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Final Comments from outgoing RFC President
Nancy Finch
BUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE OLD ARTICLES AND BY-LAWS?
For starters they were 30 years old signed by Richmond First Club president, Gerald McCarthy in 1982.
But "why" did we need new by-laws was asked at the June 8 and final meeting of the club year.
Richmond First Club is a different club now and the City of Richmond is a different city as is the entire region from the 80s.
It was way past time for bringing the club up to how we actually operate. We don't have 100 members and a waiting list and we don't have classes of membership. There are many other 'don't haves' but many 'do haves' that are different from the 80s.
SO, goal No. 1 for me, as president of RFC for the 2010/11 year, was to get the organization in order and legal!
Thanks to our immediate past president and resident club attorney, Fred Fisher, at our June 8 (2011) meeting, new Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws were passed by club members, signed by me and will now go to the State Corporation Commission for blessing. The documents are workable and reflective of how we actually operate.
They will be posted on our website. They will also be filed among the repository of Richmond First Club files in the library of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Thank you, Fred Fisher. I can retire at rest!
Nancy Finch, Outgoing President
HOW DID WE DO OR DIDN'T DO?
As I told club members at the final meeting of my presidency of the Richmond First Club on June 8, I had three goals for our year.
First, to enjoy working together so that board service is pleasant, even fun. That doesn't always happen on a board. Second, my hope was that our members would learn something from attending our meetings and, third, that we would do a little good.
If we didn't accomplish them all, we came close.
Richmond First Club members are a compatible group of "savvy" citizens. You're involved, informed, appear to be reading newspapers (Thank you!) and you care. That makes for a rich environment that our speakers seem to appreciate and we do also as we gather for our monthly luncheon meetings.
Learn something this year? We certainly did. From speakers in September with the Richmond Ballet, Richmond Symphony and Firehouse Theater on through to December's sneak preview of Richmond's international blockbuster, the Picasso exhibit, on to looking back at the businesses that made Richmond and next redistricting with the creator of the video, "Gerrymandering"; a look at public education's legislative challenges, transportation from rail, air and transit, then a how did redistricting turn out session and finally, Henrico Schools. There was the opportunity to learn about a lot.
Did we do any good? Yes. No doubt about that. In October, voters had their only opportunity to attend a public meeting to hear candidates for the Seventh Congressional seat discuss issues in Congress. Listeners over much of the state could hear the discussion in the debate we sponsored with the League of Women Voters.
RFC dipped into its funds to pay for dvds about gerrymandering for elected state leaders in February. Our members scurried around the General Assembly building to hand deliver them. We provided the opportunity for legislators to learn about advancements being made in other states to eliminate political gerrymandering. Our news conference brought coverage statewide. It was part of the media campaign that won broad attention to press our hope that legislators would do the right thing for fair division of political lines. That campaign, we learned, will have to continue for 10 more years! Thanks to Sam Seeley, newly elected RFC president, her public relations skills helped us mount professional information distribution statewide with good results.
So, with those pesky Articles of Incorporation completed, and my three goals being in pretty good shape, I hand off to a new board that boasts experience as well as new members.
Good luck for 2011/12!
Nancy Finch
Richmond First Club President 2010/11
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