ACBL Board of Directors Marriott at the Renaissance Center March 3 – 6, 2008 Detroit, MI The meeting was called to order by President Dan Morse on March 3, at 9:00 a.m. Present: George Retek #1, Jonathan Steinberg #2, Joan Gerard #3, Craig Robinson #4, Nadine Wood #6, Bruce Reeve #7, Georgia Heth #8, Shirley Seals #9, Bill Cook #10, Beth Reid #11, William Arlinghaus #12, Harriette Buckman #13, Sue Himel #14, Phyllis Harlan #15, Dan Morse #16, Jerry Fleming #17, Richard Anderson #18, Donald Mamula #19, Jeffrey Taylor #20, Roger Smith #21, Corinne Kirkham (1st Alternate) #22, and Richard DeMartino #25. Absent: Sharon Fairchild #5, Gayle Andrews #22, Rand Pinsky #23, and Al Levy #24. Also Present: Linda Mamula, Chairman Board of Governors; Peter Rank, League Counsel; Jay Baum, ACBL CEO; Rick Beye, ACBL CTD; Gary Blaiss, ACBL EAO; staff, Julie Greenberg, Jeff Johnston, Jim Miller, Carol Robertson, and Kelley McGuire. Approval of San Francisco Minutes The San Francisco CA minutes are approved. Carried. Item 081-175: Executive Committee Minutes The minutes of the Executive Committee meeting held on November 24, 2007 are received. Carried. The Executive Committee met in the President’s suite in San Francisco on Saturday November 24, 2007 at 11:45 a.m. Present at the meeting were members of the Executive Committee, Sharon Fairchild, President; Harriette Buckman, Chairman; Jerry Fleming, Treasurer (non-voting member) Richard Anderson, Al Levy (Alternate) and Jim Reiman. 081Detroit, MI Board Page 1 of 60 Absent: Shirley Seals Also present: Jay Baum, CEO, and Jim Miller. Sharon Fairchild called the meeting to order at 11:46 a.m. Moved that the Goren trophy will be reassigned as the player winning the most masterpoints at the Fall NABC. The Herman trophy will be renamed the Paul Soloway trophy and be awarded to the player winning the most platinum points in a calendar year. Effective January 1, 2008 Carried unanimously. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:30 p.m. Item 081-131: Ratification of Audit Firm Ratification of the Audit firm for 2008 is deferred to the summer 2008 meeting. Carried unanimously. Item 081-133: Hall of Fame Committee Appointments Cecil Cook, Amalya Kearse and Betty Ann Kennedy are appointed for a three-year term from the end of the Spring 2008 NABC through the end of the Spring 2011 NABC. Zeke Jabbour is appointed to fill the unexpired term of Fred Gitelman ending Spring 2010. Item 081-134 Appointment of Competitions & Conventions Committee Doug Doub, Bob Hamman, Steve Beatty, and Elaine Said are appointed for a one-year term from the end of the Spring 2008 NABC through the end of the Spring 2009 NABC. Mildred Breed is appointed for a three-year term from the end of the Spring 2008 NABC through the end of the Spring 2011 NABC. 081Detroit, MI Board Page 2 of 60 081-135: Ethical Oversight Committee Appointments Denny Clerkin, Bruce Ferguson, Eric Rodwell, John Sutherlin, and Bobby Wolff are appointed for a three-year term from the end of the Spring 2008 NABC through the end of the Spring 2011 NABC. 081-136: ACBL Disciplinary Committee Appointments Lisa Berkowitz, Nagy Kamel and Tom Peters are appointed for a three-year term from the end of the Spring 2008 NABC through the end of the Spring 2011 NABC. 081-137: ACBL Laws Commission Appointments Chip Martel, Jeffrey Polisner and Chris Compton are appointed for a five-year term from the end of the Spring 2008 NABC through the end of the Spring 2013 NABC. Peter Boyd and Howard Weinstein are appointed to fill the unexpired terms of Mildred Breed and Dan Morse through the end of the Spring 2011 NABC. ACBL CEO Report The report of CEO Jay Baum is received. (Attachment A) League Counsel Report The report of League Counsel Peter Rank on the status of litigation is received. (Attachment B) * * * * * The meeting was called to order by President Dan Morse on Wednesday, March 5 at 9:00 a.m. Present: Same as Monday, March 3 with the addition of Roni Gitchel Atkins (1st Alternate) #5 and Al Levy #24. Absent: Rand Pinsky #23. Also Present: Same as Monday, March 3. 081Detroit, MI Board Page 3 of 60 Item 081-132: Election of ACBL Treasurer Craig Robinson is elected ACBL Treasurer for a one-year term, May 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009. Carried. * * * * * Executive Session At approximately 9:10 a.m. the Board went into Executive Session. The ACBL Board of Directors went into Executive session to consider the Real Estate Committee’s recommendation in regard to the location of the League’s headquarters. Upon returning to the open session, the Board announced that the matter of location of the League’s headquarters is deferred to the Summer 2008 meeting of the Board. The Board reconvened at 10:55 a.m. INTERNATIONAL / FEDERATION Arlinghaus (C) Anderson, Cook, Gerard, Levy, Retek, Robinson Committee Report by Chairman Item 081-65: Zonal Authority Action A. The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), acting as the WBF Zone 2 Authority, expresses its disapproval of all non-bridge related public statements and demonstrations by any Zone 2 federation representative participating in an international bridge competition. Carried. Nay: 3, 5, 6, 11, 13, 15, 24. B. The ACBL requests that the federations in the jurisdiction of Zone 2 adopt regulations disallowing such public statements and demonstrations. Carried. Nay: 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 24. 081Detroit, MI Board Page 4 of 60 JUNIORS Gerard (C) Anderson (VC) Himel, Smith, Steinberg, Wood Committee Report by Chairman Item 081-100: Shortened Mini Bridge Program The ACBL Bridge in the Schools program is expanded to include shorter mini bridge instruction for the years 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Section I. Mini Bridge Program A. The School Mini Bridge program will have the same requirements and benefits as the School Bridge program except that: 1) no text will be provided; 2) the teachers will receive a subsidy of $200.00 per class for eight hours of instruction and supervised play; 3) the shortened mini bridge Program will be permitted through the 6th grade only. B. Management will advertise and promote this program through all methods used to communicate with our members and teachers including, but not limited to 1) The Bridge Bulletin; 2) the ACBL website; 3) all newsletters used to communicate with teachers. C. Management will present a progress report to the Board of Directors at the Summer 2009 meeting, the Summer 2010 and the Spring 2011 meeting for the purpose of determining the feasibility of continuing the program. Section II. Program Funding A. Funding will be obtained through the Marketing Department budget or other areas including the Junior Fund. B. The cost is expected not to exceed $8,500 in 2008/2009, $10,250 in 2009/2010, $12,750 in 2010/2011. C. Should program participation exceed expectations in any given year so that budgeted funds are expended for the shortened course, management may choose to fund the shortfall from other sources including the Junior Fund or return to the Board of Directors to ask for additional funding. Effective September 1, 2008 Carried unanimously. 081Detroit, MI Board Page 5 of 60 MARKETING Mamula (C) Seals (VC) Buckman, Harlan, Heth, Levy, Taylor Committee Report by Chairman Item 081-110: ACBL Club Fund Games (Reconsideration) The Board of Governors requested that the ACBL Board of Directors reconsider Item 072-106: Maximum Number of Fund Games and ACBL Clubs. Except for the three designated special months: Junior Fund (February), Charity Fund (April) and International Fund (September), no club may run more than 25% of its sanctioned games held in any one month as Charity, Junior, or International Fund games. During the three designated special months, Junior Fund (February), Charity Fund (April) and International Fund (September), clubs may hold as many fund games as they have sanctioned sessions. Motion failed: Aye. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 24, 25. * * * * * Executive Session At approximately noon the Board went into Executive Session. The Board reconvened at 12:10 p.m. APPEALS & CHARGES Heth (C) Steinberg (VC) Anderson, Buckman, Fleming, Reeve, Smith Committee Report by Chairman Item 081-01: Report on Hearings In the matter of the review hearing of the Unit 190 Disciplinary Committee decision regarding Tom Ciconte, ACBL # Q456003, the decision of the committee was upheld. 081Detroit, MI Board Page 6 of 60 Item 081-02: Amendments to the ACBL Code of Disciplinary Regulations (CDR) The CDR is amended as follows: 2.1.7 Except for CDR 2.1.1 (d) and 2.1.6, units, districts and ACBL have no original jurisdiction over behavior at club sponsored games. If the unit, district or ACBL is the sanction holder, club manager or club board of directors, the unit, district or ACBL has the same jurisdiction and authority over behavior as any other sanction holder, club manager or club board of directors. 5.3.2 A disciplinary complaint involving events at a tournament must be brought by a participant in the tournament, by the sponsoring organization recorder or by the Director in Charge ("DIC") or his or her designee, which designation may be written or oral (See CDR 5.3.4 when the subject of a complaint or a charged person is no longer at the tournament.)……… 5.3.4 Persons charged are not required to appear, and their failure to appear shall not be grounds for further discipline. (a) A complaint about a participant who is no longer at the jurisdiction of the tournament will be reviewed by the DIC in accordance with CDR 5.3.2 above to determine whether to make charges to the appropriate disciplinary body as noted in CDR 5.3.4 (b) below.