Happy holidays to all!

As an early Christmas present, my friend Beth Reid, Director from District 11, offered to let me use her report on actions taken at the recent Board meetings in Denver. You can read her recap here.

There is no way I could pass off Beth's report as my own free-floating ramblings, but I would give her the well-deserved credit up front even if I could. She knows how to use clip art and make columns and a lot of other things that amaze me. So thanks, Beth. You will also notice there is a lot more financial information in her newsletter than I usually include. That is because her specialty is finance whereas mine is governance and disciplinary proceedings.

Speaking of finance, I was elected Treasurer of the ACBL for the remainder of Ken Monzingo’s term once he takes over as ACBL President on January 1. It is only a three-month term and I thought of it as a tribute to Glenn Smith, my predecessor, who held the job when he represented District 8. I am also going to be involved in finding a new league counsel to replace Peter Rank next summer, and I am still going to chair Appeals and Charges next year. 2016 will be another busy year.

I chaired an informal meeting on Thanksgiving morning in Denver to discuss possible changes to the disciplinary process. This was in addition to the blue ribbon panel on cheating convened by ACBL CEO Robert Hartman. In fact, the chairman of that committee, Howie Weinstein, attended the Thanksgiving meeting. The main change that was favored was making the process more public. The actual hearings would still be closed, but it was proposed that hearings at the ACBL level, and possibly at the unit and district levels, for cheating would be announced in advance, the results would be written up with factual findings rather than just conclusions, and these would be published on the website.

One of the sources of frustration now is that the public does not know what cheating cases are being pursued. I would really like to hear from you if you have any opinions or suggestions on these matters. We envision a section on the ACBL website where pending hearings are listed, along with the results of hearings and a list of members currently expelled, serving suspensions or on probation. Please email me if you have any comments.

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2016,

Georgia Heth