
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 7, 1994                   TAG: 9401070196
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SPCA PETITION GOES TO COMMITTEE

A response to a request to hold a new election for the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' board of directors may not come as quickly as a faction of the organization's membership had hoped.

A group of SPCA members, represented by Roanoke lawyer Jeff Rudd, submitted a 60-signature petition Thursday to the board asking for a new board election to replace one held Dec. 2. A new election, they said, was necessary to remove any question about the legitimacy of last month's election.

The group had suggested that a new election be held Feb. 24.

SPCA bylaws allow for 35 or more members to petition for a special meeting at which an election can be held. But the bylaws do not spell out procedural measures for a replacement election.

Board President Steve Davidson proposed that the group's petition first be reviewed by the board's executive committee, which then could refer it to the nominating committee. That could move a new election into March or April.

"We've got to create some rules here," Davidson said. "This [meeting] is not the time or the place. We are willing to address this. But we're not going to jump through hoops."

Marie Reid, a board member, made a motion that the board hire an accounting firm to oversee elections. But she rescinded the motion after Frank Van Balen, board vice president, suggested that such a decision might be premature.

The group vowed last month to challenge the December election, in which Davidson and several other incumbent officers were re-elected. The group had tried a board shake-up by offering its own slate of nominees that did not include Davidson or other incumbents.

The attempt failed, in part because proxy votes the group had secured for its slate were declared invalid.

The group had solicited votes by proxy for its slate of 25 nominees through a mailing to a majority of SPCA members. About 135 votes were returned.

But Davidson disqualified those proxy votes, saying they were not allowed under the organization's bylaws. Another 84 proxy votes that had been cast for a slate of nominees that included Davidson and other incumbents was deemed legally appropriate.

Thursday, Rudd repeated his belief that there may have been some procedural mistakes made during that election. But the group's intent is to remove any negative perceptions of that election and ensure that a fair and proper one is conducted, he said.

He has suggested that if a new election is held, only those members who voted in the December election be allowed to vote again. He also suggested that the same slate of nominees be offered.

by CNB