Officials should do their homework

Do your homework.
That ought to be the first bit of advice for anyone who is ever asked to serve on a board or a committee.
It ought to be something understood in advance by public officials.
But far too often, folks arrive at a meeting blithely unaware of any of the advance materials that have been sent their way. They figure their duty on the board or committee is accomplished when they have their butt in the chair at the meeting. Something like homework strikes them as a burden.
Case in point: A recent meeting of the board of a local non-profit that receives significant taxpayer support.
It’s a good group of good people. Some are elected officials; some are simply community-minded volunteers. It’s pretty typical of half a dozen other such groups around the county.
So when a series of minor changes in the bylaws came up on the agenda, it should have been a simple matter.
After all, the changes — little things like the number of board members, a specific definition of a quorum and flexibility for the date of the annual meeting — amounted to no big deal.
But then things hit a snag.
One board member questioned whether there had been enough advance notice of the amendments being proposed.
The question was raised in spite of the fact that the changes had been approved by the bylaws committee, then approved by the executive committee and had been sent to the board before its previous meeting at which notice was given that the changes would be on the agenda for this week’s meeting.
As if that were not enough, the changes were emailed again to board members ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.
There was absolutely no one in the room in a position to say they hadn’t had plenty of advance notice on the proposed changes. Except those who hadn’t bothered to do their homework.
Most incredibly, one board member glibly acknowledged that he never went to the trouble of reading the emailed material sent in advance of the meeting. Apparently, his job was to keep his chair warm for about 45 minutes.
To the board’s credit, nearly everyone else had been paying attention. Rather than send out another notice to those who had been daydreaming or distracted and hold yet another meeting, those who had actually done their homework prevailed.
A silly moment? Sure.
But it was a reminder that the best three words for anyone involved in public service are these: Do your homework. — J.R.