4 JAN, 2004 - 2255 CST I have mixed emotions about publishing the board meeting agenda ahead of the meeting. Yes, it will inform our membership of the issues we are planning on dealing with at this meeting. But publication will generate a lot more email with most of it coming from people who already have their opinions set in concrete and who may have already made their opinions known. In other words, I doubt if publication would generate a lot of well-considered responses and arguments that we have not already heard. Jim, you are right when you mention that it may trigger the desire of a few to come to the board meeting. The ARRL is a corporation and its board meetings are not any different than those of most other corporations. The public is not invited. I hope you don't think we should invite an audience. If our agenda is published and such requests are received, I do not want an audience. I'm not afraid to tell anyone, or any group exactly how I have voted on a particular issue. I have done so in the past where the minutes do not list how each director voted. An audience or a gallery will change the dynamics of our board meeting. It would tend to gum up the works. I don't want to see board or staff members speaking to the audience... like the sometimes inflated oratory one sees on CSPAN and TV newscasts. And when were are dealing with privileged information, they would have to leave the room. Besides, we simply don't have the time for this type of activity. And lastly, an audience involves a larger room and feeding arrangements for the lunch breaks. In view of the fact we are cutting expenses, I don't think this is a wise expenditure for all the above reasons. 73 - Dick, W9GIG