Council Members and Guests,
My name is Michael Dunn. I am the Council Representative for District K-7. I am active in the SPEEA and Northwest Governing Documents Committees, am a member of the Northwest Ombudsman Committee, and I am a former SPEEA Treasurer. As you have heard, I am running for office together with Joel and Jill, because a united effort is needed on the Board.
Joel has discussed the reasons why you, as Council Reps, should vote for Vice Presidents who will not be combative with the Council over elections and budgets. Jill has discussed why you should vote for Vice Presidents who will, with their votes, support the Treasurer and Secretary to provide you transparency of our business records and processes. In this segment of our joint presentation, I want to talk to you about a third important reason why you should vote for us, and that is the concept of “fiduciary responsibility.”
This is the idea that the Board is responsible for the long-term solvency of our union, the maintenance of our physical assets and real property, and the proper direction of our hired staff. Past Boards have gone from year to year, thinking their job is only to keep from ending the current year with a deficit. Indeed, one of our opponents has said “If we’re not spending your money, we’re not doing our job.” I respectfully beg to differ.
For example, are you aware that 5 years ago the number of represented employees was the same as it is today--yet our annual net expenditures have increased from 5.4 million dollars in 2001 to 7.7 million in 2006. This is an increase of 43%, when inflation might have accounted for 16%.
Are you aware that, since 1997, there has been only one year in which our dues income was able to pay all our net expenses? No, we have not been in the red, but the significance of this is that our solvency depends on “extra” income, from investments and fees.
Rather than accept that spending freely is a proper discharge of our responsibilities, we believe we need to get control of the long-term trends in our finances, reduce our expenses to levels consistent with normal inflation, and increase the margin by which we are able to meet expenses. Eventually, we hope to make good on the promise made, years ago, that the adoption of Agency Fee can mean a reduction in our dues.
We can’t do this if we are preoccupied with conflict. We can’t do this if our financial data are kept in darkness. We can’t do this without your understanding that members’ dues must be treated frugally.
So, to conclude, let me repeat the reasons why you, the Northwest Council, should vote for us:
Please vote for Mike Dunn, Joel Funfar, and Jill Ritchey for Northwest Vice Presidents.
Thank you.