Category: APNA Board

APNA Elections Coming Up!

Hi Armory Parkers! It is time to step up and take a leadership role in your Armory Park Neighborhood Association. We will be holding elections for 2022-23 directors (members) of the Board on Tuesday, November 9th as part of the APNA Annual Meeting. Residents of the neighborhood and property owners are eligible to serve on the Board.

The basic commitment is for 1.5 hours once a month to attend the APNA Board meeting, (currently on Zoom). The meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. We are looking for people who love this neighborhood and have fresh ideas for improving and maintaining our neighborhood. The term of office is 2 years. We are establishing a culture where one can be part of the leadership for their 2 year term and feel okay to let someone else take a turn. It is a great way to share ideas and work on projects.

Two of the six positions open to election on the board are to fill out the final year of directors who had to resign. This gives an ideal way to test the waters for new candidates. The commitment would be for one year, not two. If you like it you would then run again in November ’22 for a full two year term. If not, you will have contributed one year of service (12 meetings) to your neighborhood.

Please let David Bachman-Williams know if you are willing to be a director on the board at president@armoryparktucson.org.

APNA Membership and Elections

A message from the APNA Membership Chair:

Hi Armory Parkers,

Every November, we elect directors to the Armory Park Neighborhood Association Board.  This year, 6 people will be chosen at the annual meeting on November 9, 2021 to make decisions on the issues that arise during the calendar year.

To vote in the election, it is necessary to be a member of the Armory Park Neighborhood Association   As per the bylaws, memberships for the 2021 calendar year must be received on or before September 24, 2021 for one to be eligible to vote.  If you are not already a member, and wish to have a say in who represents you, please join now.

You may join online at our website, armoryparktucson.org, by clicking on “Become a member” and following the instructions.  Dues are $10 per person and $20.00 per business.  If you use the online format to join, please send a copy of your membership form to pefnaz@gmail.com.Please contact me if you need to verify your membership.

A Message about the Listserv

A message from the APNA President about the Armory Park neighborhood listserv:

Dear Armory Parkers,

At the APNA board meeting Tuesday night we discussed the listserv’s administration and the problem that arose with one listserv member being sanctioned for political posting while others were not.  The following motion was made and approved with six votes in favor and one abstention.

To  1) expand the size of the oversight committee from two members to at least three people; 2) have the oversight committee clarify the guidelines for posting comments with attention paid to inviting multiple perspectives (i.e., do not limit free speech but strive for comity and civility;  3) delineate the duties of moderators and protocols to be followed and 4) that future suspensions, if they occur, will be handled privately and not announced publicly.

We accepted one new volunteer to work with the existing two listserv moderators.  The committee was charged with revising the guidelines so that we do not have fairness issues again.

One last task remained, to send an apology to Amanda Maass.  Over the last two days the board voted 5 in favor, with one abstention and one no vote to send the following apology. The apology is at the end of this message.

Your Armory Park Board’s hope and goal is to be as fair and open as possible with the governance of the listserv and all our other actions.  Regrettably there are hurt feelings.  We hope to now move on.

Sincerely,

David Bachman-Williams
APNA President  

(Letter)
August 14, 2021

Dear Amanda,

We, the Directors of the Armory Park Neighborhood Association, wish to apologize to you.  In retrospect it is clear that the warning and suspension of Amanda was arbitrary and selective enforcement of the ban on political posting.  In addition, we regret the public announcement of the suspension.

Sincerely,

David Bachman-Williams
APNA Board President

APNA, APHZAB Challenge Children’s Museum Fence

7/8/21 UPDATE: Good news! At Wednesday’s meeting, the Mayor and Council upheld the Armory Park Historic Zone Advisory Board’s appeal of the Children’s Museum’s plan to fence off 4,000 square feet adjacent to the Museum, closing it to the public. The fence will not be built and the area will remain open to the public.

ORIGINAL POST: A message from Armory Park Historic Zone Advisory Board Chair Martha McClements:

I hope you have seen the announcement concerning the Children’s Museum’s proposal to enclose part of the grass area along 13th Street for private use. 
The Armory Park Historic Zone Advisory Board (APHZAB) voted to appeal the decision of the Planning Director (7 for and 1 opposed) and the Armory Park Neighborhood Association paid the fee out of funds held for Historic Preservation. At the time of the APHZAB meeting in May, we got 14 responses opposed to the fence. At the Plans Review meeting there were several letters in support of the fence. 

The APHZAB appeal has to and is based on Historic Preservation. The other neighborhood concerns raised were placing public property behind a paywall (like the Reid Park Zoo expansion and Barnum Hill) and the lack of public input (the only review process was through the three Historic reviews, two of which opposed the enclosure). Please consider sharing your opinion on this matter (again) with the City Clerk – cityclerk@tucsonaz.gov – by 5pm on July 6 (Tuesday). If you wish to speak, email the City Clerk your request to speak by noon on July 7. Please do not send any comments about this appeal to members of the Mayor and Council. I do ask you to spread the word.

Those who wish to “attend” the meeting may do so at https://www.tucsonaz.gov/gov/mayor-and-council-live?fbclid=IwAR2EFhkMq-rJW_k3rvUsAB7scfqUINjOsKsz_SDX_Vw3EHFbGFpuF200ZbE

The meeting is July 7 at 5:30 PM. The appeal is #10 on the Agenda. https://tucsonaz.onbaseonline.com/1801AgendaOnline/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=1540&doctype=1

APNA Board Meetings

A reminder: The APNA Board holds monthly meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month (except January), at 6:30 PM. Because of COVID-19, APNA Board meetings are currently being held on line, at APNA Meeting Stream .

Meetings are open to all residents. Attending them is a great way to stay informed about issues of neighborhood-wide interest. We encourage you to attend!

APNA Board Election Coming

A message from APNA President David Bachmann-Williams:

Our annual elections for the board of directors are next month and we’re looking for four people who are willing to help keep the neighborhood a great place to live.  Plan on allowing about two hours for the monthly meetings, plus whatever additional time you’re willing to spend on areas of interest to you.  Officer positions do require more of a commitment.  There’s always a need for help with special projects such as helping neighbors maintain a safe walkway, occasional neighborhood clean-ups, and, when life returns to whatever the new normal will be, planning social events which draw neighbors together.  
Please let me know if you are interested, or if you would like more information by emailing me at davidbedub@gmail.com.