Regional races.
Bylaws Amendments
Resignation
Votes
Chairman
Richard Amyx 2,128 Elected 1st Sort
Nikki Frey 553
Darlene Criss 1,081
None of the above 44
First Vice Chair
Dave Remine 1,835 Elected 2nd Sort
Jean Cooper 1,759
None of the above 79
Second Vice Chair
Fred "Bear" Berg 2,186 Elected 1st Sort
Bill Bundy 1,306
None of the above 169
Secretary
William Webster 1,377
Steve Zink 810
M. Russell Bakke 1,465 Elected 3rd Sort
None of the above 83
Treasurer
Max Hedges 1,287
Stacey Van Geest 2,272 Elected 1st Sort
None of the above 66
Top of page
Vice Chair Region 1
Gerry Riley 345 Elected 1st Sort
Ian Randall Strock 256
None of the above 15
Vice Chair Region 2
Didi Pancake 189 Elected 3rd Sort
Art Gardner 119
Frank Zollner 131
None of the above 5
Vice Chair Region 3
Jean Becker 212 Elected 1st Sort
None of the above 48
Vice Chair Region 4
Jack Branstrom 89
Barbara Ploegstra 174 Elected 1st Sort
Michael Hageman 48
None of the above 9
Vice Chair Region 5
Ike Kullman 136
Eileen Steinhice 278 Elected 1st Sort
None of the above 6
Vice Chair Region 6
Darrel Noe 255 Elected 1st Sort
Eric De Sardi 60
None of the above 4
Vice Chair Region 7
Marie Mayer 137
Ed Ashworth 141 Elected 2nd Sort
None of the above 6
Vice Chair Region 8
Marie Fish 93
Jim Werdell 216 Elected 1st Sort
None of the above 18
Vice Chair Region 9
Mark Hutchenreuther 240
Ted Elzinga 241 Elected 2nd Sort
None of the above 19
Amendment 1 FAILED - Changes to nomination/election procedures.
Yes 1,927 [58.0%]
No 1,396
Amendment 2 FAILED - Alternative changes to nomination/election procedures.
Yes 1,982 [59.6%]
No 1,343
Amendment 3 PASSED - Permits location of principal office in one of 48 contiguous states.
Yes 3,204 [93.2%]
No 234
Amendment 4 FAILED - Changes "Annual Gathering" to "Annual General Meeting."
Yes 2,151 [64.7%]
No 1,174
Amendment 5 PASSED - Permits AMC meetings by teleconference (execpt Annual Meeting).
Yes 2,495 [73.5%]
No 901
W. Brewster Gillett Here is a copy of Dick Amyx' explanation of his resignation:
A VOICE FROM THE PAST PAST (CHAIRMAN)
by Richard Amyx
At the end of the Annual Business Meeting held at the 1995 Annual Gathering in St. Louis, I both declined to serve the second term as Chairman of the AMC to which I had just been elected and resigned my current term of office as Chairman, with only minutes of that term remaining. Because I had just been reelected to a second term as Chairman by a margin of slightly more than two to one, my declining to serve caused a good deal of confusion and subsequent speculation about why I might do such a thing.
I declined to serve a second term as Chairman primarily because I saw little hope for a term unmarred by the kind of contention that was a recurring theme during my first term. One issue upon which most Mensans, regardless of political alignment, agree is that they're tired of infighting on the AMC.
This still may not make much sense to you if you're not conversant with the players in the AMC game and the "political" composition of the AMCs. During my first term, the AMC members who could be identified as either pro-Amyx or anti-Amyx were split about 50-50, with a handful who might go either way on an issue--and still there was enough infighting and enough complaints about it to the Ombudsman that the Ombudsman charged the AMC with developing a statement of principle by which it could operate peaceably.
My expectation for a second term was that if I were elected, then most of the other AMC positions would probably be filled by the candidates I favored, those who were generally sympathetic to my point of view. Whereas the AMC during my first term was split about 50-50 along "party" lines, this AMC would be much more unified. Whereas the past term was an uphill push to overcome the inertia of years of mismanagement and neglect in order to initiate change, this term
would be one of consolidation and building. In fact, the election turned out to be virtually the opposite of my vision. Most of the candidates I favored did not win, and I faced an AMC on which I was politically outnumbered by at least two to one. Further, Dave Remine, the elected First Vice Chairman, is the person I defeated in the race for Chairman in 1993; thus, my chief political opponent and I would have been faced with the task of working side by side, cooperatively.
Because I ran as a reform candidate in 1993, I have been sand in the gears of the Mensa political machine from day one. Because I unhorsed the chosen successor in that election, I faced opposition immediately in my choice of appointments. Personal opposition continued throughout my term at nearly all levels, from certain individuals attempting to sandbag me at every available opportunity to an attempt to censure the Treasurer to megabytes of virulent blather on the CompuServe Mensa Forum. I firmly believe that that kind of personal attack would only have been worse during this term, to the distraction of the AMC, to the annoyance of the membership, and to the detriment of Mensa.
It therefore seemed logical that if I removed myself as the target of opposition, then the chances of having a truly contention-free AMC would be greatly enhanced.
Further, because the Secretary, the Treasurer, and several RVCs have enjoyed personal relationships of some standing with Mr. Remine, I would expect them to support his political positions. It is likely, had I remained as Chairman, that I would have been unable to see policy enacted that I thought necessary and instead would have found myself responsible for enforcing policy decisions with which I strongly disagreed.
Secondarily, the amount of time and energy I invested in Mensa during my first term had severely damaging effects on both my livelihood and my domestic tranquility. I could not both do what needed to be done for Mensa and hold a full-time job. The time that I spent on Mensa business while I was at home, as well as my absences for Mensa travel, placed a huge burden on my wife and children. I had assumed that, during a second term, in addition to the move having taken place and extra travel no longer being necessary, an amicable AMC would require less time spent settling squabbles, and the burden on my family would be reduced. Given the outcome of the election, that assumption seemed unlikely to be correct.
Thus, taking all things into consideration--the effects of the Chairmanship on my livelihood and family, as well as the unworkable composition of the new AMC--I came to the conclusion that the only sensible option was to decline the second term.
Having done so, I then resigned my current term as Chairman during its final moments because, as I said in my Chairman's report published in the June _Bulletin_, I do not believe that the AMC needs to keep two past Chairmen on the board. By resigning my current term, I have halved the amount of time I will spend on the AMC. I do think, however, that my two actions resulted in the greatest number of people getting exactly what they wanted: both Darlene Criss and Dave Remine got to be Chairman, and Ralph Rudolph made his exit from the AMC.
The decision to decline my second term as Chairman numbers among the hardest choices I've had to face in life. Moreover, announcing my decision at the Annual Business Meeting was one of the most difficult actions I've had to carry out. I was greatly gratified to have been so solidly reelected as Chairman, and I heard many expressions of positive feedback and support at the AG. Further to compound the discomfort of stepping aside was the fact that there were few "official" demands on the Chairman at this AG, and so I had the opportunity to enjoy Mensa at its best, in the way I find most pleasurable--talking to all kinds of people and participating in the hugs, the fractured conversations, and the offbeat humor that are so much a part of the Mensa culture.
I recognize that my withdrawal from office has caused some dismay among the membership, and I apologize to those of you whom I may have disappointed. I do think, though, in light of the political reality, that the decision I made was the right one: I would not have been able to fulfill my promises to the membership.
Looking back at my term as Chairman as a whole, I am satisfied that I gave Mensa my best and consistently acted in Mensa's best interest. I am proud to have been instrumental in relocating our administrative office. I would like to thank those members of the AMC who supported my vision of Mensa, and without whose help many necessary actions would never have come to pass. I also thank the many of you who have called or written messages of support and understanding. Your kind words are appreciated more than you might realize. My interest in the well-being of Mensa is undiminished, and I will do my best in the role of Past Chairman to help Mensa continue along its path to success.
From the rec.org.mensa Usenet newsgroup on 9 July 1995: "Jerome A. Schroeder" <jerrys@wolfe.net> wrote: >Dick Amyx, Newly elected chairman of American Mensa resigned to >day. No reasons have been given. > >Jerry > ----------------------------------- Is this true? What is your source of information? Is Remine now the AMC Chairman? We're beyond help. ----------------------------------- The following was posted on the Mensa Forum on Compuserve. I downloaded it 15 minutes (9:45pm) ago. Jerry >The Annual Business meeting had its expected fireworks, but it finished with a bombshell. Dick Amyx has resigned as chairman of American Mensa Limited and Dave Remine is now the chairman. At 2:35 (he made note of the time), Dick officially resigned and handed the gavel to the senior member present, Fred "Bear" Berg. Once Bear closed the meeting, Dave became the new chair. We have an AMC meeting in a few minutes, so I'll keep everyone posted as soon as I know more. - Gerry Riley<
13 Aug 95