Stephen Balfour has established deep stakes into the leadership foundations of the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) over the past five and a half years, and judging by the outcome of the March 19 Annual General Meeting (AGM), the majority of the membership is fine with that.
However, a week before the assembly, 13 loyal members and volunteers drafted an open letter alleging a lack of proper financial oversights, failures in transparency, probable violations of the LCS constitution, and Balfour’s high-handed role in the organization.
The text highlighted concerns that the president and his board have not complied with their mandate to designate an independent audit of LCS financial statements for ratification at the AGM. It pointed out that Balfour’s second and final term as president was due to expire at this year’s AGM, but the only elective posts included on the agenda were for secretary and four directors-at-large, noting that the nominating committee’s candidates were not revealed until the day before the assembly.
And finally, the authors objected to the recent board announcement that Balfour has been appointed to serve as volunteer CEO, a position is not contemplated in the constitution that apparently “materialized out of thin air.” Neither the decision nor details of the CEO’s term and duties appear in any board meeting minutes.
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