amo board of directors

Early each year the general membership has the privilege of voting for up to three Board members of his/her choice. These candidates have expressed their desire through written communication, first to the Secretary, and then thru the newsletter as a whole, to take on the responsibility of working on a committee of nine to guide the club in the direction requested by the membership. This closely parallels the government of the United States as it is guided along by the Legislative Branch. All nine positions are "at large" positions, meaning that there is no specified area of representation. According to the AMO Constitution, any member of AMO in good standing may run for a Board Position. Furthermore, the Board of Directors shall be the final authority in matters regarding the Association, subject to law, and to the provisions set forth in the official Association documents. It is "your privilege as a member in good standing, to run for this office, and it is your privilege as a member in good standing to vote for the candidates of your choice for these offices". Failure to do either diminishes your voice in the goals and directions of the Association.

You, as a AMO member, have a variety of ways of getting your ideas into the discussion mode in AMO. The ideal way is to contact the AMO Board Member of your choice and present your ideas in writing. If it is a changes in what exists, state the change you desire and the justification therefore. If it is a addition to what exists, state the addition and the justification therefore. If it is a problem that needs addressing, state the problem and your solution to it. The AMO Board member will then work with the Chairman of the Board and other individuals who have a interest, to discuss the proposal and then make a formal proposal to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting (or before via US Mail provided that there are time constraints within the proposal.) The Board will have had sufficient input prior to the meeting to come to the meeting prepared to briefly discuss the proposal and formally vote on it.

So, what happens if you do not vote for the candidate's of your choice? The person whom you would mostly like to represent you and your ideas at this meeting will not get your vote, and may lose the election as a result. Thus, your strength as a member is somewhat diminished. What happens if you do not use your privilege of contacting a Board member when you have a good idea, want something changed, or need a problem solved? The situation goes on unnoticed by the Board and nothing is done. And you may become disgruntled with what is going on and give up your membership because "nothing is being done". Often nothing can be done because the situation has not been brought to light with the people in charge of addressing the change.

AMO prides itself as a "member run organization". This has been true since the inception of this organization. And, this is one of the reasons for the strength of the organization. Each step that has been taken, in the direction of chapter development, national meet organization, newsletter production, regional meet sponsorship, etc, has been the direct result of what membership wants. If you think about it carefully, AMO exists for and because of its members!

Another responsibility of the Board is to elect AMO's four main officers: the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer. Again, ANY MEMBER in "good standing" can run for ANY of these offices. A member need only submit a resume in writing to the Secretary to become a candidate for any of these offices. The secretary shall then submit all resumes to the Board of Directors. The Board is then charged with voting for these four main offices. The terms for these offices are two years---each odd numbered year being the year all four offices are filled. Again, failure to vote for the Board members of your choice may also be a failure to get the officers of your choice elected. Yet another step in this area is the responsibility of the President to appoint all of the officers who are classified as "Appointed Officers". A listing of these officers appears on the directory page of American Motoring. Again, any member in "good standing" may run for ANY of these appointed offices. The member need only submit a resume in writing to the secretary to become a candidate for any of the appointed officers positions. The Secretary then forwards these resumes to the President, who in turn will work with the candidates to make a fair and equitable appointment, keeping in mind who will do the best job for AMO. As with elected officers, the appointed officers have two year terms and are appointed at the same meeting as the elected officers. The President only ask for a two year commitment from appointed officers. As it true of the elected officers, the appointed officers are then charged with fulfilling their duties in their areas to the best of their ability. Appointed officers are solely in charge of their given areas and are ultimately responsible back to the President and Board of Directors.

So there it is in a nutshell. AMO's Board is put in place by it's members for its members. Failure to participate either by not voting or by not bringing your concerns to light through the Board members only serves to weaken the organization for all. Do your part--vote and bring your concerns to light through one of your representatives, the AMO Board members. Doing this will enhance the club for everyone involved. And you will probably be much more satisfied as a member.