A: As per Article VI of the YIWS Constitution:

The Executive Board shall be responsible for the day to day operations of the organization and consist of the following elected Officers:
President
Four (4) Vice-Presidents, one (1) of whom is to be designated as First Vice-President
Treasurer
Financial Secretary
Recording Secretary
Gabbai
Two (2) delegates to the National Council of Young Israel

The duties and responsibilities of each Officer are as follows:
(a) President - To act as Chairman of all Executive Board meetings and General Membership meetings, as well as to follow up on activities of all Officers and committee Chairpersons to be sure that their duties are being carried out.
(b) Vice-Presidents:
[i] To assist the President in carrying out his duties, to substitute for the President in his absence, and to assume responsibility for at least one (1) function required by the organization, i.e., committee chairmanship, publications, communications, etc.
[ii] First Vice-President - In addition to the duties enumerated in [i] hereof, to be prepared to take full charge as President for the remainder of the term in the event that the President shall fail or cease to act.
(c) Treasurer - To act in a supervisory capacity by meeting with the Financial Secretary in the office once a month, for the purpose of going over a financial statement of all cash receipts and disbursements, as well as fund raising to assure proper cash flow. It shall also be the responsibility of the Treasurer to answer any questions about the financial condition of the organization posed by any Officers at the meetings of the Executive Board. Lastly, the Treasurer shall prepare the tax returns for the organization annually.
(d) Financial Secretary - To be in charge of accounts payable (i.e., review all bills and sign checks in payment thereof). Funds shall not be withdrawn from any depository except with the signatures of both the President and Financial Secretary.
(e) Recording Secretary - To take minutes of all Executive Board, Board of Trustee, and General Membership meetings as well as to conduct the correspondence of the organization as directed by the Executive Board and/or Board of Trustees.
(f) Gabbai - To assume responsibility for religious services in the synagogue and to act as Chairman of the Ritual Committee.
These Officers and Trustees are to be elected by the membership at the Election meeting.

The Board of Trustees shall consist of the following:
The elected Officers of the Executive Board, excluding the Financial Secretary and the delegates to the National Council of Young Israel.
Nine (9) generally elected Trustees.
One (1) separately elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Q: Who is eligible to stand for election and how long are the terms of office?

A: For the Executive Board:

Any person who has been a member in good standing for three (3) years and who is a Sabbath and Holiday observer shall be eligible to hold office. 

Only a person who has held an elected position for at least one (1) year in Young Israel of the West Side shall be eligible for election to the office of President.

The tenure of office for all Executive Board Officers shall be one (1) year.

The President may not serve more than three (3) consecutive terms in that same position.

For the Board of Trustees:

Only a person who has been a member in good standing for five (5) years and who is a Sabbath and Holiday observer shall be eligible to be elected Trustee.

Only a person who has been a member in good standing for five (5) years, and has held an elected position for at least one (1) year in Young Israel of the West Side shall be eligible for election to the office of Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Trustees shall be elected for terms of two (2) years with their election staggered so as to create two (2) overlapping classes of (i) five (5) Trustees and (ii) four (4) Trustees and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. If for the upcoming year there remain ten (10) Trustees with unexpired terms, no Trustees shall be elected. Notwithstanding the terms described herein, the remaining terms of the current members of the Board of Trustees shall not be affected.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in that same position.

A member shall not serve simultaneously in two (2) elected positions nor shall multiple members of the same Family Membership (e.g., spouses, parent & child residing together) hold elected or appointed positions. 

Q: How do I stand for election?

A: Any member may nominate themselves for any position at which they are eligible to serve either in person or at the Nomination meeting on Tuesday December 23rd or by notifying the Executive Board in writing (election2009@yiws.org) prior to the Nomination meeting.

Q: What if I am ineligible to stand for election since I have not been a member for 3 years but would like to get involved?

A: We encourage you to get involved in one of the following Standing Committees that have been specifically established for this purpose and to enhance our growing YIWS community:

Membership
Fundraising
Communications
House & Maintenance
Ritual
Education & Culture
Youth
Social

To be considered on these committees please send an email to standing2009@yiws.org or approach any member of the Executive Board.

Q: Who can vote and how?

A: Only members in good standing can vote in the elections.  One vote per member.
Please note that in the case of a family membership, a maximum of 2 votes per household are permitted. 

The constitution requires a 2 hour window for voting.

Voting can ONLY be done in person. 

No proxy voting or email voting is permitted.

Q: What is the primary impact of the new constitution on the election process?

A: One of the top priorities of this year's constitution is that all of the representatives of the shul are directly elected by the YIWS members. 

So for the first time, in addition to electing the Executive Board we are also voting for the Board of Trustees.  Some members of the Executive Board will also be members of the Board of Trustees (with the exclusion of the Financial Secretary and the delegates to the National Council of Young Israel).  This achieves another goal of providing greater cooperation and transparency by all of the elected reps of the community.

Q: Are there any other significant changes?

A: We have revised and fomalized the roles of the elected officers to bring them in line with the working requirements of the shul. 
In addition, there is a provision in the constitution that grandfathers in several members of the Board of Trustees whose terms have not yet expired. The 2008 Executive Board has asked these members to step down and have invited them to seek election by the entire community.

Q: Are there key changes in the power and responsibilities of the elected officials?

A: It shall be the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to approve the annual budget, any unbudgeted expenditure exceeding $10,000, and any other proposal of the Executive Board involving contractual obligations exceeding one (1) year or relating to the maintenance and disposition of temporal assets of the organization, including but not limited to the land, building, and air rights. Notwithstanding the above, all decisions of the Board of Trustees concerning the hiring and retention of clergy (including but not limited to Rabbis, Cantors, or any associate thereof) shall be submitted to the general membership for approval.

Any questions regarding these constitutional changes should be sent to constitution@yiws.org