<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">FYI<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><a href="mailto:Candysbridgeclub@aol.com">Candysbridgeclub@aol.com</a><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><b>An open letter to the Presidents of Unit Boards</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">October 21, 2016 8:08:51 PM PDT<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><a href="mailto:dtbladow@gmail.com">dtbladow@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:boyette@gci.net">boyette@gci.net</a>, <a href="mailto:robertlix159@gmail.com">robertlix159@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:jhosford@q.com">jhosford@q.com</a>, <a href="mailto:cmjcbradshaw@gmail.com">cmjcbradshaw@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:pamorse@shaw.ca">pamorse@shaw.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:leslie.wood@shaw.ca">leslie.wood@shaw.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:jayrbrandt@comcast.net">jayrbrandt@comcast.net</a>, <a href="mailto:sage309@live.com">sage309@live.com</a>, <a href="mailto:navy.golf.mp@gmail.com">navy.golf.mp@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:bridgequeen@comcast.net">bridgequeen@comcast.net</a>, <a href="mailto:hraj@localaccess.com">hraj@localaccess.com</a>, <a href="mailto:kdemeritt@frontier.com">kdemeritt@frontier.com</a>, <a href="mailto:carapace@mindspring.com">carapace@mindspring.com</a>, <a href="mailto:trkwhite@gmail.com">trkwhite@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:kjadams1961@gmail.com">kjadams1961@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:burmaph@embarqmail.com">burmaph@embarqmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:tlcdds@aol.com">tlcdds@aol.com</a>, <a href="mailto:janandphil@charter.net">janandphil@charter.net</a>, <a href="mailto:witzos@nwi.net">witzos@nwi.net</a>, <a href="mailto:eagleeryr@msn.com">eagleeryr@msn.com</a>, <a href="mailto:johnperry@shaw.ca">johnperry@shaw.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:eileen.currier@gmail.com">eileen.currier@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:warren.t.watson@gmail.com">warren.t.watson@gmail.com</a><br></span></div><br>
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<div>An open letter to the Presidents of Unit Boards...</div>
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<div>To those who are on the Unit Boards in District 19,<br>My name is Candy
Scott, I am a board member of Unit 562 of District 23. I sent the
following letter to the Editor of the ACBL Bulletin complaining of the
excessively large increase in Unit Game sanctions. Portions of this letter
will be published in the November Bulletin. Going from $1.25 per table to
$2.25 per table is an 80% increase. No other area: clubs, charity games,
Sectionals, Regionals, NAP, GNT, etc. got as big a hit as the units did. I
feel this is unfair and may have negative effect on many already struggling
units and even those who aren't struggling. But the effect may be that we can't
do as much as we could before. District 23 Representative Kevin Lane, at
my request, brought this up at the last Board of Directors meeting and was told
that the Board does not like to rescind fee hikes once they are in place. In the
letter I suggest that the increase be smaller, in line with all the other
increases. I didn't put it in the letter, but I think the raise of 25
cents per table is fair. You all know that Unit Boards are made up of volunteers
who need those funds to help promote bridge. The ACBL is shortsighted if
they believe that keeping this large increase is going to help them and in the
long run it is better to have healthy units. If you agree with me and
think the Board of Directors should reconsider their decision please contact
your Representative,Marv Norden and let him know your feelings. A note to
your Board of Governors Representative wouldn't hurt.</div>
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<div>Thank you<br>Candy Scott<br>310-652-6116<br><a href="mailto:candysbrigdeclub@aol.com">candysbrigdeclub@aol.com</a></div>
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<div>Dear Editor, <br> I am a member
of the West Los Angeles Unit Board, part of District 23. To
quote your handbook on what a unit's function is "Our 300+ units supervise and
promote bridge within their boundaries. They have the exclusive right to
host sectionals in their territory and may conduct other special games such as
unit championships. Each unit receives a share of ACBL membership
fees. We encourage units to use these fees for programs to increase
membership and enhance the enjoyment of the game for all members."
<br> Units are now feeling the pain of an 80% raise in the
sanction fees for unit championships. Unit sanctions are considered a
special game and is included with all the other events the ACBL gave a $1.00
raise (NAP, GNT, Charity games, etc.). I have mentioned this to other units in
this district and they are also having difficulties. WLA has many
unit-wide championships that the clubs hold and while they keep the money
collected, we would pay the sanction fees. This is doing our job in
enhancing players enjoyment. Unfortunately, due to you harsh increase we
have been forced to ask the clubs to chip in. While the clubs in our unit
agreed, several of us are not happy with the situation and this may lead to us
not using all of our yearly unit games. <br> If in
other units the clubs pay for holding a unit championship, previous to
this fee increase, a club fee was .74 per table and the unit fee was 1.25.
Clubs would eat the extra .51 for the extra points the players got.
Now club fees are paying 1.00 and unit fees are 2.25, that is a 125%
difference. Clubs may consider financially running a unit championship a
losing proposition and just run club championships and forgo those unit
games. If a Unit Championship is run solely by the unit board then
the unit is now taking the whole hit. <br> This summer the WLA
Unit has supported the North American Pairs by one time bringing in pizza and
another ice cream during the qualifying games. We also paid the extra
dollar for the players. We are doing the best we can to support this
event. To do this we need money! Your 80% increase will make it
tougher for units to do those special things that you want us to do.
<br> We figured the increase will cost us over 1000 dollars a year,
which is over half of what we get from you as our share of the membership
fees. Fortunately the new Sectional fees were not an 80% increase, but
they are higher, and with this increase in fees for sectionals our finances are
decreasing and our continued ability to run those events we want to hold is in
jeopardy. In District 23 the WLA unit has more money then a lot of the
other units. Those units are looking at whether they can survive this
burden your unthinking or maybe unwise decision about how much you believe units
can pay. <br> You've got to help the units
continue to do what they need to do to follow those guidelines that they were
set up to do. We need the funds for programs to increase the membership and
enhance the enjoyment of the game. Unit Board members are all
volunteers and I am asking for all of those unit board members,
please don't limit our ability to do those things in your attempt to fix your
budget woes. This is shortsighted of you. Remember cutting back the
units funds will cut back on their functions and will ultimately lead to
hurting the ACBL's bottom line. <br> I am not
saying to totally eliminate the fee hike, just make the raise in the same
ratio as other fee raises. I suggest either lower this
increase to a reasonable level, in line with other fee hikes, or raise the
amount you give the units in membership fees.
<br> District 23 may be an anomaly due to it being just the
Los Angeles County, but I'm sure there are other units looking at their new bill
for holding unit championships are saying "What the H***!" <br>Candy
Scott<br>K376318<br>West Hollywood, CA</div>
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