The following Board members were in attendance: Curtis Brown, Reba Damron Jones, Marsha Kessler, Bill Palmer, Diane Todd, Sharon Hoover and Pam Richards.
2. Curtis opened the meeting with a discussion of our collaboration with Buckeye Middle School for Christmas. We had previously debated whether we should contribute to Buckeye’s Food Drive for needy families at Christmas, instead of buying extra toys for the Scioto Southland Recreation Center’s Christmas Toy GiveAway. After some discussion, Board members voted to donate $300.00 to Buckeye Middle School for their needy families:
For – 7. Against – 0
A date will be determined later.
3. Curtis stated that there is an issue with the Welcome sign by Destiney Auto on S. High St. The sign is not draining properly and we likely have deep seated efflorescence. We’ll probably need to bring in a pro next spring or summer to get it clean. The expense should be incurred by the organization.
4. A discussion on the leadership gap our Civic group will experience in 2026 next followed. Curtis is not planning on running for President again. His business is growing and requires more of his attention. Reba is not interested in running for President. We need to present options to the membership at the November meeting.
According to our ByLaws, we can appoint an Interim President, but no one has expressed an interest. Since there are no volunteers, we need to try a different solution.
There are several options:
A. A shared leadership team. A different Board member could run the meeting each month, with the jobs divvied up.
B. Designate a ‘Go-To’ person who would handle email concerns and the information box. This person would be a coordinator and a mouthpiece for the Board.
C. A shared leadership model with a fixed agenda template.
D. Put things on hold and in suspension, with the meeting then focusing on updates and gathering to check-in.
E. A Transition year, with members focusing on rebuilding our Civic group’s foundation and reaching out to past members/go through old membership lists, to build our membership.
Curtis will stay as a member of the Civic group. He’s willing to take on a mouthpiece capacity for the Board, but is not interested in running the meetings. ALL Board members will need to be involved in the new leadership. We all agreed that we DON’T want Becky Walcott to return. She is unable to get people to attend her own meetings and will likely not contribute in the necessary fashion. Curtis stated that he sees no future in working with the Area Commission, as they don’t interact with the community like we do. He mentioned that our Senior Series at the S. High Library was a success. Diane Todd suggested we get old membership lists from Judy Campbell, divide the names, then call people to see why they are not returning.
Curtis stated that for 2026, the following would continue:
monthly meetings, Ambassador meetings, special events, minutes posted and existing partnerships.
The following would not continue:
the President’s email, no panels, no communication with the City without Board approval, neighborhood concerns will be referred to the Area Commission, no new programs will be created, and the Web site will become an informational page with meeting updates.
In terms of leadership, we recognize that a third of our members are willing to help outside of the meetings.
Curtis shared that he’s willing to take on the mouthpiece capacity for the Board, but he’s not running the meetings. He also feels he could do some meetings if someone else writes the narrative. He prefers a shared leadership model. Reba said she can run some meetings.
Bill Palmer shared that Mr. & Mrs. Dinsdale told him that they weren’t coming back to the Civic group because they weren’t getting out of it what they needed. Bill also feels that older people won’t drive in the dark.
Curtis asked if anyone knew if Brian Humphrey still wanted to be on the Board in 2026. If so, he needs to step up and take a more active role. Pam Richards volunteered to contact Brian and discuss his intentions concerning the Board.
Our ByLaws require a secret ballot election, but there are no rules concerning uncontested positions. Therefore Curtis stated that at the November Civic meeting, members will receive a paper with the statement: “I approve the 2026 officer elections”, place a check next to the statement if in agreement, then place it in the voting box.
Curtis asked if we wanted a political group leading the membership, or a group that reaches into the community.
Reba will take the last Board position in January 2026.
Finally, members decided that our Holiday Christmas Party will be held on Monday, December 8, 2025, at Heritage Freewill Baptist Church. Time is 5:00pm-6:30pm. Food will be catered from Olive Garden. Bring an ornament for our Ornament Exchange. Cost for dinner is $10.00 OR bring a dessert.
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam Richards, Secretary