Category: Elections

Dear Kemp Mill Neighbor,

You are invited to the Kemp Mill Civic Association’s quarterly meeting which will be held Thursday June 27 at Odessa Shannon Middle School from 7:30pm-8:50pm. An agenda for the meeting is below.

We will be hearing from a prosecutor with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (specific speaker to be named later). The State’s Attorney’s Office will discuss crime trends in our neighborhood, and their office’s efforts to prosecute and deter crime.

We’ll also hold elections for several Board positions, recognize some of the people who made this month’s Kemp Mill Community Day such a success, and hear updates on the Kersey-Auth Bridge, the Arcola Avenue road segment we’ve adopted, and the latest from our Landscaping, Sidewalks, and Transportation committees.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Thanks,
Jules

Jules Szanton
President, KMCA
President@KempMillCivic.org

Kemp Mill Civic Association Quarterly Meeting Agenda

June 27, 2024; 7:30 pm
Odessa Shannon Middle School

• 7:30 pm: Administrative Matters
o Call to order

o Adoption of agenda/previous minutes: https://www.kempmillcivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KMCA-Q1-Mtg-Minutes-2024mar25.pdf

o Treasurer’s report: Balance of funds and membership numbers

• 7:35 pm: Invited Guest – Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office
o KMCA has invited the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office to discuss public safety issues in our neighborhood, and the SAO’s efforts to prosecute and deter crime.
o There will be an opportunity for questions from members of the community.

• 8:05pm: 2024 Community Day Recognitions
o We will express our appreciation for volunteers and sponsors who helped make the 2024 Community Day such a successful event.

• 8:15pm: Elections
o The following candidates have been nominated for KMCA board positions:
▪ Vice President: Jonathan Aghion
▪ Treasurer: Anna Waller
▪ Director: Alan Felsen
▪ Director: Maria Lopez
▪ Director: Gil Chlewicki
o Other candidacies may be proposed from the floor.

• 8:25pm: Kersey-Auth Bridge update from VP Jonathan Aghion

o The County has officially responded to public comments on the Kersey-Auth bridge. At our last meeting, the membership voted to support the proposed project, with the request that the County plant three new trees for each mature tree to be removed. The project is continuing to move forward, with construction projected to begin this fall.
o Jonathan will discuss a proposal to include a commemorative plaque on the new bridge.

• 8:40pm: Committee Updates
o Cleanup
o Landscaping
o Sidewalks
o Transportation

• 8:50pm: Adjourn

The next KMCA General Meeting will be next Monday, June 26th at 7:30 PM. The meeting will be held in the All Purpose room at Kemp Mill Elementary School.

The next KMCA general meeting will be held on Monday, June 27th, 2022 at 7:30 PM. We will be meeting in-person but outdoors under the tent at the Chabad synagogue at the intersection of Lamberton Drive and Lovejoy Street. The agenda is below.

We will be having a presentation and question and answer session with the Montgomery County Police 4th District Community Services Officer. If you have questions about specific incidents or topics that you plan to ask, please send them to me prior to the meeting at president@kempmillcivic.org and I will pass them on to Officer Beard so she can research the incidents or issues in advance and be better able to address them.

In the event of severe weather on the 27th, please check the website and your email prior to coming to the meeting to confirm the meeting hasn’t been postponed.

Kemp Mill Civic Association
General Meeting
June 27th, 2022

Agenda

7:30 PM
– Call to Order
– Adoption of Agenda
– Approval of minutes of previous meeting
– Treasurer’s report (membership / balances)

7:35
– Guest Speaker – Montgomery County Police 4th District
– Officer Katie Beard, Community Services Officer

8:00
– KMCA Annual Election
– Presentation of nominees by Nominating Committee
– Nominees are:
– Vice President – Jonathan Aghion
– Treasurer – Anna Waller
– Directors – Gil Chlewicki, Chris Farrell, Maria Lopez
– Additional nominations from the floor
– Candidate introductions/speeches (up to 2 minutes each)
– Voting

8:10
– Committee Reports

8:20
– New Business / Announcements

8:30
– Adjourn

The KMCA will be holding a general meeting on Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 at 8:00 PM at the Chabad located at the corner of Lamberton Drive and Lovejoy Street. We will be meeting outdoors under their tent so please dress for the weather. All attendees must wear a mask or face covering.

This will be an abbreviated meeting with only a limited agenda.

8:00 – Call to order.
8:05 – Adoption of agenda, approval of minutes of previous meeting, membership and treasurer’s report.
8:10 – Election
8:20 – Vote on bylaws amendments 
8:30 – Adjourn

We will be holding an election for Vice President, Treasurer, and three directors whose terms expired this year. The election should have been held at the second quarter meeting, but the Board of Directors voted to delay that meeting due to the pandemic. Since the nominating committee had found a single candidate for each of the positions the Board voted to temporarily elect the nominees for each position. That temporary election needs to be ratified by the membership at this meeting. We will also be soliciting nominations for a director position that is vacant as the result of a resignation from the Board, with a term expiring in 2021. Nominations can be made from the floor for any of these positions. Candidates must be nominated by two members and must agree to serve if elected. 

The only other agenda item for the meeting will be to vote on amendments to the KMCA bylaws. The current bylaws do not allow for virtual general meetings and would require us to make up the 2nd quarter meeting that was skipped by having two meetings in the 3rd quarter. The amendments (see below) would allow the Board, by a 2/3 vote, to cancel a meeting rather than postpone it and would allow for virtual meetings. These amendments were suggested by the existing Board members to allow the Association to function as best as is possible while under the pandemic-related restrictions and leave us better prepared for future emergencies.

BYLAWS AMENDMENT PROPOSAL:

Amend Article 5, Section 1.1 and add Sections 1.2 through 1.4 to add the text noted in bold
below:

ARTICLE 5 – SECTION 1.1 – In the event of unforeseen situations such as inclement weather and/or a public emergency, a regularly scheduled meeting may either be postponed to the subsequent quarter or canceled. A meeting can only be canceled with a 2/3 vote of the Board of Directors, which means there would not be two meetings in the following quarter. Meetings cannot be cancelled in two consecutive quarters. 
SECTION 1.2 – Should a scheduled election need to be postponed to the following quarter, the current officers up for election shall extend their term until an election can be held. 
SECTION 1.3 – In the event that no meeting is held in a quarter, The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the business of the Association from the end of that quarter until the next meeting can be held. All non-administrative votes held by the Board of Directors during this period will require 2/3 approval for passage. At the next meeting, the Board of Directors are required to discuss all votes held during this period. Members at the meeting may vote to rescind any Board of Directors vote by a simple majority.
SECTION 1.4 – In the event of a prolonged public emergency where a meeting cannot be held in person in consecutive quarters, a virtual meeting can be held. Proper communication to notify Members of the upcoming meeting shall remain the same as stated in Article 2. All regular business may be held in a virtual meeting except for elections and Amendments to the Bylaws. 

Amend Article 3, Section 1.1 to add the text noted in bold below:
Article 3, SECTION 1.1​ –A Member must be physically present at the meeting to vote.
During a virtual meeting held under Article 5, Section 1.4 a member must
participate in the virtual meeting to vote. No proxy or absentee votes are
allowed.

Note: People with expired or no previous membership, can sign up at the door for the $10/year membership. The doors will be open a little early. If are new to Kemp Mill, please show ID.

To KMCA Members:

As previously announced, the Election Meeting will be held Wednesday, September 6, at 7:30 PM at Congregation Young Israel Shomrai Emunah, 1132 Arcola Avenue. Each Household is entitled to only one ballot, no matter how many members reside in the Household.

Candidates nominated so far are:

For President — Alan Felsen and Ira Ungar

For Director (two to be elected) — Peter Lublin

Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the meeting.  A candidate must be nominated by two members in good standing.  The nominee must be a member in good standing and must indicate a willingness to serve in the office.

Only members in good standing may vote or speak at the meeting.  Dues may be paid at the meeting.

The election will be only part of the business of the meeting.  The President will have appointed Tellers for the election.  When the order of the meeting does reach the election, the President will yield the Chair to Art Boyars, Vice-Chair of the Nominating Committee.  (Committee Chairman Stuart Rosenthal has an overriding need and will not be able to attend the meeting.)

In accordance with KMCA practice, the election will be conducted with a single ballot for all offices. Nominations will be taken from the floor for President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Director (two Directors may be elected).

After nominations close, members will have the opportunity to speak in favor of nominees for contested offices, in the order above for nominations. These remarks shall be limited in time: candidates themselves for President, five minutes each; candidates themselves for other offices, three minutes each; other members in support of a candidate, two minutes each.

(Note that Roberts Rules of Order prohibit motions to make a balloted election unanimous.  Therefore, even uncontested offices are included on the ballot.  However, there is no need to allow remarks in favor of unopposed candidates.)

After the remarks the Tellers will collect the ballots and retire to count them. When the Tellers have completed counting, they will report the results to the Chair of the meeting.

While ballots are being counted, other business may be conducted so long as the Tellers are not deprived of an opportunity to vote.

A sample ballot is attached.

The Nominating Committee

As previously announced, the KMCA Election Meeting will take place September 6, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. at Young Israel Synagogue, 1132 Arcola Ave. As with all KMCA meetings, members are allowed only one vote per household. The Bylaws require that members be present at a meeting to vote.

The terms of all current officers are expiring, as are those of directors elected in odd-number years. Therefore, the following KMCA offices are to be filled by this election:

President (incumbent Ira Ungar)

Vice President (incumbent Seth Jacobson)

Treasurer (incumbent Marci Lavine Bloch)

Secretary (incumbent Adam Mervis)

Director (incumbent Pete Lublin)

Director (incumbent resigned)

Nominations made through the Nominating Committee must be received no later than August 6. To appear on the list, a nominee must be nominated by two KMCA members, and the nominee must state in writing a willingness to serve if elected. E-mail should be addressed to the committee chair, Stuart Rosenthal, at stuart@thebeaconnewspapers.com or vice-chair Art Boyars at artboyars@gmail.com.

A list of those properly nominated will be circulated to the membership via the listserve no later than 10 days prior to the election. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the Election Meeting.

For your convenience, here is the language of the bylaws regarding the duties of the various officers:

SECTION 5 – Duties of the Officers:

a) The President shall preside at all meetings, appoint committee chairs and members (except elective committees), be a member ex-officio of all committees, and shall represent the Association in all external communications.

b) The Vice President will stand ready at all times to assist the President and will serve as a member ex-officio of all committees. In the event of the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of President with full powers. The Vice President shall succeed to the office of President in the event that office becomes permanently vacant until the next regularly scheduled meeting pursuant to Section 6 of this Article.

c) The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the Association, file and preserve all written communications and reports of the Association, and maintain a current roll of all officers, directors, and the membership. Upon expiration of his or her tenure in office the Secretary will deliver to his or her successor all such files and records of the Association and take all steps necessary to ensure an orderly transition.

d) The Treasurer shall maintain an account at a local bank in the name of the Association for deposit of all dues and other monies. Such local bank will be designated by the Executive Committee and will be a bank insured by the FDIC or other agency of the United States Government. The Treasurer will maintain current records of all dues, other revenues and disbursements and will provide the membership with an annual financial report of the Association promptly upon the close of each calendar year. Upon expiration of his or her tenure in office the Treasurer will deliver to his or her successors an accounting and all records, receipts and statements concerning monies of the Association and the Association bank account and take all steps necessary to ensure an orderly transition.

As for directors, the Bylaws simply provide as follows:

The Executive Committee will be composed of the four (4) Officers of the Association plus five Directors. The Executive Committee will act for the Association at all times between official meetings and shall be responsible to the Association for carrying out the functions and policies of the Association as directed by the membership.

The members of the Nominating Committee have agreed not to personally nominate any candidate, nor to be nominated for any office, except that for any office for which there are no other nominations the Committee Members may accept nomination at the Election Meeting.

Please note: Campaigning for votes is not allowed on the KMCA listserve.

The Bylaws state, regarding the list of Households, “Such list may not be used for personal purposes or to campaign or lobby Members on any issue or issues.” In keeping with the spirit of that proscription, the KMCA Listserve shall not be used for campaigning or lobbying regarding the September 6 election of Officers and Directors.

Looking forward to seeing you on September 6.

The Nominating Committee