Call to Order: The meeting was called to order via Zoom by the club president, Greg Noone, at
7:00 PM, with 9 members present.
Minutes: The Secretary, Karen Horgan, presented the minutes from the November 2020 general meeting. The minutes were approved as presented.
Financial Report: The treasurer, Ron Miller, presented the financial report, with a cash
balance of $766.66. The treasurer’s report was approved as presented.
Club Business: The Executive Board positions were reviewed. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have an opening. The Membership position is open, if you are interested, please let Greg or Michael know.
Executive Board 2021:
President - Greg Noone was re-elected to a second term
Vice-President - Michael Stackhouse was re-elected to a second term
Secretary - Karen Horgan was elected
Treasurer - Ron Miller was elected
Communications - Christie Noone was re-elected to a second term
Membership - Open
Speakers:
Ann Zadah, Fort Worth City Council, District 9. Ann served on the City Council for 9 years. She explained some of the responsibilities of serving on the City Council. Her recommendation if someone is interested in the City Council is to first get involved by serving on a city board or commission, such as planning or recreation committees. If you are engaged and involved in your community, serving on the City Council is the next logical step. It would be a good idea to attend City Council or School Board meetings if you’re interested in running for either.
The position is time consuming but rewarding. She spends 40+ hours each week with her City Council responsibilities. Fort Worth pays $25,000/year for Council members. Besides the basic duties of her Council meetings, she spends time attending city events, community activities, programs, meeting with constituents and making speeches. Each City Council member also serves on specific committees within the Council.
If interested in serving on a board or commission, Fort Worth provides an online form to get involved in city planning committees, boards or commissions.
Ann is also running for Fort Worth Mayor and spoke about some of her priorities. She said Fort Worth has done a great job with fiscal responsibilities and is now ready to be more visionary. Her interests are in transportation and sustainable development. Business development that will lower the tax rate for residential taxes is something Fort Worth needs to develop and increase the business tax rate to lower the residential. She has a background in city planning.
You can contact her at annzadah@gmail.com or ann.zadah@fortworthrexas.gov
Mary Copeland, Saginaw City Council, could not attend our meeting, but she sent the following information. Saginaw City Council has at least 2 meetings/month, sometimes more often. The meetings last 2-3 hours. Additionally, there are other city activities, speaking opportunities, or programs that she attends. A key strength for serving on the City Council is a calm willingness to ask questions, work together, and cooperate with other members to solve problems that might occur. Saginaw pays City Council members $25/meeting.
After the speakers, there was some discussion about the Presidential Inauguration and the possibilities ahead. There is concern for the state leadership in Texas and hope some good Democratic candidates will step up.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.