The Association of Village Council Presidents Executive Board and its legal counsel want to amend the organization’s bylaws to give the Board more power and its members longer terms. They say the changes would bring the nonprofit into better compliance with state law.
The Executive Board and Legal Counsel sent the proposed amendments in a letter to tribes this summer to consider before the October annual meeting.
According to the letter, the Executive Board is the nonprofit’s legal governing body. Under state law it must have the authority to hire, evaluate, and fire the president, powers not granted under the current bylaws. The letter says that to legally control AVCP, the Executive Board must have control of its top employee. The delegates took a step in that direction this June when they passed a resolution allowing the Executive Board to fire the president, but the power to elect the president remains with the tribal delegates, who vote on the position every two years.
The letter says that despite the change, the tribes would still maintain control over the administration through their representation on the Executive Board.
The Board also wants to extend its terms of office from two years to four, and make it so that three members, not six, of the twelve member board are subject to election each year. The letter calls this change “absolutely necessary to improve the management of AVCP.” The reason given is that every year half the Executive Board is up for election and new members require months of training to get up to speed on the responsibilities of Board members and the non-profit corporation's programs and management. The letter says the change would “allow for less turnover, more continuity, and a more educated board.”
Not everyone agrees with the changes. Harold Napoleon of the Paimiut tribe has written a letter in opposition, which has gained the support of Akiachak, Akiak, Kwethluk, and Tuluksak. The letter claims that the tribal delegates, not the Executive Board, are AVCP’s legal governing body. He also says that the resolution allowing the board to fire the president that passed during the June special convention is unlawful, because the meeting never reached quorum. In his letter, Napoleon says that one Executive Board member appointed himself a delegate did not have the authority from his tribe to serve in that capacity.
Neither AVCP legal council nor the administration responded to emails from KYUK seeking comment.
The annual convention begins October 4 in Bethel.
