Committee Meeting Minutes, September 17, 1999, Salt Lake City
Attending:
Cyra Jane Cain, Jeannine Coward, Dennis Haddow, Philbert John, Terry Larson, Ruth McCormick, Jan Miller (co-chair), Pat Murdo, Kathy Van Dame, Al Zemsky (co-chair).
Guests:
Dwayne Arino, Shawn Kendall, John Leary.
Absent:
Barry M. Aarons (co-chair), Kathy Augustine, Carl Bowman, Dan Clark, Tom Clayson, Liza Daley, Karen Deike, Patricia Sanderson Port, Ellen Porter, Terry Ross, Marc Smith
The meeting convened at 1:10 p.m.
Greetings, Agenda Check, Approval of Minutes
Co-Chair Barry Aarons sent regrets, as he was unable to attend due to illness. Kathy Van Dame agreed to be note taker for this meeting. Minutes of the Communication Committee (CC) June 16-17 meetings in Seattle were approved as posted. The meeting agenda was modified to accommodate a visit by TOC Co-Chair Shawn Kendall regarding the issue of posting minority opinions. It was agreed to move this discussion, which pertains to the Communications Manual, to the next item.
Completion of WRAP Communications Manual
Al Zemsky reported that a final draft Communications Manual (dated August 27, 1999) was presented to the WRAP Coordinating Group September 16 for action. The Coordinating Group approved the document for operational purposes and requested resolution of the Manual's conformity with WRAP bylaws and forum guidelines. It also requested that the CC consider the appearance in the Manual of guidelines for dissenting opinions. Al Zemsky reported that there were no objections to contents of the Manual in consequence of his outreach to committee and forum chairs, and also relayed that Coordinating Group Chair Bill Auberle, praised the Manual as among the clearest, most easy-to-use of its type he's seen. The CC expressed its thanks to Pat Murdo for her consistency in keeping this project on-track and of the high quality of the product.
Shawn Kendall asked the CC to develop a section in the Manual to address non-consensus. Shawn suggested that this section could have two parts. The first to provide guidelines for forum co-chairs to use as a pattern for consensus when the process seems stalled. The second to provide a pattern for forum co-chairs to package issues and perspectives about the specific issue of non-consensus when a forum determines it is time to pass the unresolved issue up to the next level. Shawn requested that this package provide information to the oversight body on all key issues and aspects in a useful format, and embody the ideal that all perspectives are equally valuable in the pursuit of consensus. He reminded the CC that the only body charged with resolving non-consensus by a vote is the WRAP.
Pat Murdo, as lead for Communications Manual project, agreed to develop appropriate language for the issue of dissenting opinion. Jan Miller, Ruth McCormick and Kathy Van Dame volunteered to collaborate with Pat. This product is needed in advance of the Nov. 1, 1999 deadline for Market Trading Forum action.
Communications Committee Liaisons
a. There was a general discussion of liaison experiences. A common theme: lag time in getting meeting records and other materials up on the Web. When deadlines pass, liaisons need to communicate with co-chairs that they can't find information on the Web. Liaisons need to be aggressive in contacting co-chairs when they can recognize needs.
b. If liaisons can't get to a meeting of an assigned forum, notify Liaison Coordinator Jeannine Coward. The Coordinator is charged with identifying alternates based on geographical and other considerations.
c. Barry Aarons will e-mail to the CC a copy of current liaison assignments, and post this list to Web site.
d. All liaisons are asked to check Web rosters of their respective committees and forums. The goal is to have complete and full addresses (mailing & delivery) for all roster slots. Forum rosters should include names of liaisons from appropriate oversight committees as well as from the Communications Committee.
e. Liaisons are asked to check forum work plans as submitted to WRAP (when those minutes go up) for specific tasks, so that upcoming activities can be properly planned.
f. On receipt of an e-mail attachment that can't be opened, liaisons should notify the author so that problems can be identified and resolved.
g. Committee should make an effort to fill any vacant liaison slots.
h. Committee should anticipate increased workload for liaisons due to new initiatives and more forums completing their work plans and deliverables.
i. It would be very beneficial to general WRAP communications if liaisons were charged with developing "one-paragraph" forum updates, perhaps quarterly or more frequently if needed, to be uploaded to the Web site in the area where current "Message from the Chairs" appears on Web forum pages.
Web Site Redesign
John Leary joined the meeting to inform the CC that Sharon Dawn (WGA Web Coordinator) has resigned, effective end of September. Al will draft a letter of thanks to Sharon on behalf of the CC. Cyra will take the lead to investigate options for outsourcing web functions. $10,000 is currently available for current Web redesign expenses, including altering the Web site to complete read-only access. Additional elements suggested today:
Post forum vacancies to "What's New?" to encourage applicants.
Develop an archive to reduce clutter of postings
Post current liaison list to Web.
Mobile Sources Forum Outreach
Terry Larson (liaison to Mobile Sources) and Jan Miller reported on the successful outreach process experienced during promotion of recommendations on sulfur in fuels, as prepared by the Mobile Sources Forum. Positive elements included the interaction of strong co-chairs, who owned responsibility for the process, understood the philosophy and background involved, had patience and worked to meet deadlines. It was also key that the drafting group was small, and all the stakeholders were represented in the process. The "charge" letter from western governors provided important motivation.
This liaison process got off to a slow start, but a good working relationship was developed over a lunch (Cathy Reheis, co-chair, Mobile Sources Forum, Shawn Kendall, co-chair TOC, Terry and Jan) when a procedure was worked out by informal brainstorming. Early proactive contact by the liaison was identified as an important element.
WRAP 101 Slide Presentation
The new slide presentation, developed by the CC, was presented. It had earlier been enthusiastically received by the WRAP. Many WRAP members signed up to show the presentation; there were two requests for immediate access. Dennis Haddow offered to identify immediate funding to have slides copied for distribution. Additional copies will be made by WGA out of the regular WRAP budget. Jan Miller acknowledged the particular contributions of Dan Clark and Jeff Lemke.
Also acknowledged, the need to:
- develop a marketing plan for the slide presentation, Ruth McCormick will take the lead.
- communicate suggestions for any revisions of the script to Jan Miller ASAP
- revise this presentation approximately twice a year.
CC Interaction with Public Advisory Board
There is a need to develop an ongoing relationship with the PAB. Clarity of individual missions is necessary to avoid redundancy.
Committee Workload: Short- and Long-Term Projections
- Develop a "new members package," perhaps accessed by a button, with links and pertinent documents, including the Communications Manual and WRAP bylaws
- Develop a method to add hotlinks to pertinent documents for agendas, as demonstrated by the Market Trading Forum
- Develop op-ed pieces, possibly for signature of governors
- Develop distribution lists for various products, including solicitations for public comment
The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Kathy Van Dame; edited by Al Zemsky. |
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