"HMGS East 2009 Election Outcome" Topic

The HMGS East 2009 BOD election results are in and posted on their site. As expected the Directors who voted for the move to Baltimore were given a headstart to get there. The Directors who voted against it were retained to help clean up the mess. For all the talk about getting input on where to move the con, there was no input on "IF" to move the con. As a result the voting membership responded because they just could not see the Emperor's New Clothes.

While I think it is important to recognize the work that people do and not all of it was related to Baltimore. I am happy with the results. I can only wish that the planning for Historicon 2010 start now.
Thank you to the departing incumbents and good luck to the incoming members

Just a clarification…
"The HMGS East 2009 BOD election results are in and posted on their site."
As of this writing the results are posted on the "HMGS East Issues Forum" (Yahoo Group Site) not the HMGS East website, which is only current up to March 2008.

I too wish to thank all the current and former Directors who served and performed their duties while at the same time knowing, following and respecting the wishes of the membership they were elected to represent.

zone of control,

The number one vote getter was in favor of the move.

I saw we burn them all and sort out the ashes later!

Come on, folks. What's done is done. The membership had the opportunity to voice their opinions in this election and, by and large, they neglected to even participate. The low number of votes was absolutely appalling. Now it's time to see what the new board can do to make the conventions a success and keep us all in our thrice-yearly convention goodness.

I never even got a ballot.

Would someone please post the results here-

I decided not to continue my membership in HMGS for a variety of reasons so, obviously, I didn't get to vote. HMGS has a number of issues that the last leadership either couldn't see, didn't see or refused to see. Perhaps new leadership will help.

The membership had the opportunity to voice their opinions in this election and, by and large, they neglected to even participate. The low number of votes was absolutely appalling.

I haven't seen the results. If it was a significant delta over previous elections, perhaps the non-vote/non-participation was a vote in and of itself? Or not.

Hmmm. Like Nazrat I did not get a ballot either.

tiger g-
"The number one vote getter was in favor of the move."
Quoting from her "Candidate Biography":
"…As a BoD member with vendor connections, I felt I could not vote for moving Historicon to Baltimore…"
Are you saying her Bio. statement is not correct? Please clarify, I have not seen the relocation vote results.

What she ment was she did not vote at all. She did not feel it was appropriate to have vendor connections and vote either way.

However- yes- she does support the move- Source(actual converstions).

David McBride- Hate to put you on the spot but would love to hear your input on how much fun it was to go to warfare and see an almost empty hall due to boycotts and in fighting.

I got my ballot sent all the way to Canada. I also voted. While I have issues with the move to Baltimore, I did not vote according to that single issue. I voted for what I thought were the best candidates out of a pool of very good candidates. Regardless of where Historicon is held, it behooves us to vote for our BOD. By voting, you at least buy the right to complain.

Ralph

foxfoxfox,
Not putting me on the spot at all. I had a great time at Warfair but as I said in a Warfair thread, I think the level of infighting and personal offense people take in this hobby is silly. When one group from a city will not go to a con because people from another group are there, it seems as if some people never moved past middle school. I keep hearing that one group from a city will not come because another city never comes to their con. Again, silly.

I am not a supporter of the move from Lancaster to Baltimore as I and my family enjoyed being in Lancaster during the summer. I do not, however, plan to boycott the con or not go just because I do not like the decision made. HMGS East has been very supportive of me as a fledgling company and I want to give them at least a year at the new place to see how it goes.

The idea of actively boycotting the con seems silly and petty, and certainly unworthy of adults. Taking every opportunity on threads to belittle or make snide comments about the move is immature. If you do not want to go, then don't. If it does not work at the new place, then it will go somewhere else. Life will go on and we will all get to continue playing with our toy soldiers. And at the end of the day, that and the companionship of good friends is the point.

David

Don't worry about your ballots. ACORN took care of it all.

Add me to the list of members, who did not get a ballot. :( I suppose John is right, Acorn must have voted for me.

Jeez, guys, enough with the ACORN crap! You lost, get over it.

I got a ballot, the USPS even forwarded it to my new address. Like everyone else, I voted for Amadinejad.

It is a depressing fact that as far as elections are concerned, in almost all cases at any level the people inclined to run are the ones least suited to the job, while those who would do the best job are the least interested in running.

"Hmmm. Like Nazrat I did not get a ballot either."

Then contact the secretary to get it corrected. Remember, all memberships expired as of Jan 1, 2009, so if you didn't re-upped for CW then you weren't a member. That change was made some years ago on expiration dates.

I have also heard there were problems with the membership database too, so it could be one of two problems. :-(

For the record, the only sitting BoD member to become un-elected was John Drye, who did great work as a previous convention director. All other elected or appointed BoD members were re-elected, along with two new ones. Also, since there was an opening on the BoD due to a resignation, the fifth highest vote getter (the sitting treasurer) has been appointed to fill that vacancy.

Goldwrym,

The results were sent to the members. Since you are not a member why do you need the results! Or you could just call me and I will tell you. :>))

Since you are not a member

I reupped last year. Unlike Nazrat and David McBride, I got a ballot. I even got an email from a member suggesting how I should vote. No, I'm not telling from who or who was recommended or not recommended.

The results were sent to the members.

If the announcement was by Yahoo Group, I left the "official" issues forum yahoo group some time ago due to ankle biting from various personalities and the delayed approval of valid messages from the moderators.

I'm surprised nobody has simply shared the election results information here by now. It's not like it's a state secret.

"The results were sent to the members."
Now is that members of HMGS East or members of the yahoo group? You didn't specify. I am a member of HMGS East but not the group so I didn't receive a notification of who won and who didn't. And why can't they just post it on the East website so everyone can look at it whether you are a member or not.

It is posted, with actual vote tallies.

IIRC, Heather Blush won the most votes, then Jim McWee, then the Preziosas (sp?). Since there was another opening due to a resignation, the BoD had agreed to simply fill that slot with the next highest vote getter which is the sitting treasurer Dudley G. Those are your "new" board members. I think John Drye came after him in votes, then the others, who few had heard of. Hope that helps.

I am a (voting) member of HMGS East, a member of the regular HMGS East Yahoo Group and a member of the HMGS East Issues Group. I recieved no notification of election results, ever! In all the years I have been a member and voted I have never received notification of election results. I read that the recent results were available due to someone else's post on another TMP thread. I have not checked since earlier today but at that point the results were not posted on the HMGS East website. When I looked earlier today the Board Meeting minutes were only current up to March of 2008. All the blather about no input coming from the membership and they will not even release the basic info about what they are doing to their membership.
The house cleaning will continue!

The election results have been posted to the HMGS East Issues Forum. (This seems to be the site for the first announcement of most HMGS-E election results.) They do not yet appear on the HMGS East website. The election results are as historygamer has reported.

"Heather Blush won the most votes"…what does that tell you about the state of things in East? During my tenure we also had a woman elected to the BoD…nice person, good volunteer but without a clue. I suspect Blush has a clue, just the wrong one.

db

pancerni2

Nice attack on women in general.

Pancerni

The BOD you were on was one of the most clueless we've ever had. That was the era of the star chamber proceedings, the great botched witch hunt, and a 30% drop in HISTORICON attendane.

I don't know that Ginger was so much clueless as out of touch with a dysfunctional BOD.

Pat Condray

I never even got a ballot.

Same here but this is typical.

I got my ballot sent all the way to Canada. I also voted. While I have issues with the move to Baltimore, I did not vote according to that single issue. I voted for what I thought were the best candidates out of a pool of very good candidates. Regardless of where Historicon is held, it behooves us to vote for our BOD. By voting, you at least buy the right to complain.

Again it would be nice to receive a ballot.

I got a ballot, the USPS even forwarded it to my new address. Like everyone else, I voted for Amadinejad.

Milk out the nose!

Hey they could post the results and send them out with the next newsletter. Oh wait… we never get them any more. Right. Whose job is that to get at least ONE newsletter out?! And I don't mean that color advertisement we get either. A real newsletter, like where you might get information from… that kind.

I for one welcome our new elected overlords, whoever they are.

The mullahs have certified the results, right? Then all is well.

To all HMGS East Members,

First and Foremost, Let me thank the election committee (John Snead and Mitch
Osborne) for their assistance in running the election. Second, everyone should
thank all the candidates for ruining and making the many hours of
commitment required of the board members over the next two years.

With that said and on behalf of the Election Committee and your Board of
Directors, please join us in congratulating Heather Blush, Jim McWee, Frank
Preziosa, and Michelle Preziosa on their election to serve on the board.

I am happy to present the election results as follows:

HMGS EAST 2009 ELECTION RESULTS

AS CERTIFIED BY KAHN, BERMAN, SOLOMON,TAIBEL & MOGOL, P.A.

JULY 1, 2009 2:30 P.M.

Summary of Ballots Received or Returned

There were 311 ballots received in this office postmarked no later than June 5,
2009. There were 27 ballots returned unopened by the post office marked as
undeliverable or return to sender. Three ballots were received with a postmark
later than June 5, 2009.

Verification of Ballots and Counting Procedure

1. Each ballot was examined by two people at different times to validate the
name, membership number, and unique ballot number to ensure a legal ballot.
There were no ballots disqualified.

2. All legal ballots were examined by two people for irregularities in voting
which would cause exclusion from vote counting. The result of this examination
was that one ballot was not counted due to failure to sign the ballot. The
invalid and therefore, not counted, ballot did not change the outcome of the
election.

3. All valid ballots were counted three times and all totals crosschecked.

Certification of Election Results

We did not encounter any discrepancies other than noted in item 2 above which we
consider to be immaterial. Therefore, we confirm, to the best of our knowledge
and belief, the election results, as follows, are accurate and complete.

Candidate Vote Count
Heather Blush 204
Jim McWee 174
Frank Preziosa 174
Michelle Preziosa 146
Dudley Garidel 129
John Drye 126
Paul Delaney 115
Stan Kubiak 109

Write Ins (2 votes) 3
Write Ins (1 vote) 21


KAHN, BERMAN, SOLOMON, TAIBEL & MOGOL, P.A.


Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about the election.

Sincerely,

James Curtis

311 ballots cast.

You can lose the jokes about Ahmadinejad. The Iranians show more interest in their elections than HMGS East members do.

Allen (who let his membership lapse many years ago)

Thank you rorrim.

You're welcome, Goldwyrm.

Not surprised at all. 311 is low even for HMGS. I assume that since Bill Gray is out of the net right now they are not posted to the "official" website. The fourm has been the place they are always posted so no blood no foul there.

As to members who did not get a ballot, are you SURE you are a 2009 member? If you renewed in 2008 that was more likely then not the membership year you paid for. Check with the records board member if he is in country.
VR
James Mattes

I hope rorrim's comment about RUINING the election was just a slip of the finger:
"Second, everyone should thank all the candidates for ruining and making the many hours of commitment required of the board members over the next two years."
The Bylaws specifically state that BOD members are not allowed to ruin anything until AFTER they are elected!

And they do a darn good job of it too!

I didn't get a ballot either. However, stupidity on my part allowed my membership to lapse. Corrective action will be taken ASAP. My punishment is to go over to the Napoleonic Board and read all the coherent threads about Napoleonic Artillery.

zoneofcontrol,

It might have been a slip of a finger, but it wasn't *my* finger doing the slipping. I just cut and pasted it directly from the HMGS Yahoo group :)

Let's see, now Pat Conray is passing judgement on a a former BoD…things must have gotten slow in his attempts to destroy the Florida chapters of HMGS. "Star chamber" proceedings…let's see, no minutes, no financial reporting and no accountability to the membership, sound more like the current BoD.

As far as the 30% drop in Historicon attendance, it was still a great convention, the dealers made money, parking was adequate…we just were trying to avoid the mindless arguments about moving to Baltimore.

311 total ballots in the East election…that pretty much sum's up the problem…

db

rorrim-
So sorry, I didn't mean to lump you in with them.
Please forgive me.
Mike

pancerni2- I would sure be proud of a 30% drop- nice work. Certainly one way to solve the Host growing pains would be to lower attendance and expectations- fixes parking etc.

I don't see much of a connection between the election and the move to Baltimore. And I don't see any reason to keep castigating the present BOD and the newly elected BOD. We had a board that felt, egged on obviously by some very vocal and influential members to make the move. They told us they were looking and went and did it. The bylaws don't give the membership much control of that if any. So, do we have a problem or not? We can try to read the BOD candidates before they are elected and hope they aren't wolfing us or my proposal is to change the by-laws for future moves. I would have three exceptions:
1. The Baltimore move is set. Leave it alone. Come to the con and have as good a time as you can. Or don't come. Up to you my friends. I won't dislike you either way.
2. Moving Fall-in to Lancaster if it occurs in the next two years should be allowed to happen, I believe.
3. An unforseen emergency move that will insure 3 cons per year.
Everything else requires a 60% super majority vote, or ballot, or discernible voice vote at an official meeting with the agenda clearly announced beforehand.
Again, the BOD doesn't require our approval on many things and I think that should be fixed on such a large financial and controversial item as moving a very enjoyable con to a new place without many really knowing why it was done. I am sure there were some valid reasons in the mind of the BOD members. And that's now past history, so if you think the move to Baltimore was problematic and you are unhappy with how it was handled you need to ride 1.herd on the BOD elections or 2. fix the by-laws. It's not worth our time and trouble anymore to gripe over a done deal that we really can't change and couldn't change in the first place. Thanks for listening.

Don't misunderstand when I said everything else; I meant any other moves require approval of 60% of valid members.

vonLoudon,

You make a persuasive argument in defining the realities of the current situation…what is done is done and the only thing to be decided, as you point out, it whether you attend Baltimore, and if you attend and are a GM will you try and run a game or wait and see.

Once we get past that there are any number of possible sceanarios each depending on whether the Baltimore experiment is a whopping success, suffers a small decrease in attendance or is a dismal failure.

I believe the most likely scenario is a small "offical" decrease in attendance, but the underlying result will be disillusionment from the historical gamers who attend and find fewer and less elaborate games and from the dealers who find sales down and cost up. That mix is the slow cancer that will destroy the convention.

As far as the Fall In move, which will happen in 2010, why should that be allowed to happen, other than to placate the Host…it makes sense if it keeps a door open to Historicon returning in 2012 but then what happens to Fall In? Back to Gettysburg? I think the general conscensus is that the Ike is not the best venue and once we leave even those who want Fall In at Gettyburg will cringe at the prospect of a return to the Ike.

db

Let's see, now Pat Conray is passing judgement on a a former BoD…things must have gotten slow in his attempts to destroy the Florida chapters of HMGS.

Dave,

Is it your habit to speak of things you have no direct knowledge of or just to whine? While it is true that Pat can be very abrasive in some of his posts, in all the years I have known him, I have not caught him in a lie. Pat was not the cause of the failures in the Southern Chapter you refer to. Came about because the BoD refused to honor the wishes and vote of the membership.

As far as the 30% drop in Historicon attendance, it was still a great convention, the dealers made money, parking was adequate…we just were trying to avoid the mindless arguments about moving to Baltimore.

db

What, in your honest opinion, caused the 30% drop in a show that had been in the same location for several years? Did the BoD, in charge at that time, have changed the process for organizing and operating the program? That is what happened in that Southern Chapter you refer to. That is the main reason that attendance at their most recent show was down nearly 50% from two years ago. Not Pat Condray.

Chuck

Chuck, if I recall, the drop in attendance was shortly after the move to a 3 show schedule from 2. I do not have the numbers in front of me, but I remember a drop in attendance at Historicon for a few years following the move to a third show (kind of canibalized the same market that caused attendees to decide which 2 of the 3 shows/year they would attend).