District 21
American Contract Bridge League 
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

February 14, 2010

The Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of District 21 was called to order by
President Stu Goodgold at 10:00 .am.

1.    ROLL CALL:  The following Representatives and Unit Presidents were in attendance:  Unit #465 Bob Garret; Unit #473 Gil Ramirez; Unit #497 James Scott, Mark Kornmann; Unit #498 Kathleen Martin, Fred Chasalow; Unit #499 Iris Libby, Keith Gunn; Unit #500 Mary Ramos, Jan Hollowell; Unit #502 Joyce Hart, Sandi Davis; Unit #503 Gabriella Bowling; Unit #505 Kent White, Katherine Ewing; Unit #506 Marion Robertson; Unit #507 Jeff Hack, Will Watson; Unit #508 Ron Studen, Jim Cohen; Unit #509 David Pankratz, Jackie Ortiz; Unit #510 Marilyn Minden;  Unit #512 Don Powell; Unit #522 Richard Meffley; Unit #524 Diana Dragt, Ron Dragt; Unit #529 Sharon Fauss; Unit #530 Pat Thomas; and Unit #550 Bill McIntosh.  Also in attendance were President Stu Goodgold, Vice-President Bill Corliss, Treasurer Harvey Brody, Tournament Coordinator Charles Smith, Tournament Managers Jackie Matthews and Pam Hughes, Goodwill Chairman Lo Pesavento, D21 National Director Bruce Blakely and Goodwill recipient Ron Olswang and guest Bonny Johnson.  

2.      MINUTES OF THE 9/6/09 MEETING:                    

On motion made and seconded, it was:

**MOVED:  That the minutes of the 9/6/09 meeting be approved.

MOTION CARRIED

3.      EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND PRESIDENT’S REPORT:  President Stu Goodgold noted that the flyer for the I/N program had been sent out to Units via email.  He also emphasized the upcoming election because the person elected Vice-President can be expected to continue on as President of the District which will encompass the 2012 SFNABC.  Stu thanked everyone who attended the brunch for Board members in Monterey and noted that since there was no definitive decision by the Units, the starting time for the evening games will remain at 7:30 p.m.  Stu plans to poll the evening game players on their preference.  He also noted the difficulty in scheduling Sectionals with the increased number of Sectionals and competing holidays, STAC weeks, special events and other Regionals.  Units will need to coordinate with Calvin if their Sectionals overlap for drop off and pick up times for tables and supplies.  D21 Recorder, Sid Lorvan, has decided to retire and Kim Fanady has agreed to become the new D21 Recorder.  Members are allowed to file complaints from Regional games with the D21 Recorder.  The Recorder, in turn, will keep a record of complaints and note whether there is a need for a Disciplinary Committee hearing or if the complaints constitute a pattern of behavior.  Forms are available on the ACBL WEB site.  Club Unit and Sectional game players can file their complaints with the Unit Recorder.   Stu has completed putting together the forms from the 18 Units in D21 who are filing with the IRS for a group exemption.  Stu thanked all the Units for their cooperation as the total number of pages sent in totaled over 250 and the IRS gave D21 only four weeks to complete the paperwork.

4.      NOMINATING COMMITTEE:  Nominating Chairman Jackie Ortiz presented the following candidates for election:

Treasurer:  Harvey Brody.  There being no further nominations from the floor for the office of D21 Treasurer, on motion made and seconded, it was: 

**MOVED:  That the nominations for D21 Treasurer be closed.

MOTION CARRIED

Secretary:  Cindy Kirk.  There being no further nominations from the floor for the office of D21 Secretary, on motion made and seconded, it was:

**MOVED:  That the nominations for D21 Secretary be closed.

MOTION CARRIED

President:  Bill Corliss.  There being no further nominations from the floor for the office of D21 President, on motion made and seconded, it was:

**MOVED:  That the nominations for D21 President be closed.

MOTION CARRIED

Vice-President:  Katherine Ewing and David Pankratz.  Each candidate was given five minutes to make a presentation detailing their background and views on bridge.  Then each was called in separately to answer questions relating to their thoughts on Regionals, their goals are President of D21, Seniors games and other issues.  Using the weighted votes, Katherine Ewing was elected Vice-President.

5.      TREASURER’S REPORT:  Treasurer Harvey Brody reported that 2009 was the most successful of the last ten years.  D21 made a profit of almost $52,000 due to increased attendance at Regionals.  There were just under 10,000 tables at the four Regionals averaging over 2400 per tournament, about twice the national average.  At some point in the future, D21 will be considering the purchase of Bridge Pads or Bridge Mates.   Players like the pre-dealt hands although the cost of this service will increase about 20% next year.   A STAC week returns $500 to the District.  The $7200 cost of supporting the GNT and NAP players was discussed.  GNT/NAP Chairman Jackie Ortiz stressed the fact that D21 has decided to be very supportive of sending their top teams to NABC events.  There were some ideas of using District funds to help Units with grants to encourage membership. 

On motion made and seconded, it was:

**MOVED:  That the Treasurer’s Report be accepted as presented.

MOTION CARRIED

6.      GOODWILL AWARDS:  Goodwill Chairman Lo Pesavento thanked her committee for working very hard to select 7 outstanding nominees from the 13 names submitted.  Lo encouraged Units to resubmit names next year if their candidate was not selected.  Receiving Goodwill Awards for 2009 were the following:  Unit #465 Carson City/Tahoe, Donna McLeod; Unit #498 San Mateo, Dr. Gordon Binder; Unit #499 Diablo Valley, Ron Olswang; Unit #500 South County, Isie Stefani; Unit #502 East Bay, Stan Lowe; Unit #507 Santa Clara, Dianne Shannon; and Unit #522 Fresno, Kay Chrisman.  D21 President, Stu Goodgold, presented the Presidential Goodwill Awards to the following people for their remarkable contributions to bridge in District 21:  Unit #510 Stockton, Marilyn Minden; Pam Hughes, Assistant Tournament Manager; and Unit #500 South County, Mary Ramos. 

7.  REPORT OF THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR:   D21 National Director,  Bruce Blakely, noted that there have only been two NABC’s in recent years where the District did not have to contribute a sizable amount of cash:  San Francisco in 2007 and Las Vegas in 2008.  Other NABC’s have cost the Districts from under $20,000 to over $100,000.  The ACBL Board has raised membership fees from $35 to $37 per year.  Junior fees are going from $14 to $15 per year.  Bruce felt that the $1502 gained from Jr. membership increases was not worth the extra charge to Juniors on an overall $5 million budget.  ACBL is officially moving their headquarters to Horn Lake, Mississippi.  After much discussion, ACBL Board is considering if the number of special games and/or Masterpoints should be reduced.  The SF NABC is coming in the Fall of 2012 with the tournament starting on Thanksgiving Day.  With a three year preparation time, the new Chairman of the SF NABC will be selected in the next few months.  Bruce encouraged all Board members to consider volunteering for the committee.  The following committees are available:  Volunteers, Registration, Internet, Publicity and Promotion, Program/Restaurant Guide, Transportation/Parking, Prizes, Pre-Tournament Entertainment, Charity, Corporate Sponsorships, Finance,  Partnerships, Information, Food/Entertainment, Caddies and Tours/Special Events. 

7.      TOURNAMENT MANAGER’S REPORT:  Tournament Manager, Jackie Matthews thanked Pam Hughes for all her assistance in keeping up with emails, tournament flyers and other details.  The room minimum was reached at the San Francisco Airport Marriott although most players are commuting to the current tournament.  With the Reno NABC beginning in a few weeks, attendance has been affected although table count will run only about 50 tables under last year.  Next year’s Presidents’ Day Regional is scheduled at the Santa Clara Marriott with a room charge of $89 per day.  The Airport Hyatt has offered Jackie rooms at $95 per day plus free parking starting in 2012. 

8.      WESTERN CONFERENCE:  WC President, Marion Robertson, reported on the annual meeting of WC held in Monterey.  Marion complimented Stu on his presentation on the agreement with Units #465 and #473 so that sanction fees from the Reno Regionals still goes to D20 until 2014.  Marion is in charge of scheduling Regionals in the WC and each Regional has a priority week.  Ken Monzingo produces 208,000 copies of the Forum with an annual salary of $90,000 which includes rent and 2 employees.  Postage is up to $71,000 per year and printing costs are stable at $43,000.   Very few outside ads are being purchased in the Forum, and Units from outside the District are encouraged to purchase advertising space for their events.  WC is on a sound financial footing with about $60,000 in assets.

9.      REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PLANNING:  RTP Chairman, Harvey Brody, approved the event schedule advertised for the Sacramento Regional. 

10. TOURNAMENT COORDINATOR:   Tournament Coordinator, Charles Smith, spoke about scheduling the 22 D21 Units for their Sectionals.  Events are in place with 2011 and 2012 now being locked in.   Sectional surcharges are being increased from $135 to $165 in March, 2010.  Tournament Directors are going from $142 to $153.80, Associate TD’s from $115.55 to $124.20 and local TD’s from $92.35 to $99.70.  Contact Charles at smithec@pacbell.net with questions.

11.  GNT’S/NAP’S:  GNT/NAP Chairman, Jackie Ortiz, reported there was an excellent turnout for the NAP’s with 29 tables in attendance.  Pre-registration for the GNT’s is very good.  There are already 12 teams signed up for Flight C. 

12.  CHARITY:  Charity Chairman, Jeff Hack, announced that the deadline for 2010 Charity grants from D21 will be July 4, 2010.  The organization must have an IRS number.  The more information you can give Jeff, the more helpful this will be to the organization you are sponsoring.  jnamyats@aol.com  Jeff proposed donating $1000 to Haitian relief from D21.  After discussion about the American Red Cross and a suggestion that AARP would match funds donated, it was moved and seconded that:

**MOVED:  District 21 will donate $1000 to Haitian relief after further research on the most optimum donation organization.  The American Red Cross is not under consideration.

MOTION PASSED  (6 against)

13.  NEW BUSINESS:  Pat Thomas suggested that District 21 consider reinstating the program that reimbursed Units for one half of educational speaker fees.  It was decided that Pat would research how this program could work, how speakers would be approved along with other details and report back to the Board.

Jim Cohen (james_cohen@sbcglobal.net) announced that any Unit with a teaching program for Juniors should bring their group to the Marin Sectional on Saturday, April 24 at Marin Catholic High School where there will be a special section for Juniors with under 5 points and all under age 18 will play free.

14.  ADJOURNMENT:  Incoming District 21 President Bill Corliss thanked outgoing D21 President Stu Goodgold with a token of the Board’s appreciation for all his hard work and dedication to his job.   The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m.  The next Board of Directors Meeting of District 21 will be held during the California Capital Regional at the Double Tree Hotel, Sacramento at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2010.

Respectfully submitted,

 Cindy Kirk, D21 Secretary