[1]At the January 2009, Annual Membership meeting, TWDC's Board President stood at the pulpit and with a straight face reverently promised transparancy - clear, frank and candid openness to the (ultimate authority) members they were elected to serve.
For many years, people who lived or worked in Tremont and attend a block club or other constituent group meeting or filled out a registration card at the TWDC office, have been bona fide members of the Tremont West Development Corp.
For this same number of years, not one of those members were ever notified either by phone, word of mouth or in writing that their name was in jeopardy of being slashed from the "well-protected" membership list.
After the November 11, 2009, failure to make quorum and push through the new proposed by-laws and Articles of Incorporation, which eliminates ALL humanitarian services, those inside the organization made the decision, without publication, notification or the approval of it's membership, to cut loose as many of the rank and file as possible - and without informing the public and/or community at large.
Over the past several years, a number of individuals have not only suggested and requested but offered to assist in purging the long list of names in order to remove any member's name that was either deceased or had moved away. This notion was met with absolute, deliberate and willful discouragement.
Currently, the powers that be are in the process of striking any member's name from the list that has not attended a block club meeting in the past year on the basis that the current by-laws have been mis-interpreted and mis-understood for all these many years.
While this may or may not be so, the plain truth is that the precedent for membership and the qualifications were set and practiced for a very long time and not until it served their purpose did the insiders make the choice to change the rules and pull the switch on hundreds of TWDC members without providing prior or adequate notification.
In the name of fairness and equality, there should have been at least an announcement posted in the "Inside Tremont" newsletter that each and every member not attending a meeting in the past year must re-register.
This unorthodox means of conducting business will undoubtedly serve the purpose and provide the means for removing many elderly, long-time resident members from the organization. Will this be another attempt to separate the rich from the poor - the haves from the have nots? Who put the staff and those elected board members in charge of deciding who qualifies as top dogs and who will be dubbed as second rate citizens?
This calculated plan was designed as a slap-dash maneuver to lower the percentage number needed to make quorum at the January, 2010 Annual Membership meeting/election and vote to accept the proposed changes to the By-Laws and Charter (Articles of Incorporation).
While it has been explained that there is now going to be more than one list, i.e., active membership list, probationary list, etc., the fact remains that those members who have believed for so many years that they were well represented and were not required to attend any number of meetings, will no longer be considered "MEMBERS" of this community organization supposedly with it's membership having the last say.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons the TWDC Board December meeting/Christmas party (open to the public) has been secretely moved from Sokoloski's to the undisclosed location of a bar - THE SOUTH SIDE on the corner of West 11th and Fairfield. This was an "Executive" decision and the entire board was informed at the November Board meeting.
Another factor in the change of venue could just simply be that they all can't wait to start sipping the sauce. Word is out that over the past several months the main topic of conversation at the standing committee meetings is how fast they can wrap it up and head out to the local nightclubs and tie one on.
Is this the democratic way? Were the "probationary (non-active) members given a "probationary period" in which to make an informed decision whether or not they wished to continue as a bona fide member of Tremont West Development Corp.?
Did TWDC gain a competitive edge by way of grant monies, model block funds, public tax dollars for claiming such a large membership number?
Will there be consequences for claiming the 900 plus members for years, if in actuality there were hundreds less?
Members who have attended meetings, groups, or filled out a registration card with TWDC in the past "THREE" (3) YEARS as per the current by-laws should stand up and be counted. Fight for your membership rights and your right to be heard.
Tremont West Development Corp. is a "membership authority organization" and the staff and elected board members work for YOU - NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.