WPFW Local Station Board Special Meeting
2390 Champlain Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
3 January 2007
Meeting convened 7:25 P.M., Zarinah Shakir serving as Chair.
Members present: Alonzo Brown, Jim Brown, Acie Byrd, Gail Dixon, Billy Ray
Edwards, Joni Eisenberg, Zaccai Free, Jane Gatewood, Arturo Griffiths, Ayo
Handy-Kendi, Ann Hyslop, Adriane Jemmott, Luzette King, Ambrose Lane, Dan
Logan, Norberto Martinez, Rob Robinson, Thomas Ruffin, Zarinah Shakir, Michelle
("Noodles") Smith, Hakam Takash, Marcello Tolliver, Gloria Turner, Carol Wolfe.
Also Present: Carl Pfluger, LSB Secretary.
Absent: Ron Pinchback, WPFW General Manager.
Election of WPFW's representatives to the Pacifica National Board:
The Nominees:
The following had been duly nominated by the deadline of December 31, 2006:
Staff Members: Jim Brown, Joni Eisenberg, Ambrose Lane, Norberto Martinez,
Hakam Takash.
Listener Members: Acie Byrd, Billy Ray Edwards, Ayo Handy-Kendi, Dan Logan, Rob
Robinson, Thomas Ruffin, Gloria Turner, Carol Wolfe.
Jim Brown, Joni Eisenberg, and Gloria Turner declined their nominations.
The Campaign:
Zarinah (as an outgoing member of the PNB) gave a short briefing on the role
and duties of the PNB, with particular reference to the Pacifica and WPFW
Mission Statements. A 10-minute period of informal mixing and introduction of
the candidates to the new members (proposed by Hakam Takash, seconded by Thomas
Rufin) was agreed to without objection. Then, each candidate made an individual
statement of two minutes' length (time limit proposed by Jane, seconded by
Luzette, agreed 14-1) , after which each was given 90 seconds to answer one of
three questions posed by Vice Chair Zaccai Free:
1. What policy ideas do you have to address our aging demographic, and
consequent loss of listeners?
2. What ideas do you have for the modernization of the network?
3. What would you do to keep the LSB informed about PNB actions?
By vote of 19-3 the LSB decided to forgo questions from individual Members, and
proceeded immediately to take the vote.
The Voting:
As prescribed by the Bylaws, the vote was done according to the Single
Transferable Vote system (STV.) Jane Gatewood prepared and distributed the
ballots, and explained the principles of the system. She had already arranged
for the assistance of two volunteers from FairVote, an electoral reform
organization with offices in Takoma Park, to tabulate the votes. She also
presented for the Board's approval three pages of documentation, derived from
FairVote, setting out in detail the procedures for the tabulation. Thomas
Ruffin, seconded by Ayo Handy-Kendi, moved that the Board adopt the first page
(which established the general guidelines) but not the subsequent two pages
(which contained more technical detail, for the use of the people who actually
were to do the counting and tabulating.) Motion carried, 22 voting "yes," with
1 abstention, and the Board thus approved the document titled "INSTRUCTIONS FOR
TABULATING VOTES / SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE (STV) ELECTIONS." [Included with
these Minutes as an Appendix.] The volunteers from FairVote, Ryan Griffin and
Jack Santucci, took the completed ballots to an adjacent room where they
performed the tabulation, under the observation of two members of the WPFW
community, Carletta Fellows and Grigsby Hubbard. The following were then
declared elected to the PNB:
Staff Delegate: Ambrose Lane.
Listener Delegates: Acie Byrd, Rob Robinson, Thomas Ruffin.
The ballots and tally sheets were then handed over to the Secretary.
Community Comment: Statements were made by Von Martin, Kalonji Olusegun,
Grigsby Hubbard, and Dorcas Dessaso.
Date of Next Meeting: Without objection, this was rescheduled from the 10th to
the 17th of January (i.e., from the second to the third Wednesday of the
Month), with the second half to be an executive session for discussing
report(s) by the Management Assessment and Search Committee (MASC.)
Miscellaneous Other Items: Zarinah reported that Ron had said that plans are up
for airing some sort of LSB show, to be folded into Richard Healey's show
"Dialogue," which might then be re-titled "Dialogue and Debate."
The following items were discussed, but not decided: a healing "retreat" for
LSB members and (possibly) staff people; committee assignments (required by the
Bylaws for all Members); a proposed Bylaws amendment to reduce the number of
PNB meetings from 4 per year to 3; and proposals circulated by Pacifica's
Executive Director Greg Guma for a policy on confidentiality with respect to
matters potentially related to litigation.
Adjournment: About 10:30 P.M, moved by Jane Gatewood, seconded by Jim Brown.
Appendix
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TABULATING VOTES
SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE (STV) ELECTIONS
Adopted by the WPFW-LSB January 3, 2007
General Provisions
In counting ballots, election officials shall attempt to ascertain the intent
of the voter, as expressed by his or her markings on the ballot.
If it is impossible to determine the intent of the voter, the ballot shall be
counted as blank or spoiled, as the case may be, for that office or question;
but that determination shall not control any other office or question on the
ballot for which the voter's intent can be determined.
If the election officials have any doubt about the intent of the voter or any
other question about a ballot, they shall bring it to the presiding officer,
who shall present the question of how to treat the ballot to the assembled
election delegates. The decision of how to treat the ballot shall be made by
majority vote of the delegates who are present.
Ballot Interpretation Guidelines
(1) If after the first choice candidate is eliminated, a ballot does not
indicate one of the advancing candidates as an alternate choice, the ballot is
exhausted.
(2) If in the process of filling out the ballot, a voter skips exactly one
numerical ranking, such action will not invalidate said ballot, rather the
skipped ranking will be ignored.
(3) If in the process of filling out the ballot, a voter skips two or more
numerical rankings, only those rankings made before reaching the two skipped
rankings will be counted as valid.
(4) If a voter gives the same ranking to more than one candidate, the voter's
rankings shall be counted in order of preference, stopping at the point where
the ballot contains the same ranking for more than one candidate.
(5) If a voter ranks the same candidate more than once, the highest ranking for
that candidate is valid and any subsequent lower rankings of that candidate are
ignored.
(6) If a voter substitutes letters for rankings (ie: a, b, c instead of 1, 2,
3) such letters shall be counted as a sequential ranking, and all of the
applicable instructions for tabulating votes shall apply.
(7) If there is a tie between candidates such that two or more candidates have
an equal number of votes in any round of tabulation, but where only one
candidate can advance, the candidate with the greater number of first choices
shall advance.