Chiefs,

   If you haven't been keeping up with the changes to our association at the
National level, then this resolution proposal will be a shock to you. Over
the past several years the National Association/Officers have overstepped
their authority to such a huge extent that the local Chapters are no longer
part of the CPOA Team at the national level.

   Several conventions ago the Board of Directors was changed from the
Chapter representatives that we send to an elected total of 7 Officers who
now make all the decisions for the association, without asking for or
listening to our input. If you attend convention now it's no longer a
meeting to conduct the business of the association, where we had a voice in
what happened. Now it's a Town Hall forum where the average members can ask
questions of the National Officers, but they are not responsible to act on
our concerns if they disagree with us.

   And now after this past convention we have lost the right to vote for the
National Officers, unless you physically attend convention. It was felt that
unless you open your wallet and pay to get there you are not informed enough
to make a good choice with your vote. Basically our beloved association has
been hijacked and is about to crash.

   I am proposing that the Cape May CPOA Chapter reorganize ourselves as the
Cape May Chiefs Association and return our charter to the National Office.
We will turn our backs on the national debacle that currently exists.
Members will pay their annual dues to the Chapter, and are free to continue
an association with the National CPOA if they so choose. Our Chapter is and
has been doing great things for our community and members, just as Chiefs
should do. But the national problems are becoming an embarrassment and I
believe that we should not have to answer to them for what we do as a
Chapter any longer.

   If you have an opinion on this then you need to be at our next meeting in
December for the discussion. Maybe if enough of the Chapters and members
take a firm stance against the wasting of our money at the national level by
walking, then they might be inclined to fix themselves, at which time we can
discuss rejoining. But for now we can do better on our own.

CMC Bruce R. Bradley Jr. (#172)
Command Master Chief
U.S. Coast Guard Training Center
1 Munro Avenue
Cape May, NJ   08204
(609) 898-6923
 

I second this resolution put forward by CMC Bruce R. Bradley Jr.

BMCM Ib F.W. Andersen USCG (Ret)

President; Cape May CPOA Chapter