[SJAAboard] CalStar and Term limits

[Robert Armstrong]

Re CalStar:
I guess I am missing some or a lot of information here.
I have been going to CalStar for approximately the last 6 years and part of SJAA for 12 years now. Organizing it has obviously taken  a lot of time and effort.  I have seen that for the last two years Rob has taken the lead and done much of the organizing work. I have been party to the board discussions only for the last year and obviously have missed prior discussions, but I had not been aware of any unhappiness with the SJAA or Rob for their efforts organizing CalStar during this time.

Re: "Term limits":
It is clear to me that the club is and always has been the recipient and the result the donation of a lot of effort and time by its members. The number of truly "active" members is probably only about 15-25  persons at this time.  The president, the secretary, the treasurer, the program arranger, those who write and edit and publish the Ephemeris, those who help with the labeling, those who help with the chairs, those who organize & come with their 'scopes to the public star parties, organize and take their 'scopes to the school parties, those who participate in the board, and those who offer the beginner programs, are the key. The loaner program has taken a lot of effort this last year. Without this core SJAA would not survive.

Within such groups as ours there is often a key person, or key persons, whose efforts are the key to organizing everything and holding everything together. Mike Koop was obviously a major person for several years, and Dave North and others before him.  We are indebted to these individuals, and it is an enormous relief to me as a person who has very limited free time, that such persons are there to take the lead, and most important,  to offer large amounts of their time. Mark Wagner and several of the other board members have also been among those who have been very active in many aspects of the club for many years, and of course Mark has been a key person in TAC, and have contributed significantly to the SJAA and the greater amateur astronomy community.

When one of those person is willing to be the lead person, and donates even more amounts of his time, as the President of the club, we all benefit. We also benefit from the continuity such persons provide to the club, especially if they stay in their office for several years. Thus, I don't like the idea of defining "term limits". There is no monetary gain here, nor political power, so there is almost no downside to having one person as president, or as another officer of the club for several years. The board meetings are open to all members and everyone at these meetings do speak their minds.Thus our club is open enough that it is a truly a democratic organization, and the membership can act anytime that an officer needs to be replaced. So let's not get hung up on the "term limits" idea.

Robert Armstrong