capable board, and each member is committed to ensuring the integrity, spirit, and mission of the club. I am pleased that so many various constituencies and interests are represented on the board. It is a group of people that clearly cares about the organization, and its mission of creating a better community through cycling. The new board is committed to providing a great deal of transparency and communication to the members of the club around its governance and the board’s deliberations and decisions, and welcomes your feedback and thoughts as we strive to do so.

There is a lot of work to be done in the coming weeks and months and we look forward to doing so with all of the club’s great members, volunteers, and staff.

Note: the board will continue meeting on the third Wednesday of every odd-numbered month. Our next regularly-scheduled meeting will be May 18 at 5:30 at Cascade’s offices.