For whom does Council act?

In the previous post, I mentioned that Council functions in a somewhat unusual way. What I probably should have said was that Council operates in the way most boards should, but in which few do.

One of the comments that came back from our major 2007 survey echoed something I have heard repeatedly over time: that election to Council is a chance for 22 people to grab the steering wheel of the association and yank it sharply in the direction that they, personally, would like it to go. Related comments suggest that having "friends" on Council is a chance for some privileged group of members to do the same thing.

The natural belief that comes with these assumptions is that the most advantageous tactic for the individual member is to elect as many people like you as you can, and hope they get their hands on the steering wheel. The corollary view is that if you aren’t part of the “in” group, you’re screwed. Cynical, yes, but then people are used to dealing with governance bodies such as school boards and town councils, where this jaundiced view may not be so far off the mark.

Council doesn’t work that way. In fact, one of the first requirements of the Council Members’ Code of Conduct is this:

Councillors must have loyalty to the membership, unconflicted by loyalties to staff, other organizations, and any personal interest as a consumer [of Association services].

This injunction is backed up by a comprehensive conflict of interest policy, and a signed declaration from each Councillor identifying other involvement that might be a conflict, or be perceived as such. It is also reinforced by regular evaluation of Council's adherence to its own rules of conduct. What other board do you know of that takes the time to do that?

Councillors who have served over the years will attest to the value of this broad-horizon and rigorous approach, and new Councillors who come to the table with a personal agenda discover it quickly. Councillors are expected to devote the same level of time, energy and consideration to topics that do not impact their immediate peers or constituency, as they do to issues in which they have a stake. Moreover, much of the work of Council is done at a level where individual stakes don't even make an appearance.

Back to the title question...

A board, any board, is there only for one purpose: to govern some entity on behalf of an ownership (members, shareholders, the public, etc.) Consequently, Council’s declared job is to "act as an informed agent of the membership as owners." This means that Council does not act instead of the members, or through paternalistic assumptions of what is best for the members; it acts for the members, from a consistently informed position based on ongoing and broad-based member input.

In brief, Council doesn't act parochially when addressing issues, and we certainly don't target our decisions toward personal benefit or the benefit of friends. We act for the membership as a whole.

Next...collecting your input.