STRAW POLL ON PACIFICA BYLAWS CONDUCTED VIA EMAIL
FROM 8-29-02 UNTIL 9-15-02.
[ announced on various Pacifica community email lists nationally ]

There were 40 responses. Not everyone responded to each question. The questions are followed by the PERCENTAGE VOTE, on the left of the choices. Answers with 3 or fewer votes have been omitted from most questions for brevity and clarity. Narrative additions by voters have also been removed for the same reason. I have bolded the top percentage for each question.

1. Who will vote in station board elections?
31% - Only listener-subscribers at the current rate and listener volunteers should be voters.
70% - Listeners who make any financial contribution (even at a nominal rate), or who do any volunteer work for [the station] including something from their home or in their community) should be voters. In addition, listeners in some categories (on welfare or workfare, prisoners, etc.) would be exempt from either financial contributions or volunteering but would have to register in some way.

2. Should Local Station Board be responsible for hiring and firing station manager?
41% -Local board should be solely responsible.
51% -Local board should be responsible in combination with others.

3. Should Local Station Board have responsibility of oversight of GM?
42% -Local board should be solely responsible.
58% -Local board should be responsible in combination with others.

4. Should Local Station Board be responsible for hiring, firing, and oversight of Program Director?
35 % -Local board should have sole responsibility.
50% -Local board should be responsible in combination with others.
15% -Local board should have no part in it.

5. Should Local Station Board have power to amend, adopt, repeal foundation by-laws?
38% - Local board should be responsible in combination with others.
53% - Listeners should ratify all by-law changes.

6a. Should the Local Station Board have the power to develop the station budget?
24% - Local board to be solely responsible.
61% - Local board to be responsible in combination with others.
15% - Local board should have no part.

6b: Should the Local Station Board have the power to approve the station budget?
28% - Local board should be solely responsible.
67% - Local board should be responsible in combination with others.

6c: Should the Local Station Board have the power to monitor/oversee station budget?
13% - Local board should have solely responsible.
79% - Local board should be responsible in combination with others.

7a. Should there be any appointed seats on the Local Station Boards?
23% -Yes
77% -No

7b. Should there be any grandparented seats on the Local Station Boards?
31% - Yes
69% - No

7c. Should there be any appointed seats on the PNB?
24% - Yes
76% - No

7d. Should there be any grandparented seats on the PNB?
11% - Yes
89% - No

8. How should PNB members be chosen?
65% - By listener-members and local station boards in combination.
22% - By local station board only.
12% - By listener-members only.

9. Should there be a national listener bylaws convention in four years (or so)?
83% - Yes
17% - No

10. Should Listener-members have the power to propose:
a) Formal Motions?
82% - Yes
18% - No

b) National by-laws?
79% - Yes
21% - No

c) Articles of Incorporation?
44% - Yes
55% - No

d) Referenda?
89% -Yes
11% - No

11. Should PNB decisions be transparent? (except for personnel and litigation issues)
100% - Yes
0% - No

12. Should listener-members have the power to ratify changes in:
a) Articles of incorporation?
68% - Yes
32% - No

b) By-laws?
82% - Yes
18% -No

13. Should each Local Station Board 'own' the last 5 minutes of each program?
36% - Yes
64% - No

14. Should the National Board have the option of using 15 minutes of each day at each station?
64% - Yes
36% - No

15. Salaries and job-duties of everyone in the Pacifica Foundation shall be publicly posted.
90% - Yes
10% - No.

16. PNB will have to have its budget approved by the five stations.
85% -Yes
15% -No

17. The PNB is responsible for insuring that programming at each station is in accord with the Mission.
84% - Yes
16% - No

18. PNB can mandate, after consultation with local areas, that stations devote a specified amount of time to programming about governance.
86% - Yes
14% - No

19A. PNB can mandate that stations devote a specified amount of time to programming about governance (with no need for consultation with local areas).
39% - Yes
61% - No

19B. PNB can mandate, after consultation with local areas, that stations devote a specified amount of time to programming that remedies lapses in Pacifica's mission.
86% - Yes
14% - No

Powers of the five Local Station Boards in the bylaws proposals: [Note: This straw poll was released prior to seeing other bylaws models which are not reflected in this question.]
20. Should the powers of the Local Station Boards be as laid out in:

0% - Robinson (version A)
73% - Spooner (version B)
8% - Fertig (version C)
19% - Other

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