doug ronan removed as director from copa

[Colonel Sanders]

What I understand, from reading COPA's statement,
is that any of us here who disagree with their handling
of Mr Ronan, are at risk of having our COPA membership
revoked, because we disagree with the actions of
the board, and we dare to voice them.

I am sure that Mr Ronan is not perfect, but it would
appear that his faults are minor in comparison to the
current COPA Board of Directors and President.

Personally, I think it's time for a new Board and
President - ones that conduct themselves in a
transparent and legal manner, and in the interests
of the members - not so obviously their own.

Mr Ronan has my support for President of COPA,
if he so chooses to pursue it.

[photofly]

I think CS should stand for prez.

Colonel - I'd even join COPA to vote for you.

[Docav8or]

Letters like these need to be written:


Mr. Hayes, I write to you as Chairman of the COPA board to strongly protest the most inappropriate dismissal of Doug Ronan as a member of COPA and as a COPA board member.



As a COPA member for 53 years and a member of Flight 110, I have known Doug Ronan for countless years, and can recount ad nauseum the marvelous contributions that Doug has made to COPA members, and to general aviation.



I recall so clearly, the difficulties and frustrations that I endured in dealing with the bureaucracy at DOT after having bypass surgery, without having suffered a heart attack.

I would still be grounded without the extraordinary efforts that Doug, on his own time, went to, in order to smooth the way with DOT to have my licence re-instated. When I expressed my sincere thanks and appreciation to Doug for his successful efforts on my behalf, his response was that this is his job and responsibility as a COPA director!



Doug, by nature and personality, is a what’s right guy, not whose right, and will fight hard for what is right for COPA members and general aviation As the retired CEO of a successful TSE listed Canadian Corporation, I can tell you how easy it is to find “go with the flow” directors, but much more difficult to find those who will take a firm stand for what is right for the corporation and its stakeholders. It is the job of the senior management of a corporation or association to serve at the pleasure and discretion of the board, not the other way around!



I look forward to hearing of a fair and equitable outcome for this seriously flawed, concocted, dismissal!



Sincerely;



John Cooper

Member 30569

[Docav8or]

Ideas for you to write your own letter to COPA:________________________________________

Subj: Re. the dismissal of Doug Ronnan

I have been a member of COPA for some 20 years , and am retired from a fairly large and successful business .
Believe John Cooper put it best , that Doug Ronan is a WHATS RIGHT kind of GUY , not who is right and he is WHO i voted for to represent me .
HOW DARE YOU TRY and dismiss this person without my CONSENT . In doing so you have asked for my membership as well , and if this is not corrected in a timely manner you will have it.
I do not believe your actions are in COPAS best interest .

Yours G.M.Lawton
1505946

[Cat Driver]

I would like to learn a bit more about the president of that organization.

Anyone below that level may well be no more than hand picked " yes men "

Reading this is like walking past a pile of rotten fish on a hot day.

[dstechnical]

mr HAyes states that
"That explanation was found wanting by the majority of the Board."
Obviously this was not an unanimous decision. by the board. You would think it would have to be an unanimous decision to remove a director. By default the dissenting votes must agree somewhat with Mr Ronan and they should be removed..
nothing happens at COPA without the president behind it. I don t think COPA would fall apart id we had some new blood at the top.
Glad to see this forum had bought the COPA board out from under their rock

[Bede]

Mr Ronan has my support for President of COPA,
if he so chooses to pursue it.

He can't. He's not a member of COPA.

By COPA's logic, anyone who disagrees with the board cannot be a member of COPA and therefore ineligible to run for office.

Absolutely pathetic response.

[CpnCrunch]

If you look at COPA's bylaws it seems that only the members can remove a director. As much as I like COPA, it does seem that they've screwed the pooch on this one by inventing a dubious scheme to get rid of Doug.

I don't think I even need to be a COPA member for insurance any more, as we're insured through AON (they're cheaper).

[Colonel Sanders]

If you look at COPA's bylaws it seems that only the members can remove a director

Do tell. There are plenty of COPA members here, and a
lot of us are pissed off. How would we go about removing
the entire board of directors, and the President?

[CpnCrunch]

If you look at COPA's bylaws it seems that only the members can remove a director

Do tell. There are plenty of COPA members here, and a
lot of us are pissed off. How would we go about removing
the entire board of directors, and the President?

Here is the section from the bylaws regarding removing directors:

5-G Removal and Vacancies
(1) The Office of Director shall be automatically vacated:
a) when the Director resigns by delivering a written resignation to the Secretary;
b) if the Director is removed from office at an Annual General Meeting of
members or a Special Meeting of Members, by resolution of which notice has
been given and passed by a majority of the members present at the meeting; or
c) if the Director dies;
d) if the Director is found by a court to be incapable;
e) if the Director is convicted of a criminal offense;
f) if the Director is found to be an undischarged bankrupt; and
g) if the Director is absent from three consecutive regular Board of Directors
meetings without reasonable cause, in the sole discretion of the Board to
determine.
(2) If any vacancy shall occur, depending on the length of the un-expired term,
the Board of Directors may resolve to:
a) hold a by-election in accordance with the procedures in section 5-E to fill the
vacancy for the un-expired term,
b) appoint a qualified member of the Association to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term, or
c) keep the vacancy open for the un-expired term.

The section on terminating members also says that only the members can remove another member:

3-E Termination, Resignation, Removal and Reinstatement
(1) Subject to the Act, the interest of a member in the Association is nontransferable and lapses and ceases to exist upon the earlier of the member’s
term of membership expiring (if any), the member’s resignation, or removal in
accordance with this by-law or in the event of the dissolution of the Corporation.
(2) A member whose dues and fees are not paid by the end of the month in
which his or her membership term expires shall automatically cease to be a
member.
(3) Any member may resign as a member by delivering a written resignation to
the president or chairperson of the board of the Association. A resignation shall
be effective from the date specified in the resignation.
(4) A member may be removed as a member of the Association if at a special
meeting of members, a resolution is passed to remove the member by at least
two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast at the special meeting of members.
(5) Any former member who wishes to be reinstated must apply to the
Association and pay the required membership dues.4

To call a special meeting of the members, you need the written request of 5% of the voting members. Or you could wait until the AGM.

[skymarc]

Wow,
I was at the COPA AGM in Dawson Creek and nothing was talked about this.
If you dont agree with the board of director they pull your membership?
Very pathetic.

[photofly]

If I were Mr. Ronan, I'd be taking a dated print-out of Paul Hayes' statement; it's prima facie evidence that the COPA board failed to follow their own bylaws.

If I were Paul Hayes, I'd be taking the statement off-line ASAP.

[pdw]

.

[dstechnical]

Do tell. There are plenty of COPA members here, and a
lot of us are pissed off. How would we go about removing
the entire board of directors, and the President?

To call a special meeting of the members, you need the written request of 5% of the voting members. Or you could wait until the AGM.

any suggestions on how we can this 5% of voting members. you can be assured that COPA wont give any access to membership info. No sense waiting till the next AGM, because the board had an opportunity to reveal this plot at the AGM in Dawson to members and choose to keep it secret.

[Cat Driver]

Maybe starting a poll here would give a good indication on how many COPA members are dissatisfied enough with the way COPA booted one of their directors.

Personally I don't think many people really care about anything but their own intrests anymore.

[crazy_aviator]

As a COPA member and in all fairness. I wouldnt vote on anything UNTIL i had the WHOLE story( evidence) AND whether or not our (COPA) laws were brocken. As has happened in Egypt, when a ruling "party" becomes a (religious) dictatorship and its members ( Egyptians) then vote with their feet in the streets, it is then time for a new ruling party. Egyptians were in receipt of ENOUGH evidence of undemocratic actions on the part of the brotherhood and the powerbase ( military) ONLY stepped in to prevent a catastrophy,,,Perhaps COPA will have the same result?

[Colonel Sanders]

3-E Termination, Resignation, Removal and Reinstatement

(4) A member may be removed as a member of the Association if at a special
meeting of members, a resolution is passed to remove the member by at least
two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast at the special meeting of members.

Ok, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for
the gander. If we call a "special meeting" of
COPA members and pass a resolution with 2/3
votes, to revoke the memberships of the entire
Board and the President, then by their logic, they
are out of office.

Did I interpret that correctly?

[photofly]

You just need a simple majority at a members meeting to remove them from their directorships - but a two-thirds majority to revoke their memberships.

It's not particularly onerous to call a special meeting. Usually you supply the motion(s) you want to discuss and vote on to the board, along with support from a certain number of members, and the board is responsible for notifying the membership and calling the meeting.

[AirFrame]

You'll still need COPA's support to call the special meeting... They have the membership list. If you're asking them to call a meeting for a topic that they don't want discussed, it "may take a while to put together the necessary paperwork..."

What do the by-laws say about who can call a Special Meeting and how?

[jump154]

From the July COPA Flight, P3.

Cirlulation 16,200 Copies. Digital only 1,078.

As each member gets a copy, that makes 18,000 members (approx), so 900 signatures required for a 5% bloc.

2012 membership dues/ $58 comes to roughly the same number (16,000) plus there will be some family memberships in there.


More digging, from the president's slideshow http://my.brainshark.com/COPA-General-A ... 3-77224827

17250 members, so 5% = 863.

[photofly]

You'll still need COPA's support to call the special meeting... They have the membership list. If you're asking them to call a meeting for a topic that they don't want discussed, it "may take a while to put together the necessary paperwork..."

What do the by-laws say about who can call a Special Meeting and how?

You absolutely don't need COPA's support to call a special meeting.

If the board doesn't call a special meeting within the allotted time-frame then a member can do it. The procedure is statutory.

Members can appoint proxies to vote at a special meeting. The board would be able to canvas the general membership for their proxy votes to support the existing board in any vote to be held at a special meeting, so you'd need to do some pretty heavy campaigning to overcome that.

That's the same procedure the board should lawfully have used to remove Doug Ronan's membership. It seems unlikely that it would have succeeded.

[Cat Driver]

The bottom line is only Doug can carry this any further, and all that would do is cause difficulties for everyone concerned as it is highly unlikely anything in the structure of COPA would change.

[photofly]

Only Doug Ronan can fight his own fight, but it would be interesting to get 1000 signatures and force the COPA to convene a special meeting to vote on removing Paul Hayes from the board. The motion wouldn't carry, but it would be one way to publicize the issue to all members. I'm sure the message would get through.

[Shane Mulligan]

To COPA in general and Mr Psutka and Mr Paul Hayes in specific...


I write to you with great embarrassment. Embarrassed of being a member of an organization capable of such malfeasance. I voted Doug Ronan in to represent me for 4 years, not 3 years.

Who are you to arbitrarily take that away from me? I voted for Doug Ronan because I know he stands for General Aviation. He lives, eats and breathes aviation!!!

He is a director that flies on a daily basis and has to deal with all the trials and tribulations that we as general aviators have to contend with. Who better to represent me???

In reading your COPA statement with regard to Mr Ronan's removal as director, I have a few thoughts and questions to pose....



You state...... "One of the express written duties of a Director of COPA is to “Accept and uphold all duly passed Board resolutions and motions.” This is consistent with the operation of all organizations which take collective decisions. The time for differences and debate is when such resolutions and motions are being considered. Once passed by majority vote, a Director is required to accept, uphold and support the collective wisdom of the Board, whether they initially agreed or disagreed with the proposed Board action.
Attacking such decisions, after same have been fully debated, voted upon and thereafter implemented, is not only contrary to the express duties of a Director, it undermines the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. If a member of any Board simply finds themselves unable to support the collective decisions of same, that individual must, in all good conscience, resign."



I would actually have to agree with that ideology to an extent, however I'd like to suggest that you can never know if a "plan" or "idea" is a good one until it's implemented. Having said that, if after implementing a "voted on" plan it's found to be flawed, why wouldn't you go back to the drawing board and rethink it? You truly subscribe to that mentality in the above mentioned quote from your COPA site Mr Psutka and Mr Hayes? Perhaps you should change it to COLA....Canadian Owners of Lemmings Association.



Also in regard to the acceptance and then refund (obviously there was an acceptance if there was a refund) of Mr Ronan`s membership dues.....who came up with that scheme, Pinky and The Brain? Which one of you two is Pinky because I`m not feeling The Brain part?

Are you now going to revoke my membership 1578588 as well because I have spoken against COPA? Not to worry, I`ll be revoking my membership myself if this persecution and railroading of MY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE continues. I am (soon to be was) a member of COPA for 3 primary reasons...



REPRESENTATION.....which you now have taken my elected director from me

CHEAP INSURANCE....which is no longer the case as your new insurance is more expensive than Marsh`s because I`m a multiple plane insurer

COPA NEWSPAPER....seems to be the only thing I have left....



Below please find a copy and paste from the AVCANADA website as I too would like these questions answered.......





In response to the COPA statement about removing Doug Ronan as Director of COPA

Mr. Hayes,

A few questions to the Board that we the members deserve answers to regarding the Chairman's Message on the COPA website re Doug Ronan:

1. What are the two issues and background that are at the center of this controversy?

2. Why was this done so secretly - it appears that the board is trying to cover up something?

3. Is it true that Mr. Ronan renewed his COPA membership and that the President refunded it the day he refused to resign?

4. If Mr. Ronan really did something wrong why didn't the board remove him as a director as is set out in the by-laws on your website?

In section 5-G section b) "if the Director is removed from office at an Annual General Meeting of members or a Special Meeting of Members, by resolution of which notice has been given and passed by a majority of the members present at the meeting"

5. The message on the COPA website clearly states that Mr. Ronan's only crime has been to complain/criticize some board decisions - what mechanism is in place if the board makes a decision which is later found to be flawed or needs further discussion? From what you have written a board decision stands even if it found to be incorrect or new information comes about?

6. "The forgoing actions were entirely those of the elected members of the Board of Directors. Contrary to certain rumors, including allegations published by Mr. Ronan himself, these actions were not taken by COPA’s President and CEO. " The basis for Mr. Ronan's membership not being renewed (or in fact refunded) is weakly based on the following line in the By-laws that states:

"Any person who supports COPA's objectives may become a member upon acceptance of their application for membership by the President and CEO and payment of the required membership dues in accordance with section 3-C."

"3-C Application for Membership: Any eligible person may become a Regular, Family or Corporate member upon filing an application duly completed and upon payment of the membership dues."

So if the President and CEO had nothing to do with it (as you state repeatedly in your message and appear quite concerned about), how was this accomplished? So which is it?

7. It appears that the Board did not like the way Mr. Ronan presented his complaints but how exactly were the content of these complaints/criticisms against the aims and objectives of COPA and its members?



I also see on the AVCANADA website that there may be a call to action from COPA`s members. COUNT ME IN!!!! They will have my vote if it comes to a non confidence challenge with regard to our present board and president. Seriously Psutka? $200k a year and I read on the AVCANADA forum that you were going to stomp your feet like a little girl and not attend the AGM if Doug Ronan attended as well? Shame on you...go to your room right now young man!!



As a ``paid`` member (for the present anyways as I`m sure you`ll refund mine too) I look forward to your collective answers....If COPA can ask for and expect 13 pages of questions and ANSWERS!!!!! from Doug Ronan, I`m sure you`ll be able to answer these few simple questions from the people who allow you to sit in those seats.....


COPA member 1578588


Shane Mulligan

[PilotDAR]

Ha! All of this is making me feel like a leader! I took a dislike to some things COPA did more than a decade ago, and withheld my membership!

It's probably time for a new broom to sweep clean at COPA. Doug would move heaven and earth to help a fellow aviator. A loss for COPA for sure to lose him, much less send him..... I will watch with interest, and maybe re join one day, if that ideal new broom can be effective.....

In the mean time, you know what? AvCanada seems to give me most of the news and brain feed I need for Canadian Aviation... Times change! COPA take notice.....