The following went out to NENA Members and Neighbors on April 20th:
It’s been several weeks since our last communication, but work has continued at a rapid pace behind the scenes. The show of unity by neighbors at the March removal vote made an incredible statement, and now we need your help to ensure the clear and unified voice of the neighborhood is heard. Read on for a call to action as well as an update on the lawsuit against NENA and status of the removal vote.
CALL TO ACTION: In seeking to rebuild NENA and once again champion neighbors’ voices, given that all directors have been removed or resigned, we are asking you to sign a petition calling for a special meeting of members to elect a new board of directors. With enough signatures, and as allowed under Idaho law and NENA’s bylaws, NENA members can call a special meeting ourselves and hold this election. With this clean slate, we can rebuild NENA together.
We are seeking handwritten signatures, so if you are interested in signing the request for a special meeting to elect a new NENA board, please reply to this email stating your interest, and someone will contact you. The verbiage of the petition is below:
DEMAND FOR SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
of the North End Neighborhood Association
We, the undersigned as members of the North End Neighborhood Association (NENA), request a special meeting of members for the purpose of electing a new NENA Board of Directors.
NENA members’ calling this special meeting to elect a new board is the first step in the process of rebuilding NENA. The next critical step will be gathering the names of neighbors interested in serving on the NENA Board. We have heard from some neighbors interested in serving on the NENA Board, but more are needed! Once we have enough signatures to call this meeting, the next call to action will be to nominate yourself or another neighbor to run in the election to serve on the Board. Any eligible NENA member can run for the board. Let’s continue in our positive path of neighborhood engagement.
UPDATE – Lawsuit: The lawsuit against NENA and former volunteer members of the NENA Board initiated by four of the removed directors continues. In the last two weeks, plaintiffs Carlos Coto, Daniel Foregger, and Sarah Foregger have voluntarily dismissed themselves from the suit; an option not available to NENA or volunteers as defendants. Tory Spengler, her husband John Spengler, and Tory’s next-door neighbor Susan Graham remain as plaintiffs. Despite repeated promises to dismiss both verbally and in writing by the plaintiff’s attorney, they have so far refused to do so.
UPDATE – Removal Vote: The five removed directors have refused to acknowledge the overwhelming results of the vote, where an average of more than 90% of voters voted in favor of removal. Instead, they continue to hold themselves out as members of the NENA Board, and conduct NENA business with NENA funds. Meanwhile, NENA member advocates are working with pro bono attorneys and taking steps to ensure the membership has representation, the removed five step down, and they cease using NENA funds. We hope the removed directors will listen to the neighbors’ voices and step down voluntarily: their current focus on finding a technicality or loophole in the removal vote belies their singular job as neighborhood representatives, and they are willfully ignoring the very clear mandate from more than 700 of their neighbors.
We hope to have additional updates to share in the days and weeks to come. In the meantime, as noted, if you have questions about seeking a board seat or the removal vote, feel free to email us at nena.members@gmail.com.