Conference Opens
Kevin Murphy, Conference Chair, welcomes everyone to the 2009 World Service Conference.
Moment of Silence followed by the “We” version of the Serenity Prayer.
Kevin Murphy mentioned that our previous Chair, Steve Edwards, passed away this year and asked for a moment of silence. He will be deeply missed.
We Can Recover – Read by Earnest Martin.
The Twelve Traditions – Read by Jason Smidt.
The Twelve Concepts – Read by Bob Campbell.
Welcome to the 26th Annual conference of the World Service Conference
We will now proceed to Roll Call. Please limit conversations so that we can hear the vote counts.
Quorum Determination is 104.
We have a seating chart going around right now. Please observe the directions on the chart so that you keep it oriented with the front of the room. We don’t want to do this again.
Announcements – Kevin doesn’t have any at this point.
Parliamentary procedure review – a lot of you have been here since God was a child, but it would still be a good idea to have a little review. Kevin is the only one who can recognize you and be patient with him if he doesn’t see you. If he does point to you, please put your hand back down so that he can then move to others. When you have been recognized, please go to the microphone. We speaking to a motion, please be clear and know before you get up there what you are going to say. Be concise and if you have your position has been presented, you can pass. Not necessary to repeat something that has been said.
When voting, you either one or two votes. To vote one vote, raise a fist. To vote two votes, raise 2 fingers. Leave hand raised until told to put arms down.
There are a number of ways you can speak without being recognized – most common – Point of Order. If you need a Parliamentary Inquiry, if you can’t come ask the Vice Chair, we will stop and let you ask your questions as to how that is done. The appeal of a decision if the Chair makes a ruling, any member can make that to the entire body. To reconsider a vote, it does not have to be the last motion, but a motion made that day. You can object to consideration but you better have a real good reason. Not to be used as a parliamentary tactic. If we have a vote and Kevin rules that the “I’s” have it and you may have a different idea, any member has a right to have the vote counted. Stand immediately and demand a counted vote.
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Only people who have a vote can make motions unless you are making a motion on behalf of your committee. But you still may not vote.
The Conference Theme is “Unity – Celebration of Life 2009″.
New Area Petitions will be the first order of business.
Trevor Scheible will present the New Area Petition to redraw Regional boundaries for the Pacific North
MOTION: To approve the redrawing the regional boundaries to include the province of Saskatchewan in the Pacific North Region. Second.
Kevin Murphy – read the motion. Would you like to speak to your motion?
Trevor Scheible – when the lines were originally drawn and it became that a meeting that was happening in Saskatchewan and it was 7 and 12 hour drives from the existing Areas. They are fully participating in the Area and we just want to help them grow to include them. The Midwest Regional Trustee was consulted and has given them the blessing to allow them to be where they want to be.
Kevin Murphy – any discussion on motion?
Michael Chiki – speaks in favor of the motion. He knows some of the people in this area and they are primed and ready and want to get into the fellowship and this will really cut down their travel time.
Kevin Murphy – prepare yourselves to vote. Motion carries unanimously.
Kevin Murphy – any other petitions.
Joy Hutcheson – MOTION: Make a motion to accept the petition for Antelope Valley District to move from San Fernando Valley Area to the West Inland Empire CA Area per the World Service Manual. Second.
Kevin Murphy – motion moved and seconded. Is there someone who would like to speak to the motion?
Robert Smith – District Chair of Antelope Valley speaks to the motion. At a meeting, the district voted unanimously to join the West Inland Empire CA Area.
Susan Bredau – I cannot support this petition because of dangerous impact this could have on the fellowship as a whole. Ratification would change the definition of a district in the WSM. On Page 20, Paragraph 2 in WSM was quoted. Procedure is very clear. No request was submitted from West Inland Empire.
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Lionel Jacobs – communication should be undertaken prior to taking such action. Speak against the motion.
Sam Ross – speaks against the motion. On March 14, 2009, I was informed via email of this petition. I have made repeated requests to discuss this with the members and have not been able to have such discussion.
Earnest Martin – we don’t have a map to see what this really is. Is the meeting in the Antelope Valley closer to West Inland Empire or San Fernando Valley?
Susan Bredau – Point Of Order – The question was about the West Inland Empire and you are answering about the Inland Empire.
Kevin Murphy – the question you asked is whether if they are jumping an Area?
Earnest Martin – would like to see the old district on a map and a new one that overlays.
Gloria Bridget – speaks in favor of motion. There was one map submitted but it was changed. I do not think a person has to have a reason to leave one area and join another. I do know there was some differences in the past. They have done was directed to do.
Cynthia Cronkhite – Parliamentary Inquiry – does this have a bearing on vote counts on this conference or the number of Areas?
Joy Hutcheson – the answer is no.
Kevin Murphy – both areas vote counts remain the same.
Cynthia Cronkhite – could this motion be withdrawn?
Kevin Murphy – yes and could be tabled.
John Whitaker – chair of San Fernando Valley map committee. Communication is the problem here. We have for 6 months attempted to communicate with all the parties involved so that we could come to a wonderful decision. All attempts were met with no response. We love our friends from the Antelope Valley District. The main problem that we have is that the Bakersfield meetings were not involved in the redistricting discussions. It is my understanding if they came under our guise, withdrawing a group of meetings from that district, they are no longer a district. We love them and support them. The changes of the boundaries discussions never occurred. The map that was submitted in the SR14 was made in haste.
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Aurora Lopez – speaks in favor of this motion. We met this group quite a few months ago and came to our Area for support. Our Area questioned them endlessly. We brought Sam Ross to our Area meeting while they were there and questioned him as well. Asked at that meeting if there was any chance of reconciliation. She was told that some said for them to go and some didn’t know what was going on. Antelope Valley needed help to grow. The map and boundaries were included in the SR14 information and you have known about this for many months. There was communication between all three parties. I speak in favor of CA’s growth.
Jaime McClure – speaks in favor of motion. We are asking for help and support which we do get from West Inland Empire and do not get from San Fernando Valley. We have met with both groups. We have had some issues as far as maps being changed and we are asking for your help in that matter.
Steven Freeman – I submitted the first map. I speak in favor of the motion. The map clearly defines our boundaries. This is the same map we used when we became a district. Now that we want to leave and option is ours. We are exercising our right and received a 2/3 majority vote to make the move. We just want to be a “part of” and want to grow.
Carolyn Ewing – district treasurer of Antelope Valley – no vote but have voice. We don’t need to leave the wiggle room that a statement such as “whether they know it or not.” As a whole, with all the people we have in the Antelope Valley, we needed structure. We don’t need bickering. The biggest problem they is that the line is drawn past the 15. Everything that we need now is Unity. Everything we needed to know, they helped us.
Earnest Martin – MOTION: Table motion. Second.
Kevin Murphy – motion not debatable. Prepare yourselves to vote. I believe we need to count the votes. I need two non-voting members not from either area to come count. Earl Henderson and Sean Dugan will count. Motion to table carries by vote of 70-59.
We move on to next order of business
Joy Hutcheson – Parliamentary Inquiry – is there a time limit on the tabling? Can I bring back tomorrow?
Kevin Murphy – when you are recognized to bring it back from the table. The final quorum Determination remains at 104.
Next will be the Trustees’ Reports.
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