ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME
CODE OF BY-LAWS
Revised Jan 28, 2019
ARTICLE I – Meetings of Trustees and Quorum
The regular meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held in the months of September, October, November, January, February, March, April and May, on such dates and at such places as determined in advance by the Board of Trustees. The election of officers shall be held at the May meeting each calendar year. In addition to the foregoing, an annual Enshrinement Banquet may be held in May of each calendar year at such date, place and time as determined in advance by the Board of Trustees. Special meetings may be held at the call of the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson. At all meetings, 10 members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the decisions of the Executive Committee shall control.
The Executive Committee shall meet from September through May of each year at such times and places as determined by the Chairperson and such other meetings as determined necessary by the Chairperson.
ARTICLE II – Order of Business
At the members’ meetings, the Order of Business shall be as follows:
1. Roll Call
2. Reading minutes of previous meeting and acting thereon
3. Financial Report or Statement
4. Reports of Trustees and Committees
5. Reports of officers
6. Unfinished business
7. New or miscellaneous business
This order may be changed by the affirmative vote of the majority of the members present.
ARTICLE III – Committees
The following committees shall be standing committees and Chairperson or Vice Chairperson of the Board who shall be ex-officio members of each committee:
A. Awards and Special Recognition
B. Banquet
C. Program
D. Bylaws/Legal
E. Membership
F. Memorial/Historian
G. Website/Social Media
H. Showcase
I. Publicity
J. Hospitality
K. Scholarship
L. Ring of Honor
M. Enshrinee Validation Committee
The Chairperson may appoint such other committees as the Chairperson may from time to time determine necessary.
ARTICLE IV – Validation
1) The Elyria Sports Hall of Fame Validation Committee shall be made up of nine (9) members – three (3) step chairs – an outgoing, an incoming, and an apprentice chair along with six (6) rotating members with a three-year term each. The ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME year begins with the September meeting and concludes with the final meeting of the year as designated by the board chairman. At the conclusion of the each year, one of the remaining committee members whose term is expiring would be appointed to the apprentice chair position. Any current trustee in good standing of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame would be eligible for appointment and would be given first consideration before any outgoing committee member. Those appointed must agree to a 3-year commitment and to attend all validation meetings unless excused by the Validation Chairman. It is highly recommended the outgoing validation chairman would not be eligible to return to the committee for at least three years.
2) Appointment – The incoming validation chairman would appoint two new members – with executive committee approval – to fill the expired terms prior to the first ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME meeting in September. Any current member of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame would be eligible for appointment. Those appointed must agree to a 3-year commitment and to attend all Validation Committee meetings unless excused by the Validation Chairman.
3) Committee – The committee will set up and oversee the present group of nominations in file form. Two sets of files – active and dormant – will be kept. Active files include those nominees selected for the final slate of candidates from the previous year and newly acquired nominations since the previous year. Dormant files are for those candidates failing to be selected for the final slate the previous year or those not yet eligible. We will also indicate whether the candidates are to be considered under one of the four categories – Athlete/Participant, Special, Veteran, or Team. The newly appointed rotating members will be charged with the task of reviewing the dormant file of nominations for possible inclusion for the current slate of candidates in the Veteran, the Special, or the Athlete/Competitor category. They will also be asked to submit at least one new nomination for consideration under either the team or individual categories. The middle group of rotating members will be charged with the task of reviewing those eligible for the Veteran Category and to review the Team Category for possible inclusion for the current slate of candidates. The leaving group of rotating members will be charged with reviewing the current slate of finalists not elected the previous year to either retain their status or remove their names and return their nomination form to the dormant file. They will also review the ‘holding’ status of those candidates – both team and individual – who now qualify under the 12-year rule. The three chair members of the validation committee will be charged with reviewing all new nominations and to collect information on qualified teams for inclusion in the ‘holding’ status until their status qualifies under the 12-year rule. All nine members of the Validation Committee may seek additional information for any potential nominee – whether nominated by the general public or not – for consideration as well. The three chairs or any member of the validation committee may at their discretion contact the person or persons nominating the candidate for possible additional information, clarification, or documentation of any candidate or may independently obtain documentation (if necessary). All records and files will be held at the athletic office of Elyria High School or at a suitable location agreed upon by the executive board members of the ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME.
4) Validation Meetings – The incoming or present chair will organize a minimum of three meetings to establish the slate of candidates to be presented at the February voting night meeting. The ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME Chair must be made aware of these meetings and will be invited to attend (if not already a member of the committee).
5) Validation Process – A weighted internal point system will be used as a guideline (letters won, honors gained, college experience) to rate the candidates in several categories but the scoring system will not automatically select or reject a candidate for consideration.
6) The validation committee is charged with the responsibility of presenting a slate of qualified candidates – including teams – to the ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME Board for the February Meeting. The Validation Chairman (or one of the committee members) will then present a short bio of each candidate or team to the electors prior to voting at the special voting meeting in Feburary.
7) The Validation committee may recommend one or more of the candidates for special consideration by the membership.
ARTICLE V – Enshrinee Selection
1) Nominations for enshrinees shall be accepted from the general public on a form approved by the Enshrinee Validation Committee. Nominations to be considered for review by the validation committee will be closed on December 31st. The Validation Committee shall have the right to determine if there are any other qualified candidates who have not been nominated by the general public and shall nominate them.
2) A candidate will not be considered for nomination until he or she is 12 years removed from the anniversary of their senior year of high school. Younger candidates will remain on file in a dormant status and will be considered once they have reached the required 12 years out of school. However, the Validation Committee reserves the right to waive the 12-year rule to present a candidate due to special extraordinary circumstances.
3) Applicants must have a record of continuous good moral character.
4) The Validation Committee will present a minimum of 10 individuals and possibly one or more teams on Election Night (to be set by the Executive Board for February). Five individuals will be elected. One or more teams may be elected.
5) There will be four categories for consideration. All candidates must qualify under our criteria previously established for the Elyria Community.
A) Athlete/Competitor Category. A candidate is well known for their exceptional athletic achievements as a competitor.
B) Special Category. A candidate is well known for their exceptional accomplishments as a coach, athletic director, journalist, broadcaster, fan, booster, or any other endeavor pertaining to sports.
C) Veteran Category. A candidate is well known for their exceptional accomplishments in either of the Athletic/Competitor or Special Categories and participated 40 or more years ago. Should the Validation Committee present more than one candidate qualified under the Veteran Category, the voting members will be required to vote for at least one Veteran Nominee on their ballots until one candidate listed in the Veteran Category is selected.
D) Team Category. At the Validation Committee option, a minimum of one team will be presented at the February Election Night Meeting. High School State Championship teams will automatically be nominated for consideration upon the 12th anniversary of their accomplished season whether officially submitted or not. The accomplishments of those teams will be collected and compiled immediately by the Chairperson of the Validation Committee and kept in the dormant file until such time as it has reached the 12th anniversary of its championship season. It will be the responsibility of the Chairperson of the validation committee to contact the coach and/or participants to collect all valid information on such teams for future consideration. Either the general public or members of the ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME board must submit all other team nominations. The validation committee has the flexibility to present a special situation (track relay team, tennis doubles team etc.) where more than one team may be presented for consideration and nomination.
6) Distinguished Sports Service Designation
Finally, the Validation Committee may present a candidate or group of candidates for the Distinguished Sports Service Category. Again, 2/3 (66%) of the voters must approve this selection. The ballot will also include a “Yes” and “No” box for voting purposes. Should the Validation Committee present more than one candidates; a simple majority will elect the candidate for the Distinguished Sports Service Award. This category should be identified as a candidate who has been outstanding in a service related area including but not limited to outstanding prior ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME Service, Little League coaching or volunteering, extraordinary trainer, supporter, fan or volunteer, coach or helper in some sports capacity including a collective group of individuals such as our honoring the family and friends of Little League East for example.
7) All members of the Board of Trustees will be eligible to vote on nominees to the Hall of Fame. To be eligible to vote, Trustees must attend a minimum of five (5) of the regular scheduled meetings prior to the election in February. Scheduled meetings are in September, October, November, January, February, March, April and May. Only those members of the Board of Trustees who are present at the nomination meeting shall be eligible to vote. Voting on all nominations will be based upon the following criteria:
A) Nominations
1) Residents: Consideration will be given to city of Elyria residents, teams, groups and organizations who have participated in their respective sports activities in the city of Elyria or for the Elyria City Schools, Elyria Catholic High School, Elyria CYO, and any other chartered schools or activities in the city of Elyria.
2) Non-residents: Consideration will also be given to non-Elyria residents, teams, groups and organizations who have participated in their respective sports activities inside the city of Elyria, Elyria City Schools, Elyria Catholic High School, Elyria CYO, and any other chartered schools in the city of Elyria.
3) Other: Special consideration can be given to city of Elyria residents, teams, or groups who have brought special recognition to the city of Elyria for their contributions to sports. Provided their sports activity is not directly offered inside the city of Elyria, Elyria City Schools, Elyria Catholic High School, Elyria CYO, and any other chartered schools or activities in the city of Elyria.
B) The person, team or group must have accomplished feats in or made contributions to sports, which accomplishments or contributions are of sufficient stature to merit permanent recognition by the citizens of the Elyria area.
C) There will be no restrictions related to education, religion, nationality, race or sex.
8) Voting Process:
A) On voting night – (to be set by the Executive Board for February) a minimum slate of 10 candidates and one team will be given a brief oral and/or video bio presentation and a written bio will be available for all voters to review. The validation committee may strongly recommend one or more of the candidates or teams for special consideration by the voters.
B) We will use a standardized ballot printed up prior to the February meeting that clearly states the candidates name and the category he or she is to be considered. Each voter must select three candidates on each ballot – one being specifically in the “Veteran” category (See Number 5-C).
C) The guidelines listed under Article V, No. 9 of our current Code of By-Laws – Voting by the board of Trustees shall be followed, but will not limit the number of athlete/competitor, special or veteran candidates selected in that criteria. Two or more candidates shall be presented under the Veterans Candidate rules on selection night, one person must be selected from this category and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside the other four (4) individuals and one (1) team (if selected). If no candidates are presented under said criteria, the selection process is concluded and five individuals will be inducted at the May banquet.
D) The team (or teams) will then be presented for consideration. If only one (1) team is presented, a minimum of 2/3 (66%) of the voters must approve that team for enshrinement. The ballot will also include a “Yes” and “No” box for voting purposes. Should the Validation Committee present more than one team; a simple majority will elect that team to the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, the Validation Committee may present a “special situation” to the board where the possibility of two teams could be presented for induction in the same year (track relay, tennis doubles, early era team etc.) There will be a separate ballot for voting on the team category. The Validation Committee reserves the right to exclude presenting a team to be considered.
9) Voting by the Board of Trustees shall be conducted as follows:
A) There shall be five (5) successive ballots with one enshrinee to be selected from each of the five (5) ballots. On each ballot, each trustee voting shall vote for three (3) nominees, provided that in the event any ballot does not contain the names of three(3)nominees, that ballot shall automatically be disqualified.
B) On the first ballot, the nominee receiving the greatest number of votes shall be deemed elected. In case of a tie for the greatest number of votes, a re-vote will be conducted for the tied persons only. On the second and subsequent ballots, the nominee previously elected shall be removed from consideration.
C) If after four (4) ballots, no candidate from the veterans’ category has been elected, the next (fifth) ballot will consist only of candidates from the veterans’ category.
D) All votes must be cast in person by a secret ballot. The results of each ballot shall remain secret until the conclusion of all ballots.
E) In the event that there is a tie on the fifth ballot the following steps will be used to break the tie.
1) There will be a re-vote between the two nominees that are tied.
2) If the tie remains after #1 the total number of votes from the previous ballot (fourth ballot) will be used.
3) If the tie remains after #2 the total number of votes from all previous ballots will be used.
4) If the tie remains after #3 a coin toss will be used to determine the winner.
In all cases the loser of the tie breaker will automatically be placed on the slate of nominees for election the following year.
ARTICLE VI – Amendments
This Code of By-Laws may be repealed, amended or changed by a majority of the members at a meeting held for the purpose, notice of which has been given as provided heretofore, as long as the notice, containing a copy of the proposed amendment, has been distributed to all members at least one meeting prior to the meeting for the purpose of considering these By-Laws.
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February, 1992, *Amended, February 18, 1998, **Amended, November 15, 2000
*** Amended Feb. 15, 2006, Passed 3-15-06
ELYRIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME
CODE OF REGULATIONS
ARTICLE I – Meetings of Members
The annual meeting of the members for the transaction of business shall be held at such place as determined by the Trustees annually, in Lorain County, Ohio, in May of each year, or at such other time as determined by the Trustees.
Special meetings may be held at such times and places as may be ordered by the Board of Trustees or by a call signed by at least 10 members.
Notice of the annual and special meetings shall be given to each member appearing on the books of the corporation by duly mailing the same to their address, at least 7 days prior to the date of such meeting.
At such meetings, any business of the corporation shall be transacted as determined by the Chairperson and set forth in an agenda prepared for that meeting.
ARTICLE II – Quorum
At all meetings of the members, 10 of all members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
ARTICLE III – Fiscal Year
The Elyria Sports Hall of Fame will operate on a fiscal year commencing July 1st of each year and concluding on June 30th of the following year.
ARTICLE IV – Board of Trustees
The corporate powers, property and affairs of the corporation, subject to the limitations contained in the Ohio Revised Code, and the Articles of Regulations, shall be exercised, conducted and controlled by a Board of Trustees of not more than 35 persons, each of whom shall be a member of the corporation, and all of whom shall be citizens of the United States.
The following shall constitute the initial Trustees of the Corporation. Trustees shall continue in office until disqualified by the Board of Trustees or by their moving their residence from Lorain County, Ohio, or by resignation. The Board of Directors may declare a position vacant on the Board when an elected member fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings and/or fails to fulfill the requirements of his or her said position. In the case of a vacancy of a Trustee, vacancy shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board of Trustees.
All members of the Board of Trustees must be current residents of the Greater Elyria area. All members of the Board of Trustees must have good moral character, be personally interested in sports, and be willing to devote time to committee activities, and must attend at least a majority of the scheduled meetings of the Board of Trustees each calendar year or obtain an excused absence from the Chairperson of the Board. To fill a vacancy of the Board, it shall require the approval of the majority of the Trustees present.
ARTICLE V – Honorary Trustees
There is hereby created the classification of Honorary Trustee. The position of Honorary Trustee shall consist of any Trustee who has actively served as a Trustee for 10 or more years, and who desires to become an Honorary Trustee. Said person will be designed as an Honorary Trustee upon those conditions, and who shall have all of the privileges of the Trustee, except he shall not be entitled to vote on any issue to which a Trustee is entitled to vote.
ARTICLE VI – Executive Committee
The Board of Trustees shall appoint an Executive Committee, after the election of officers in each calendar year, consisting of the Chairperson and /or Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, together with five (5) other Board members elected by a majority vote of the Board, at the time of the selection, to serve for terms equivalent to the officers. The Executive Committee shall have charge of the management of the business and affairs of the corporation in the interim between the meetings of Trustees, with power generally to discharge the duties of the Board of Trustees, but not to incur debts, excepting for current expenses, unless specifically authorized. They shall, at all times, act under the direction and control of the Board of Trustees, and shall make reports to be Board of Trustees of their acts, which reports shall form part of the records of the corporation. All expenditures of funds must be submitted to and approved by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VII – Officers, Terms, Compensation
The Executive Officers of the corporation to be elected by the Trustees shall be a Chairperson or Vice Chairperson, as determined by the Board, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall be elected by at least a majority vote of the Trustees present, to serve for a term as determined by the Board of Trustees, which election shall occur at the first meeting subsequent to the enshrinement program, unless otherwise designated by the Board of Trustees.
The officers shall be members of the corporation in good standing, and shall be elected for one calendar year, and until their successors are elected and qualified.
The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by one and the same person.
Officers shall not receive any compensation for their duties.
ARTICLE VIII – Duties of the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson
It shall be the duty of the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson to preside at all meetings of members and Trustees, to sign the records thereof, and, in general, to perform all the duties incident to the office, or which may be required by the members or Trustees. It shall be the duty of the Vice Chairperson to perform the duties of the Chairperson whenever the Chairperson is unable to perform said duties or in the absence of the Chairperson.
ARTICLE IX – Duties of the Secretary
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep an accurate record of the acts and proceedings of the members and Trustees, give all notices required by law, and by the members and Trustees, and keep proper books of accounts; on the expiration of his terms of office, deliver all books, papers and property of the corporation in his hands to his successor, or to the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson, and, in general, to perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office.
ARTICLE X – Duties of the Treasurer
The Treasurer shall receive and safely keep all money belonging to the corporation and disburse the same under the direction of the Board of Trustees. He shall keep an accurate account of finances of the corporation in books specially to be provided him for that purpose, and hold the same open for inspection and examination of the Trustees and any committee or members appointed for such inspection, and shall present abstracts of the same at annual meetings of members or at any other meetings when requested. He shall not give bond unless so designated by the Board of Trustees for the faithful performance of his duties and, on the expiration of his terms, shall deliver all money and other property of the corporation in his hands to his successor or to the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson.
ARTICLE XI – Fees and Dues of Members
Members shall pay no entrance fee or annual dues, unless required by the Board of Trustees.
ARTICLE XII – Qualification and Election of Members
Any person who has good moral character, has a personal interest in sports, and is a resident of the Greater Elyria area, may become a member by subscribing his name, in writing, designating his intention and desire to
become a member of the Board.
The Board of Directors may declare a position vacant on the Board when an elected member fail to attend three (3) consecutive meetings and/or fulfill the requirements of his or her said position. (Amended January 2011)
ARTICLE XII – Social Media Policy
The Board recognizes that electronic communication and social media provides the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame with the opportunity to inform the community regarding the organization’s purposes and recognize outstanding athletic endeavors in our community.
The Board currently maintains a page on Facebook for official communication on behalf of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame and may in the future utilize other forms of electronic communication and/or social media on behalf of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Members posting to or commenting on any official site established by the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame, or other forms of electronic communication now used by the Board or established in the future, shall do so in a respectful manner that at all times is befitting their association with the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. The administrator reserves the right to remove posts and/or comments that contain profanity; make disparaging or false statements regarding the organization, its members, athletes inducted into the Hall of Fame, or athletes being considered for induction; are disparaging or otherwise express bias against any race, religion or protected class of individual; share confidential information; or that purport to express or represent the Opinions of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame or the Board without prior approval of the executive committee or Chairman. The foregoing shall apply to all forms of electronic communication or social media utilized by the Board now on in the future.
This policy is not intended to limit the right of free speech or expression of the members. However, members are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and appropriate manner when discussing the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame or other Board members in their personal use of electronic communication or social media as well. Members should always identify the capacity in which their posts or communications is made. Members should not appear to speak on behalf of the Board or its members without prior approval. Members are expected to refrain from making disparaging comments about the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame, its Board members, current or potential inductee, even in their personal communications.
A violation of this policy may result in removal from the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame Board under the provisions enumerated in Article 4 herein. (Adopted 2/267/2018)
ARTICLE XIV – Order of Business
See Article II of the Bylaws
February, 1992
Amended Feb. 15, 2006, Passed 3-15-06