UP FRONT
AMOA must be accountable
"A camel is a horse designed by a committee."
- Anonymous
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The July 5 open letter from AMOA president John
Estridge to all AMOA members started this way : " I am pleased
to announce that your association has taken a positive step
forward . On July 3rd, we accepted the resignation of Leo
Droste as AMOA executive vice president and selected the
professional association management firm of Smith, Bucklin &
Associates , Inc. as our new management team ."
A ccording to Est ridge, this will make the operators'
national association more efficient and responsive to industry
needs . However, while the move to release the association's
executive director may help to achieve that goal (and Estridge
hinted the AMOA may take a number of other steps in the near
future), it's only a start. If the AMOA does not undergo a
complete restru c turing, the sacking of Droste may be seen as
nothing more than an attempt to create a scapegoat for
AMOA 's recent shor tcomings.
Therefore , we recommend AMOA seriously consider the
following proposal if it truly wants to become more efficient and
responsive: It must cut down its number of decision·makers
and make them accountabl e.
Presently, the AMOA is run by 30 directors, nine vice
presidents, a five ·member past presidents' council , a treasurer,
a secretary, a first vice president, and a president. And none of
them are accountable to any constituency o ther than the
membership as a whole. All 48 can be said to be representing
everyone in the industry or no one in the industry , whichever
you please.
Add ed to that are 20 special and standing committees
which have a grand total of 265 committee seats. A nd none of
them ar e singly responsible to any constituency for any AMOA
action or lack of it. In fact , the votes and decisions of the many·
headed organization that is AMOA is a closely·guarded secret.
Let 's look at this AMOA morass from the eyes of an
operator member . N o one specifically represents you , and you
don 't know how any of them voted; so how can you possibly
vote on who should serve on the board? A nd AMOA wants to
know wh y its member's are apathetic?
Election to the AMOA board of directors has become a
mere popularit y contest. H ave issues or stands ever been
reason for anyone's elec ti on or non·elec tion to the AMOA
board? Of course not and how could they?
A much more manageable board of directors, of possibly
nine members representing different geographical regions
would help open up the AMOA . Aft er all , if it works with the
U .S. government , why not try it in the AMOA? A miniature
House of Represen tatives. That way every member would
know who exactly represen ts him, and who he should contact
when he has a problem, and who to vote out when his interest is
not represented in the vote. Ad ditionally, the association could
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hold possibly two at ·large elections for the positions of presi·
dent and secretary/ treasurer, and these at ·large posts would
be voting members also. Then , with a manageable board of
directors- each serving three·year terms - the association
could hold staggered elections , with three board positions
coming open each year.
W e're talking about a complete restru cturing of AMOA
here, but it's necessary if the AMOA truly wants to become a
responsive operators' association .
In the past, the AMOA has strongly opposed open door
meetings , choosing instead to make all its decisions behind
closed doors. And Play M eter's efforts to cover AMOA 's board
of directors meetings in the past have been thwarted by a
leadership whi ch insists on secrecy every step of the way.
The recent agreement which AMOA ntered into with the
performing rights societies is only one example of the AMOA 's
desire to k eep things secret from its membership. AMOA
members , apparently according to the agreement , will not be
made privy to AMOA' s agreement with ASCAP . Why?
A nd ask yourself this: Did the membership have a chan ce
to vote up or down the agreement with ASCAP? D oes the
membership know who within the AMOA voted up or down
the agreement? D oes the membership even know which
committee or subcommittee within the organi zation voted up
or down on this agreement? N o . N o. A nd no.
H owever, if AMOA is restru ctured, board members would
represent clearly defined constituencies , and membe r
operators would be in a position to have their voices heard.
Consider the possibilities if candidates for the AMOA
board ran on issues. It would op n AMOA , and that would
make it more efficient and responsive to the membership.
The alternative is an association that has been fighting a single
issue since before many operators were ven born and which
many now consider an issue that 's long·dead .
Th e o ne large manufacturing companies have adapted to
the new industry by redu cing the size of th ir operations . The
AMOA must do the same thing. Otherwise, it too will go the
way of all dinosaurs.
Unless th e AMOA pares down th e number of d ci ion·
mak ers in it s a socia tion and mak es thos decision·makers
accountabl to cl arl y·d fin ed constitu encies , it will continu e
to decline in m m ber hip.
D avid Pierson
Editor
PLAY METER. August 1 . 1965