Open Board Meetings Approved

AFDCS Approves Open Board Meetings

Future meetings of the Board of Directors of the American First Day Cover Society will now be open to the public, with certain restrictions, under a bylaws amendment approved by the Board at its meeting August 15, 2013.

The board meets in person once each year, in a meeting preceding Americover, the society's annual show and convention, and also has discussions and takes votes throughout the year via mail and e-mail. The next in-person meeting is scheduled for August 14, 2014, in Somerset, N.J.

The restrictions include discussions about personnel, contracts, discipline, and legal matters. The proposal was reviewed and edited by the AFDCS Bylaws Committee, which includes three attorneys and one paralegal.

"This is something I've wanted for a long time," said AFDCS president Lloyd A. de Vries, who initiated the petition that led to the change. "Needless secrecy engenders suspicion, and our members have a right to see that the AFDCS is running right and in good shape."

The Board also approved reducing the number of directors elected each year from five to four, in accordance with the bylaws, which allow for annual elections of anywhere from three to six. The board will now consist of 12 elected directors, plus as many as three serving ex officio (president, general counsel, editor). There are seven candidates running in this year's election.

A 2014 budget with a projected surplus (contingent upon meeting fund-raising goals) was also approved.

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