Cabarrus Cheap Seats

I figured - since the dust has settled and the various parties involved had their chance to weigh in on the matter - that I would share with you the facts in this post and some commentary tomorrow.

So, here’s what happened on October 25, 2007 Cabarrus Republican Men’s Club Meeting where Coy Privette was deposed as VP of Programs.

Let me start by saying that the Independent Tribune did a decent job of giving the flavor of what happened; but a few facts were wrong or omitted:

1. There was never an insistence that a motion to adjourn required a 2/3rds majority. It only requires a simple majority.

2. The vote to depose Coy was unanimous

3. President Audy Dover was censured by the membership for abandoning his post. (This was in the print edition; but disappeared from the on-line version)

So, here’s how it shook out:

• David Black makes motion to depose Coy Privette as VP of Programs
• Audy Dover tells David Black to “be quiet”
• Audy Dover makes statement about the meeting, gets mad at David Black for “screwing my whole thing up” and says “Goodnight”
• I appeal from the Decision of the Chair that there was no motion to Adjourn.
• Darrell Bost makes the motion to Adjourn
• Ric Starnes seconds
• Audy Dover and Coy Privette begin to leave the lectern.
• Chris McCartan appeals from the Decision of the Chair
• I call for division
• Audy and Coy keep moving for the door ignoring calls from the vast majority of the room to continue the business at hand.
• Mike Ruff makes a statement that Coy is the problem and one way to demonstrate Party unity would be to send him packing.
• Audy Dover states that he has “adjorned the daggum meetin’” as he and Coy approach the door.
• Audy Dover and David Black has an exchange about the Executive Board and the quarterly meeting. Audy Dover states that he was unaware of the requirement to hold quarterly meetings and he didn’t know if they would ever discuss Coy. (For the record, the executive board has met only once following the election in May 2007 and made no business decisions, and - yes- the Bylaws require a quarterly meeting of the officers)
• Audy Dover leaves - Coy Privette is ranking officer
• Don Harrison - VP of Membership leaves quietly
• Coy Privette - VP of Programs leaves quickly. Very quickly.
• Richard Suggs - VP of Fundraising is now ranking officer. Richard Suggs sarcastically suggests that I should let my pastor see the video. (Funny thing: Ric Starnes and some other minions of Coy’s called both my church and my HR department at work the following day)
• While Richard Suggs is the ranking officer, a fight nearly breaks out between Ric Starnes and someone who Ric was yelling at. I keep the guy from actually getting to Ric. (For the record, if anyone attacks Ric in the future, it’ll be up to someone else to stop them)
• Richard Suggs leaves.
• Unbeknownst to me, I am the ranking officer.
• I point out to Darrell Bost that a motion to adjourn requires a majority. Darrell then acknowledges I’m right and walks out of the meeting.
• Ric Starnes keeps the shouting match rolling.
• Somewhere in here, people start threatening to call the police.
• I’m identified as the ranking officer. I bring order by saying “Sit down or leave”. Everyone sits down.
• I make a brief statement about the original motion, my fellow officers leaving their post, the governance order, and the part of Robert’s Rules of Order that allow for deposing of an officer.
• I then recognize the original motion to depose Coy Privette
• Bob Casper seconds the motion to depose Coy Privette
• I make a brief statement
• The motion passes unanimously
• Sid Rauch makes a motion to depose the rest of the officers for leaving
• The motion was seconded (not identified)
• Ken Payne speaks against the motion
• David Black speaks against the motion
• Sid Rausch withdraws the motion
• I recognize the motion as being withdrawn
• Mike Brown makes motion that President Dover should be censured for leaving
• Sid Rauch seconds
• The motion passes with one “no” vote
• Motion is made to Adjorn (unidentified)
• Motion is seconded
• Motion passes unanimously

Tomorrow, the Friday Five returns for Part Two