The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) elected six new board officers and directors and addressed the full scope of the organization’s operations at the annual general meeting held on Thursday, March 13, with 110 members present.
With no nominations from the floor, Ben White and Carole Wolff were elected by acclamation to serve respectively as president and secretary for two-year terms. New directors-at-large, elected by secret ballot from among five candidates, were Ann D. Houck, Ernest Gabbard, Keith Martin and Pete Soderman.
Outgoing president Howard Feldstein presented an extensive report on activities of key LCS committees along with a outlook on the future. Incorporated in his farewell message were special thanks to fellow board members, staffers Terry Vidal and Adela Alcaraz, and the more than 250 volunteers who keep things humming at lakeside’s largest expatriate organization.
Treasurer Michael Searles handled the financial report for 2013, revealing a 451,082 peso surplus from the year’s budget and total assets of 4.47 million pesos, before presenting budget projections for the current year.Members ratified the board’s decision to contract the accounting firm Salles, Sainz-Grant Thorton to act as external auditor, its proposal for a modest increase in membership fees for next year, and the allocation of 50,000 pesos to boost the LCS reserve fund set aside for emergency capital improvements, severance pay for employees and other special expenses subject to approval at the meeting. The LCS Strategic Plan for 2014-2016 was also adopted.
The single point of controversy that emerged during the event revolved around recent board decisions to abolish the independent Audit and Advisory Committee (AAC) and refocus its duties by establishing two separate standing committees. A petition to bring the matter up before the membership was listed as the last business item on the agenda. Former AAC chairman Ken Caldwell was ruled out of order on his motion to bump the topic up for earlier consideration. Finally, a motion calling for an AGM vote on maintaining the independent member advocacy body was discussed only briefly discussion before being ruled out order by Feldstein.
The bone of contention behind the issue is the AAC review and assessment on the handling of the Gillespie Fund, a 2009 bequeath designated for the LCS English-language library. Over the past few weeks it has been the subject of hot debate on local web boards where some posters slammed the board for sloppy oversight and others adamantly defended its integrity. In an interview with the Reporter this week, White pledged that his administration will thoroughly analyze the situation and duly inform the membership of its findings and take any corrective measures that may be required.
The new president was more intent on talking about setting LCS on its future course in expectation of a huge wave of new expat settlers as millions of baby boomers reach retirement age.
“LCS has been in business since 1955. We’ve been around that long because of our ability to adapt to change and adversity,” he observed. The new board’s immediate tasks will include clearly defining the LCS brand and improving communication channels to members and the community at large. He indicated that an evaluation of programs and facilities will be critical to determining the steps that will be required to maintain LCS as a relevant and valued service organization. “One touchstone will be a focus on cultural integration and outreach,” he concluded.
White has served on the LCS board since 2011, tackling wide range of duties as chair of several different committees and vice-president in 2013. He and his wife Lindy have been full-time residents of Ajijic since 2010. Prior to retirement he worked as the Deputy Assessor for the City and County of Denver, Colorado.