NEW MEXICO OPEN PRIMARIES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MINUTES

07/26/15 3:00 p.m.

 

Location:

2309 Renard Place, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

Present:

Bob Perls, Bill Adkison, Sarah Cobb, George Richmond, Eddy Aragon, and Ed Hollington

 

Absent: Barry Bitzer

 

Attending:

David Walker, Ben Blackwell, and David Nelson

 

Call to Order by Bob Perls at 3:00 p.m., MDT.

 

QUORUM:

A quorum was present.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

None.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

1. The bylaws of the New Mexico Open Primaries, a New Mexico non-profit corporation were presented to the Board of Directors and upon a motion duly made and seconded, the bylaws were unanimously adopted.

 

2. Election of Officers

 

The following officers were unanimously elected by the Board of Directors:

 

i. Bob Perls, President

ii. J. Edward Hollington, Secretary

iii. George Richmond, Treasurer.

 

Bob Perls, President, presided over the Board of Directors’ meeting.

 

3. Finances

 

President Perls presented a report of income and expenses to date and a motion was duly made and seconded and by unanimous vote approval was given to reimburse the President for expenses which were incurred by the President on behalf of the corporation.

 

Treasurer Richmond presented a form of “Tax Deductible” letter to be provided to contributors and also reported that he would contact a CPA regarding the time requirements for completing a 501[c][3] application with the IRS.

 

4. Volunteer Coordinator

A motion was made and seconded and by unanimous vote, Sarah Cobb was appointed to serve as Volunteer Coordinator.

 

5. Meeting adjourned at 3:35 p.m. The Board of Directors adjourned to convene a general membership meeting in addition to the Board of Directors being present, David Walker, Ben Blackwell, and David Nelson, general members, were also present for discussions regarding the mission, goals, and objectives. Messaging were discussed with excellent input from Board of Directors and general members. The Mission Statement was reviewed and discussed and revisions will be made by the President as discussed with the goal of keeping the message simple and non-confrontational. It was also agreed that for the time being, the President will be the official spokesman on behalf of the corporation.

 

6. Opportunities for speaking engagements were discussed and it was agreed that Sarah Cobb would assist in the “vetting” process for speaking engagements for the President.

 

7. The meeting of the Board of Directors reconvened at 4:15 p.m.

 

8. Business Plan

 

President Perls discussed the need for a detailed business plan and provided a template Business Plan that had been provided by John Opdycke, of the National Open Primaries organization. The President explained a business plan was necessary and helpful in soliciting contributions, especially from foundations. Board member Aragon graciously volunteered to take the lead in preparing a business plan. Board member Adkison emphasized the importance of establishing a 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month organizational plans with objectives.

 

Treasurer Richmond provided a hand-out from Fair Vote organization and prompted a general discussion about association with other organizations, particularly national organizations involved in similar open primary projects. It was agreed that communications with those organizations could be an important resource and should be continued.

 

9. Crum vs. Secretary of State - lawsuit

 

This lawsuit is to declare closed primaries unconstitutional. Secretary Hollington gave an update on the case explaining the district court judge had ruled against Plaintiff Crum but in doing so, had failed to address the constitutional arguments. This case is now before the NM Court of Appeals. Secretary Hollington will provide copies of the brief filed in the NM Court of Appeals to all board members and has volunteered to make himself available for any questions and more detailed explanations when needed about the lawsuit.

 

 

10. Outreach and marketing

 

Board members and general members in attendance engaged extensive discussions regarding outreach including reviewing the website, giving constructive criticism, and hosting private home/open primary neighborhood meetings. It was also agreed the corporation should extend outreach to involve more diverse members. President Perls presented handouts which his wife produced and various comments and suggestions were made regarding messaging and it was agreed that having handouts, particularly when attending neighborhood meetings, and giving talks would be very beneficial.

 

NEXT MEETING:

The next meeting of the Board of Directors is scheduled for September 9, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at a restaurant to be announced.

 

ADJOURNMENT:

Upon a motion duly made and seconded, and by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, the meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.