Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG)
ELECTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS: SNG board president, Jean Johnstad, announced that SNG treasurer and board member, Perry Caranicas is leaving both of his posts within the organization. Caranicas was not present at the meeting.
Dick Westby and Leah Entenmann were both elected to SNG’s board of directors after being named as candidates at previous meetings. Westby said he has been attending board meetings regularly since January 2006. Entenmann was a former SNG staff member.
Jeremy Stone was nominated, this month, as a candidate for the board of directors. The board will vote on his confirmation at next month’s meeting, on Wednesday, August 22.
CITY COUNCIL REPORT: Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon presented the latest news from City Hall. As stated last month by Gordon’s policy aide, Robin Garwood, Second Ward Intern Annie Welch is busy at work coordinating Neighborhood Night Out functions. Welch is available to assist in block party organization, Gordon said. This year, National Night Out falls on Tuesday, August 7.
Gordon also congratulated SNG and LCC (Longfellow Community Council) staff and volunteers for being awarded one of five “Climate Change Innovation Fund” grants in the amount of $10,000. “This one scored well above all the others,” Gordon said, referring to how the grant proposal fared among 16 other submissions.
e-DEMOCRACY PRESENTATION: Becca Vargo Daggett and Peter Fleck told board members they’ve received a grant enabling them to start a “hybrid local email list” in the area. Fleck and Daggett explained they are looking to create an opt-in email list of Seward residents to help create conversations between neighbors, make residents aware of local services and facilitate discussion about what’s happening in the community.
Daggett said she hopes that after the listserv becomes more established, she can use it to publicize SNG events, such as King’s Fair. Daggett appealed to the board to be linked to SNG’s website, once the whole project “gets off the ground.”
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT: SNG Executive Director Lori Stone, who was not at the meeting, announced her resignation effective August 31, 2007, via a letter included in the board packet.
In the letter, addressed to the SNG executive committee, Stone wrote, “in the last two years, the Board of Directors has been dysfunctional, showing a lack of support and respect for my work in the organization. The environment is hostile and having a negative impact on me and my family. The Board clearly does not understand its role and its relationship with the Executive Director.”
Stone included a more detailed accounting of the 2006 Seward Arts Fair Financial Report in her written report, after one board member, last month, took issue with the fact that some of the accounting was not clear cut, in his opinion.
FINANCIAL REPORT: Changes to the SNG Financial Procedures Manual, made at a July 12 closed board meeting, were approved by a vote of the full board.
KING’S FAIR UPDATE: Dick Westby asked each board member to find one person or group, such as a social work organization or a “peace group,” to participate in this year’s fair. Westby said more than 80 environmental groups had been invited to the fair already, and urged board members to recruit presenters in other areas.
For the remainder of the meeting, the board entered into executive session to talk about a personnel issue. Non-board members could not be present for the discussion.
Next meeting: Wednesday, August 22
7 p.m.; call for location
Contact:
Seward Neighborhood Group
2323 Franklin Ave. E
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-338-6205
last revised: July 31, 2007