Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT) members returning after the summer have been surprised and disappointed to learn that President Pat Carroll and his wife Terri returned permanently to Canada in early July. A very popular president for ten years, Carroll was an invaluable, well-respected champion of LLT both as an actor and a pro-active board member. His departure will leave a great void at the theater and the wider Ajijic community.
In the absence of a formal resignation and public announcement, an emergency membership meeting must soon be called to enable members to elect a new president. LLT’s bylaws specify that candidates for, and thus by logical extension officers of, the board must be resident at Lakeside year round.
{access !public}Registered as an Asociacion Civil (AC or non-profit), LLT’s bylaws specify that its board is obliged to recommend to the membership the removal of an elected officer who is deemed to be “no longer capable of fulfilling his or her defined duties.” The key presidential responsibilities, detailed in the bylaws, are to “act in the capacity of the public and legal face of LLT,” to “supervise and stand accountable for its AC charter compliance” and to “preside over its social functions” – all of which demand permanent residence in the area.Per the relevant bylaw, the president’s duties have been assumed temporarily by the first vice-president until such time as the board determines that an emergency election be called. Speculation is rife that this must be imminent as Carroll permanently left the area three months ago and LLT convention has previously restricted such surrogacies to a maximum of two months.
Although details of the date and time of the meeting have yet to be announced they are expected to take place around the end of October, once the new season is well under way and the majority of the “snowbird” members have returned to participate in the vote. Nominations for candidates will also be sought. The bylaws dictate that anyone wishing to run for president must be a member of LLT; be permanently resident in Lakeside, as stated, and must have served on the board for a minimum of one year prior to election.
For now, Lakeside Little Theatre is hard at work on its 49th season. “Local Hero,” the first production of the season was a great success and “The Heiress,” a period drama by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, directed by Roseann Wilshere, is currently in rehearsal and opens on November 8.{access !public}