June 28, 2009

To Tom Coen and Standard Review Committee Members

Questionnaire from the Sable Merle Advocacy for Change Group

1) The term "ballot" is used in the instructions; the term "survey" is used for one portion of this document; the term "poll" is used for another portion; and the word “vote” is used concerning your document. Is this document considered an “official CCA ballot?  If so, which parts?  Please point to the specific CCA bylaws to help clarify.
 

2) You have said that this survey/poll/ballot/vote will “count.”  Which parts will “count,” and           
what will they “count as”?

3) How does this survey/poll/ballot/vote information specifically relate to the “one statement, yes or no ballot” being collected now by the Teller’s Committee with the July 8, deadline?
 

4) Is the survey/poll/ballot/vote intended to supercede the “one statement, yes or no ballot”?
 

5) Since tellers are used for the purpose of accuracy & secrecy, what exactly will the Teller's Committee roll be in the survey/poll situation? i.e. Will they count the "yes" & "no" votes on all poll questions, and will the TC tabulate all the answers to the survey?
 

6) What is the purpose of the information in the survey? How would, for example, number of champions bred be related to the core question of standard revision?
 

7) After the Teller's Committee tallies the poll/survey, would the SRC have access to the actual individual documents? Usually, the TC keeps everything for a specified period and then disposes of it in keeping with a secret ballot. This procedure is in our bylaws.
 

8) Will the SRC have access to all of the raw data including the signatures, and what is the purpose of the signature? Will the poll responses count if the member does not sign?
 

9) How will all of this information be used and presented and by whom will it be used and presented?
 

10) Has the plan all along been for the entire membership to receive a ballot from the SRC by mail? If so, then what will happen to the survey/poll sheets that were filled out and mailed or turned in by members earlier at the national and elsewhere? How will these votes be counted?  Who has these documents? Have each of these members been contacted and instructed to revote and send to the Teller's Committee?
 

11) When did the original purpose of the SRC change from a group created "to investigate and assess the situation including surveying the membership" into one with the authority to require a "vote"?  When was the change made that would validate the SRC's calling for a vote?  Was there a special meeting called using one of the 4 means required by CCA by-laws allowing the change in the SRC purpose and allowing the SRC to call for an official vote?  Does the SRC feel that their survey/poll meets the CCA's constitutional requirements for an official vote? If yes, please explain using the bylaws as support.

Update…. As of July 1st, we still have no response from the SRC or Mr. Coen.….Most of the questions are Yes and No…..

Upate 7/1/09   from Tom Coen

Thanks for your question regarding joint members. On the ballot, right above the signature line, it says "Joint members please mail separate signed ballots". Both ballots can be mailed in the envelope that is provided.  The Tellers committee will have a current membership list and all names will be verified against that list.  The Tellers Committee will detach the survey portion at the top and will count the ballots at the bottom only. The survey responses will go to the Standard Review Committee for educational analysis.  Since I am not on the DD list, I'll address several other concerns that have come up and ask that you post this to the DD list for me. There seems to be confusion concerning the survey portion at the top. This is included to give all members an opportunity to answer some of the key survey questions that were originally put to the Breed Mentors.  If the survey is too confronting or confusing in any way, it’s not necessary to answer it.  It is not our intention to make anyone uncomfortable, fearful or angry.Any member who answered a survey as a Breed Mentor, at the So. Cal. show or at CCA does not need to answer another survey. The results of those surveys have already been reported.  The current mailing is the only one from the SRC that has a ballot included. The SRC ballot can be identified by "The 2009 Standard Review Committee appreciates your input" toward the bottom.In an effort to keep costs down the material from the SRC was sent out bulk mail from Wisconsin. All members will receive this mailing and the deadline for votes to be received is August 1. 2009.  The Standard Review Committee requests that you please cast your vote so we can determine the wishes of the membership.The reason that we are using the Tellers Committee is because of the current atmosphere of distrust in this club.We have learned that it's not possible to please everyone….you can only do your best.Tom

This was sent to the DD list to crosspost….. This response was not to the SMAC list of 11 questions.

I am concerned that there are many good people who are choosing not to volunteer again and while I  share their feelings I am concerned for the club.  I am very glad that our committee's stated duties will be complete with this poll….it has been a frustrating and thankless eight months.  I am eager to concentrate on breeding, showing and enjoying our dogs…I only hope that we'll be able to do that for many years to come. I can't help but think that the passion and work put into this issue would have been better spent fighting the animal rights agenda.  It's not going to matter about color if we can't have our dogs.
Anyway,  thanks for all you have done to keep things on a rational, intelligent track….you represent the Collie well.

This was also to sent by Tom Coen  to another DD with permission to crosspost….. I love the way he says he has not been thanked and suggests that the people on the side of the sable merle are irrational and unintelligent!!!! And I know that I personally have been able to work on the AR agenda AND the SRC's agenda at the SAME time!!!!!!