Residents to vote on election changes to the bylaws

GRF NEWS

Want to make sure only residents in your Mutual elect your Mutual’s GRF Representative?

Every Leisure World residence will receive a ballot this election cycle asking for a vote on a GRF bylaw amendment that preserves the community’s traditional custom that only members of a Mutual can vote on their Mutual’s GRF representative. Other proposed changes would amend 1960s language implying that only men could be GRF directors and officers.

The central bylaw change is designed to align the bylaw through which the GRF representative elections have been conducted with a potentially contradictory bylaw provision concerning the quorum needed to conduct GRF annual meetings.

Throughout Leisure World’s history, GRF representative elections have been conducted under the provisions of Article IV (3). That section specifies that each Mutual’s GRF representative is elected by only that Mutual’s residents.

The complication? Article III (9)(a) implies that an annual GRF meeting must include a quorum of all GRF residents, not merely a quorum of those residents who in a particular year are electing a specific mutual’s GRF representative. Interpreted literally, this article requires a quorum of votes from all Leisure World residents to elect any Mutual’s GRF representative.

If not amended, the Article III wording could be interpreted as allowing all Leisure World members to vote on the GRF representative representing a completely different Mutual. For instance, it’s possible that 6,548 members from other mutuals could overwhelm the choice of the 60 Mutual 16 voters’ choice for their Mutual’s GRF representative.

A vote ratifying the bylaw change would assure that each Mutual’s GRF representative is selected only by that Mutual’s members.

The bylaws proposal also asks GRF members to amend nine instances of 1962 thinking suggesting that only men can be GRF directors or serve as a GRF board director.

Member participation is particularly important, because 2,203 members must return ballots for the bylaw measures to be passed.

The bylaw amendment ballot will be mailed to all GRF members during the election cycle. Ballots for residences in Mutuals 1, 3, 5,

7, 9, 11, 15 and 17, who are selecting GRF representatives this election cycle, will also be asked to select their Mutual’s GRF director.