Dear AGMA Artists:
The right of the members to recall their elected leaders for serious misconduct is a hallmark of a functioning democratic union. AGMA would never intentionally strip you of that right.
Since releasing the details of the Board of Governors Revision of the Constitution, some members have raised concerns that the Revision removes this right. I am writing to reassure you that this will not happen should the Board of Governors Revision be approved.
To be clear, the ability and procedure for AGMA members to sign a petition triggering a recall election for a National Officer or a member of the Board of Governors was never in our Constitution. Instead, this provision was contained in AGMA’s Bylaws. In rewriting the Constitution, one of our overarching goals was to move all “governance” matters from the Bylaws into the Constitution, in an effort to make sure members could access all relevant information regarding how AGMA is run in one place. When we drafted the Articles for Board of Governors and National Officers—moving rights, rules, and responsibilities from the Bylaws to the Constitution—we unintentionally missed this important provision. However, the recall provision is still in AGMA’s Bylaws and will not be removed through the referendum.
The Board of Governors will consider amendments to AGMA’s Bylaws to correspond with the will of the membership. For instance, if the Board of Governors Revision passes, the Board will likely remove from the Bylaws the provisions of the Bylaws that were incorporated in the Constitution. I will personally make sure that the recall provision is included in whatever set of Bylaws the Board passes in the aftermath of the referendum.
I’m very thankful that our members are detailed proofreaders and brought this to our attention so that we could quickly realize our mistake and work to correct it. Your Board of Governors is a group of elected AGMA members who are also human beings. Sometimes we make mistakes. Doing a complete revision of our Constitution was a massive undertaking and, although the Revision was reviewed by all Officers, Board members, and Standing Committees, the absence of the recall provision was missed by all involved and wasn’t raised during the Board of Governors meetings.
The simple truth is, whether you vote to approve the Board of Governors Revision or the Petition Amendments, the ability to recall leaders will remain in your power.
In Solidarity,
Ray Menard
AGMA President