A Spooky Governance Story

<<Spotlight on a group of Girl Scouts sitting around a campfire that’s starting to burn down to embers>>

Leader: It’s STORYTIME! But this story might get kind of scary, so prepare yourselves!  <<holds flashlight under chin>>

Girl 1: Ooh, I love scary stories!

Girl 2: I dunno about this. <<looks around tentatively>>

Leader: It’s okay. It’s an educational scary story. It’s about what happens when council leadership doesn’t use the DEMOCRATIC PROCESS when making major decisions!

Girl 3: OMG! I love spooky stories about the democratic process!

Leader: Once upon a time, a council’s leadership revealed a property plan to the delegate body. It involved many property sales including camps. Supposedly input was gathered from the membership during the covid shutdown, but many felt it was biased. A large part of the plan was based on information from a third party commercial real estate advisory firm in partnership with GSUSA <<cough cough>> Newmark Knight Frank <<cough cough>> that had no local affiliation.

<<Girl 4 puts her hands in front of her eyes and peers out through her fingers>>

Leader: When the plan was revealed, the delegates became very angry and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. A follow-up Town Hall was held virtually, but the delegates were shut down and muted in the meeting which caused even more wailing and gnashing of teeth. In response, the delegates called a SPECIAL MEETING.

<<Girls gasp>>

Leader: But the special meeting wasn’t recognized by the council leadership because of confusion as to how many delegates there actually were due to poor record keeping, so the council leadership claimed they didn’t have the necessary number of delegates to call a special meeting as indicated in the bylaws. The delegates held the special meeting anyway. And then, they passed a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE on the leadership of the council, specifically the board of directors and the CEO!

Girl 4: A vote of no confidence?? OMG!

Girl 5: <<starts whimpering>> I can’t take this. I’m scared.

Leader:  Soon after that, the CEO RESIGNED! And then the President of the Board stepped down! The board of directors was in a state of chaos, and the Board Development Committee submitted an incomplete board slate for the upcoming annual meeting including an open spot for President!

Girl 1: What! An incomplete slate?? That’s crazy!

Leader: I know! But the delegates took advantage of this and lined up their own candidates to run from the floor!

Girl 2: Yay!!

Leader: And then the delegates called another special meeting!

Girl 3: Wait, weren’t they going to have an annual meeting soon anyway?

Leader: Yes! Isn’t that crazy?

Girl 5:  <<wipes tears from eyes>> I need to go to the bathroom. Will someone go with me?

Girl 4: I don’t want to miss this story.

Girl 5:  I really gotta go!!!

Leader:  There’s not much more. So anyway, the upcoming annual meeting was VIRTUAL!

Girl 2: What? Councils still do that?

Leader:  Yes! When the virtual annual meeting started, the delegates pushed back on a parliamentarian that the council hired who tried to run the meeting as the chair. Much confusion ensued!  The virtual meeting was abruptly adjourned, and the decision was made to hold the meeting in-person at a later date!

Girl 4: Pushback on a parliamentarian? This is getting GOOD!

Leader: Meanwhile, an interim CEO came onboard. An announcement went out about the upcoming meetings, and the rescheduled annual meeting and second special meeting were scheduled on back to back nights!

Girl 3: This is INSANE!!!!

Leader: At the annual meeting, the candidates that the delegates ran from the floor were voted in, including one for President!

<<Girls burst into applause>>

Leader: The next day at the second special meeting, the delegates used parliamentary procedure to amend the agenda so that discussion about the property plan turned into a delegate vote on the property plan citing a bylaw requirement stating that any decision on a sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the council must have two-thirds of the votes cast. The delegates unanimously voted down the property plan!

<<Girls scream>>

Girl 1: WOW!! That was really intense!!

Girl 3: I don’t think I’ll be able to go to sleep tonight.

Girl 4: So what happened after that?

Leader:  Well, now the council has to review its property plan, and the interim CEO has to clean up a huge mess. Delegates and board members have to come together to rebuild the council.

Girl 2: Wow. Just think, if they had used the democratic process before making the final decision on the property plan, none of that would have happened.

Leader: Yep. Let that be a lesson to all of you.

Girl 4: That was really spooky.

Girl 5: Can I go to the bathroom now? I REALLY gotta go!