Bylaws of the
Franklin County Consortium
for Good Government
Name
The Franklin County Consortium for Good Government, (“Consortium”), is an unincorporated organization in Franklin County, Ohio.
History
In 1991, Brookwood Presbyterian Church joined with the National Council of Jewish Women to start a candidates night for Columbus. In successive years, the Columbus Jewish Federation joined the coalition to produce candidates nights as did many churches, synagogues, civic associations, and cultural organizations. Because the scope of the candidates nights became county-wide, the name “The Franklin County Consortium for Good Government” was adopted by all organizations then participating in the candidates night.
Objective
The objective of the Consortium is to educate the voters and potential voters of Franklin County about the candidates in contested races and, when appropriate, issues by setting up and publicizing non-partisan candidates nights at various sites in Franklin County.
Membership
In general, membership in the Consortium shall be open to any Franklin County non profit organization which does not endorse candidates or affiliate with any political party. Final determination as to membership shall be made by the Coordinating Committee and organizations which may be divisive may be excluded upon a 2/3 vote of that committee. There shall be several classes of membership. The classes of membership shall be differentiated by the contribution made to the consortium.
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Co-Sponsor: Any organization fitting the above mentioned criteria and willing to advertise the candidates nights to its membership shall be permitted to be a co-sponsoring organization. The advertisement shall be in the organization’s newsletter or flyer or performance brochure or in mailings sent to the general membership. Co-sponsors shall be on selected publicity.
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Sponsor: Any organization fitting the above mentioned criteria and willing not only to fulfill the duties of the co-sponsor but also willing to pay an amount to be set each year by the governing board or the same amount in kind and to supply at least one volunteer to each site or five volunteers to one site shall be a sponsor. Sponsors shall be on selected publicity and shall be graphically distinguished from co-sponsors.
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Site: Any organization which has a facility with a room able to accommodate at least 150 seated individuals, and a committee able to fulfill the duties of a site may be a site if the organizing committee so approves. Approval for site selection will be based upon the number of other sites close to the proposed site as well as the number of sites the organizing committee determine it is able to coordinate, given its resources. The number of sites may vary from year to year. The sites shall be distinguished from sponsors and co-sponsors in all publicity. The site committee must demonstrate an ability to perform the following tasks:
a. Organize set up for the event per the current check list; and
b. Organize refreshments for the candidates and audience. At least some of the refreshments shall be kosher, and
c. Form a coalition with nearby organizations in order to encourage more individuals to attend the candidates night, and
d. Establish a plan for contacting membership and membership of nearby organizations to encourage attendance, and
e. Have at least one member at most of the meetings of the Coordinating Committee, and
f. Have been a sponsor or co-sponsor for at least one election cycle before becoming a site.
A detailed duty sheet will be provided to all sites.
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Coordinating Committee: Any sponsoring organization may designate an individual to be on the Coordinating Committee. This committee shall meet as necessary in order to effectively organize the candidates nights. The Coordinating Committee shall consist of two co-chairs, each a member of a different political party. There shall also be a Treasurer and a Secretary. There shall also be four Sub-Committees: a Sub-Committee consisting of all Site representatives to deal with Site responsibilities; a Publicity Sub-Committee to promote the Events; a Program Sub-Committee to invite the candidates and to establish times and order of candidates at the events; and an Awards Sub-Committee to review candidates for the annual awards. The Sub-Committee Chairs shall be selected from the Coordinating Committee. Other Sub-Committee members may include additional Coordinating Committee members, and other individuals. The Coordinating Committee may delegate any of its duties or any other tasks to a paid staff. The leadership for the following year shall be voted on at the evaluation meeting after the candidates nights.
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Founding organizations shall be distinguished in publicity until such time as the organization withdraws support from the event. As long as Brookwood Presbyterian Church is a founding organization it shall have the first choice for the date it hosts the candidates nights.
Officers
No officer shall simultaneously hold a position in a campaign or take a visible position in a fundraising event. All officers shall have check writing authority. All checks shall require permission from two officers. There shall be a chair and a co chair and a treasurer and secretary. The chair shall make final decisions when there is a controversy; the co-chair shall serve when the chair is not available. The party affiliation of the chair and co-chair shall not be the same. The treasurer shall track and report all incoming and outgoing money. The treasurer will report monthly to the Coordinating Committee during the months of June through November and quarterly in the intervening months. The secretary shall keep minutes tracking the important decisions made by the Coordinating Committee and shall make said minutes available prior to each meeting.
Event
The Coordinating Committee will determine the races and issues that will be represented at each site. County-wide candidates running in contested races in Franklin County shall be invited to at least one of the sites. Candidates for offices representing smaller geographic areas will be invited to one or more sites in or near their districts. Invitations to candidates in statewide races will be made at the discretion of the Coordinating Committee. The number of candidates at each site and the length of time each candidate shall have to speak on each question and in entirety shall be determined by the Coordinating Committee or a subcommittee of the Coordinating Committee. No surrogate candidates shall be permitted to speak in place of a candidate. Candidates shall be seated next to their opponent(s) and shall be heard by office which they seek. Questions shall be asked in written form and then shall be read by a moderator to the candidates. Timers shall signal to the candidates the amount of time remaining and when time is over. Tables shall be provided for candidates’ literature but no candidate shall bring campaign literature to the podium to display, toss to the audience or pass out while he or she is speaking. No candidate should be permitted to put up signs within 30 feet of the facility. Events shall include a half hour reception prior to the start of the questions. Events shall start in a timely manner and each race should be kept to its allotted time. All candidates for the same office will have equal time to speak. Should a candidate fail to appear, the time for that race shall be shortened by dividing the time by the number of candidates, subtracting the time of one of the candidates and then allowing the other candidate(s) to proceed. Should both candidates fail to appear, then the race scheduled after their race shall proceed during their time slot. The same question shall be asked to each candidate. Candidates shall not be permitted to debate the answer of their opponent(s). The moderator and the question takers should make every effort to make certain the questions asked are fair to both candidates and are designed to reveal stands on issues or policies. There shall be an additional sheet(s) detailing the volunteers needed as well as the tasks which must occur at each site; this shall be updated as needed by the Coordinating Committee or someone delegated to perform that task by the Committee.
Award
The Consortium may present up to three awards each year. The John Schrack Award, named in memory of John Schrack, one of the founders of the Candidates Nights, will be presented every year and if Brookwood Presbyterian Church is still participating in the forums, this award shall be presented at Brookwood Presbyterian Church. The Schrack award winner shall have a commitment to the democratic process as well as be involved in the education of the public about candidates, issues and the elective process. Up to two additional awards may also be presented to persons exemplifying good government as defined in the criteria for the Schrack award. A special committee will be set up to determine the awardees subject to approval by the Coordinating Committee.
Bylaws Effective
These bylaws shall be effective upon the vote of the majority of the Coordinating Committee. They may be changed by a ¾ majority vote of the Coordinating Committee present at the evaluation event after the final candidates night or at the first meeting of the next year as decided at the evaluation event, or, should money be found to incorporate as a charitable organization, these Bylaws shall be modified at that time to reflect the changed status of the organization.