CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE

We believe that to be human is to be interdependent and interconnected with all humanity. The absolute sacred nature of each person is the beginning and the end of a just society. The guiding principles of all human interaction must be empathy, love and respect.

We stand for a fully democratic distribution of power at all levels of society and economic justice through an equitable distribution of wealth. Society must also enable the full human development of all persons, including their mental, physical and spiritual health. Our ethical imperative is to build a world in which each person is treated as an end, worthy just as we are, never as a means to another persons ends. 

 

ARTICLE ONE: Membership in PHC is constituted by attendance at three meetings and payment of a $10.00 standard yearly fee. Low-income persons, seniors, and students will be charged a $5.00 yearly membership fee. Annual membership in PHC begins on January 1^st of each year, and ends on December 31^st; dues paid between October 1^st and December 31^st will be credited to that persons membership for the subsequent year. Membership by a parent in PHC will automatically be extended to any child (18 or under) of that parent. Attendance at Board of Directors meetings will not be counted towards the attendance requirements for membership. The board may set special, voluntary fees to be used for special projects.

a. The criterion for voting privileges shall be satisfaction of the membership requirements cited above. Votes may be cast in person, or by casting a proxy vote by e-mail or telephone with the Secretary of PHC, not later than the night before the vote. 

ARTICLE TWO: The constitution of PHC can be changed only by a 2/3 (66%) vote of two consecutive General Membership Meetings. All non-constitutional matters will be decided by majority vote in a single General Membership Meeting, presuming that a quorum of seven voters (including proxies) exists. 

ARTICLE THREE: The form of governance in PHC shall be representative democracy. 

 

ARTICLE FOUR: All members of PHC are eligible to vote on both constitutional and non-constitutional matters. 

ARTICLE FIVE: The Board Of Directors is not a task force. 

ARTICLE SIX: The officers of the Board Of Directors shall be comprised of the following five positions:

President

Vice President and Communications Officer

Treasurer and Fundraising Officer

Secretary

Membership Officer 

ARTICLE SEVEN: All Board members shall serve a term of one year. 

ARTICLE EIGHT: A.) Any member of the board may resign from the board at any time. Resigned board members must immediately return all PHC monies and papers. B.). Any member of the board can be removed from it by a vote of 60% (3/5ths) of attendees at two consecutive General Membership Meeting. Any board member impeached by vote at a first meeting must be notified prior to the second and final vote.  

ARTICLE NINE: The duties of each officer of the board shall be comprised of the following:

President: functions as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and public face of PHC, presides at the General Membership Meetings, calls emergency meetings, chairs and appoints members to the Fundraising Task Force, and is responsible for all legal documents.

Vice President and Communications Officer: first in line of succession, acts in Presidents stead when President is absent, supervises all external communications for promotional purposes including press affairs and promotion, and works closely with the Secretary to keep members informed of all events.

Treasurer and Fundraiser: collects dues, keeps membership rosters, makes disbursements (in combination with the signature of at least one other board officer), keeps the books, and makes financial reports in consultation with the board.

Chief Information Officer: In charge of all PHC writings, chief archivist, follows the activities of all PHC task forces to ensure they remain within PHCs framework, keeps records of board meetings, records proxy votes, works with the vice-president to keep members informed of all PHC events, responsible for all ordinary business correspondence (while the vice president is responsible for promotional correspondence), and offers changes to the Mission Statement (when needed).  

Membership Officer: chairs Membership Task Force, recruits and sustains new members, maintains PHCs roster in our data base including e-mail addresses and phone numbers, in consultation with the vice president develops methods of attracting new members. 

ARTICLE TEN: the board of directors shall appoint an ombudsman. 

ARTICLE ELEVEN: An advisory Board Of Elders comprised of five founding members will be created. Its mission is to ensure that PHCs actions remain within the scope pf our original Mission Statement and Points Of Unity. This advisory boards powers shall be strictly limited to issuing reports, initiating discussion at the midterm (six month) mark between each election, and calling one and only one new board election in any two year period. All decision-making power in PHC must always remain in the General Membership Meeting and its votes.  

ARTICLE TWELVE: The mission of the Board Of Directors of Politics For A Human Community is to represent the will of the membership, and to sustain our organization between General Membership Meetings. 

ARTICLE THIRTEEN: All voting in PHC General Membership Meetings shall be by secret ballot. 

ARTICLE FOURTEEN: All Politics For A Human Community members will have one ballot to cast in any General Membership Meeting, and each Board member shall have one ballot in any board vote. 

ARTICLE FIFTEEN: The Treasurer as well as one other designated board officer must sign all disbursements.

ARTICLE SIXTEEN: Each task force leader or facilitator shall be empowered to impose more formal rules of order should our typically more informal meeting structure become unruly. 

ARTICLE SEVENTEEN: PHC shall establish itself as a taxable non-profit corporation. 

ARTICLE EIGHTEEN: PHCs General Membership Meetings shall be held monthly.  

ARTICLE NINETEEN: PHC Members may form ad hoc groups for the purpose of quick action, but their existence may be postponed by a majority vote of the board of directors and cancelled by a majority vote of the next General Membership Meeting. 

RATIFIED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE OF A GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING HELD ON MONDAY JANUARY 19^th, 2004 

VOTING MEMBERS:

Andrew Aaron, Bertram Miller, Deborah Lewis, Don Schmall, Bill Hastings, Sheila Jacobs, Vince Anzalone, Victoria Zikic.