Ted,

I think that the only type of activity that we prohibit by way of stuffing papers has to do with outsiders, i.e., restaurant home deliveries who end up putting menus, politicians who gain access to the builidng, etc.


My opinion is as follows:

If the House Rules and By-Laws are silent about stuffing mailings under doors of shareholders for co-op elections, why would a board object to such an activity if it promotes elections within the building?

I would say that boards should promote independent election committees for the promotion of ALL candidates prior to the annual meeting. Similarly, information nights in lobbies, meeting room etc. should be held well in advance so that shareholders may have an opportunity to exchange ideas with prospective candidates for a better informed decision on the part of the shareholders. These committees may help pre-print a ballot for those who would like to vote by proxy.

Finally, if a board has not done the homework to form election committees, then it should collect proxies that will guarantee annual meetings. At least, shareholders may be able to submit their names from the floor at the night of the meeting and at least have the opportunity to be elected.

In our case, the co-op counsel and independent auditor count the ballots and destroy them once tallied.


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