Proposed Revisions of the By-Laws of the Firelands Association of REALTORS
Click on the link provided below to find a draft version of the changes to be made to the existing by-laws. All changes are highlighted in redline form. These changes are being submitted to the membership by the Directors for approval at the Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Should you have any questions before that time, do not hesitate to contact the Board Office. A sample ballot with the for approval or rejection of each related change and an explanation for the changes will be forthcoming between now and the meeting date.
OAR Dues Increase
Good afternoon fellow Association Executives,
I realize most of you attended the recent OAR Directors meeting at the end of our Annual Convention last week, but I know there were a few not in attendance. I want to inform those who were not in attendance that the Directors voted to create a Political Advocacy Fund (PAF). The funding mechanism for the PAF is a $25 member dues assessment for a five-year period beginning in 2017. The dues assessment is not pro-ratable.
The Political Advocacy Fund will be utilized by OAR and Local Boards/Associations to support political and issue advocacy campaigns. It will provide the necessary funding to expand our involvement at the State House and City Halls across Ohio. This fund will complement and enhance our existing RPAC program, creating a solid foundation for long-term relevance in ensuring that private property rights are protected.
I and the OAR leadership team appreciate the support of the OAR Local Boards/Associations to make this truly significant initiative a reality.
Robert E. Fletcher, CEO
Ohio Association of REALTORS
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(614) 225-6220
September 2016 CEO Report
The past month has been busy, with our annual RPAC event, a General Membership meeting, committee meetings, NAR leadership meeting, and we were a Co-Sponsor of the Manning golf tournament. We are now working on the details of our events for the last quarter of the year.
On Sunday, August 21st I traveled with President-Elect Alex Morgan-Johnson to Chicago for the 2017 Leadership Summit. On Monday; we toured the NAR headquarters building. The building is impressive and due to the large size of the attendees; we were unable to see many of the floors. The theme for 2017 is Revolution. Incoming 2017 NAR President William Brown is a big music fan, and the sounds of 60’s and 70’s music were used to buffer the speakers along with quotes from historical figures on change. George Blankenship, former Apple Computer, and Tesla Motors executive spoke on the power of challenging conventional thinking. He told of the struggles of bringing unconventional ideas to the marketplace.
Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist, began his remarks with a personal story of his Korean roots in regards to censorship in music by the government. He then reported on the state of the housing industry. Home ownership is critical to our economy and personal wealth of our country. Younger people are delaying the purchase of real estate, and this is affecting our industry.
CEO Dale Stinton spoke on the changes in our industry in the past 30 years and what the future might likely look.
Katie Johnson, NAR General Counsel, gave a short update on some of the legal cases involving NAR. She also went into a discussion on opportunities and risks facing local boards
The conclusion of the day 2017 NAR President William Brown addressed the group on his family history. He told of his Great Grandmother, a former slave when freed working and saving to send her children to college. He spoke of his father who sold insurance and real estate. The influence of music in his life and his personal thoughts on our industry. He then introduced the entire 2017 NAR Leadership team.
The evening program was held at the House of Blues, and we were able to meet several leaders of other associations.
Tuesday's program began with a session on the Volunteer/Staff Partnership. A discussion on role responsibilities and reasonable expectations of all parties.A Core Standards panel followed and was informative. A follow-up on planning tools for Core Standards followed.
On August 25th we held our 2nd Island Cruise for RPAC and our attendance was increased from last year. The weather was great, and we had a large amount of guests from other associations at this year's event. Terry Boose and Steve Arndt were in attendance from the Ohio House this year. State Senator Randy Gardner was unable to attend due to his involvement in a committee meeting for workers compensation held the same day. This event has grown, and I would suggest that the RPAC committee continue this cruise.
On September 1st the Member Services Committee met to discuss our upcoming awards banquet. The venue will be in Bellevue this year, and the plans are finished. We will also be holding elections for Directors at this meeting.
On September 2nd Legislative Committee Chair Frank Corder and I met with Tom Dunlap candidate for the open 57th Ohio House seat and delivered a campaign contribution. The combined committee’s of FAOR and LORCAR chose to support Commissioner Dunlap for this race.
On September 7th we held a General Membership meeting in Fremont with over 60 members in attendance. After the regular business, President Riesen introduced the candidates for the open Directors seats who were in attendance.
September 9th Frank, DJ., Steve, and I attended the Manning Golf Outing held in Avon. Trough RPAC and OAR we were sponsors of this event. We had a chance to talk to Senators Manning and Gardner at the event. We also met Representative Nathan Manning and had an opportunity to have a short talk with him. This event was well attended, and our Board was recognized a primary sponsor.
The final item on my report is on the monthly office visits that Sara, Alex, and I have been doing. After taking off the month of July, we were in Norwalk on September 13th. These visits are a great outreach to our members, and I hope that the leadership sees the value in continuing this policy.
Respectfully submitted,
David W. Freitag, RCE CEO
2017 Committee Request
COMMITTEE REQUEST FORM
Dear REALTOR® and Affiliate Members,
Want to sign up for a specific committee? Signing up to help is a great way to be involved and meet new people! The following is a list of Committees that are in need of helpful volunteers; please enter your choices below, numbering them one through five, one being your first and most important choice. If you are willing to serve as Chairperson, please denote that selection with an asterisk (*). If you are currently serving on a committee and wish to remain on that committee for 2017, please include this in your selections. 2017 President Alex Johnson and President Elect Steve Mack will do their best to honor your requests.
On the other side you will find a description of each committee.
_____ Affiliate Committee (Affiliates Only)
_____ Commercial & Industrial
_____ Community Service
_____ Continuing Education
_____ Equal Opportunity in Housing
_____ Finance
_____ Forms
_____ Golf Outing
_____ Grievance Committee – Realtors Only (Requires mandatory training)
_____ Legislative & Political ____________________(For which County, City)
_____ Member Services & Awards
_____ MLS Advisory
_____ MLS Broker (Must be FAOR & MLS Broker Member)
_____ Professional Standards – Realtors Only (Requires mandatory training)
_____ RPAC Fundraising
_____ Scholarship
Name _____________________________________Office_______________________________________
Phone # _____________________________ E-mail_____________________________________________
Please Fax to 419-625-3442, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and/or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or drop off at the office.
Deadline: October 30, 2016
Potential $25 OAR Dues Increase for 2017
WHY? to ensure that OAR is sufficiently armed with enough funds to fight for your industry rights?
NAR REQUIRES MORE "skin in the game"
NAR recently reviewed OAR's finances and discovered that we are on the low side of funds held for issue campaigns.
We also discovered that coalition partner contributions do not count toward the required minimum contribution towards an issue campaign.
NAR requires that State and Local Associations contribute 10%-50% of total funds needed towards mobilizing an issue. For requests over $1 million, a minimum of 50% is required as an association contribution. Guess how much the average cost to put an issue on a state ballot for general vote? Yup, approximately $1 million. For requests over $1 million, a minimum 50% contribution is required for an NAR Issues Mon Grant. That's $500K from the State or Local Association. OUCH!
A MESSAGE FROM THE OHIO ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS CEO:
I realize that it's a busy time of the year, but wanted to take a quick moment to let you know that our Board of Directors will be considering a motion that will have an impact on 2017 dues. The Board of Directors will meet at our State convention on Wednesday, September 21. Thanks,