OAALJ Board Meeting Minutes
June 19, 2003
In attendance: Steve Rissberger, Skip Russell, Cathy Coburn, Larry Smith, Alison Webster, Daina Upite.
Minutes: Minutes from the April 2, 2003 and May 21, 2003 Board Meetings were approved.
No Treasurer report was given, as the treasurer was unavailable for the meeting.
Board Vacancies: Steve reported that Daina Upite has expressed a willingness to fill Bruce Black’s position on the Board. Steve also noted that the OAALJ’s By-Laws do not address how a Board position should be filled when a member is unable or unavailable to finish his or her term. The By Laws only provide for the election of Board Members by secret ballot at the annual meeting in December. But, the By-Laws (Section IV, paragraph (3)) also give the Board the discretion to promulgate rules that are not inconsistent with the Association Articles or By-Laws.
Skip suggested that the Board adopt a rule allowing for the nomination and appointment of a member to fill the vacant position for the remainder of the term. Following a discussion, Skip made a motion for the Board to adopt a rule to address Board vacancies. The rule would allow the Board, when faced with a Board Member’s resignation or inability to serve, to appoint another member to either finish out the term or fill in until the next annual meeting, whichever comes first. Alison seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Skip then moved to appoint Daina Upite to fill Bruce Black’s position on the Board until the expiration of his term in December. Larry seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
There was discussion about how rules promulgated by the Board should be memorialized. Steve mentioned that the By-Laws and rules are generally posted on the website, but lately the website has been experiencing some technical difficulties. Skip suggested that the Secretary extract the rules from the Board Meeting minutes and keep a copy appended to the official copy of the By-Laws. The discussion was then tabled to the next meeting.
Newsletter: Alison outlined the articles proposed for the next issue. Alison also mentioned that the Newsletter will likely have a new look, including a box on the front page identifying the Board Members and new features, such as a column announcing moves, retirements and other news. The deadline for submissions to the next issue is July 15, 2003.
Membership Privileges CLE: Skip presented a draft outline for a CLE on Hearing Complex Cases. He indicated that he envisioned having a panel discussion format, including a practitioner, perhaps someone from the AG’s office and an ALJ. Skip, Larry and DeeAnna were appointed to a committee to look into possible dates and locations for the event.
After further discussion, it was suggested that the event be planned for next February, rather than September. Skip moved to postpone the event until February. Larry seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Lexis/Nexis Scholarship letter: The Board retroactively ratified the letter Steve submitted on the OAALJ’s behalf.
Recommendations from May 21, 2003 Meeting: Because there was not a quorum at that meeting, Skip moved that the Board adopt the recommendations made by the Board members who did attend the meeting. Specifically, to adopt the recommendation to approve David Marcus’ proposal to the Board to establish the Bruce Black Award to honor the memory of Bruce Black. Daina seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.