This is the Gazette's attempt to explain the actions of the Broad Ripple Village Association (BRVA) board regarding the recent election of board members by the BRVA membership and the subsequent election of officers by the BRVA board. I requested an explanation from the BRVA and was only presented with a list of the 2012 officers. This article uses the BRVA board meeting minutes to determine what occurred. The Gazette takes no position on these matters, nor does it suggest any wrong doings by the board. This article is an attempt to explain what customarily would have been announced at the January 2012 public meeting, but was not.

As a background, in 2010 there was a BRVA board vacancy and the board voted to appoint Mark Wolf to the board to fill out Keith Trump's term that ran through December 31, 2011. At the January 2011 board meeting the board elected Mark Wolf president for a two-year term ending December 31, 2012. This was announced at the January 2011 public meeting.

At the October 18, 2011 public meeting, which was the annual meeting of the BRVA, the membership voted 8 of the 9 candidates to the board. The 8 elected were: Rich Bees, Chris Carlson, Peter Dean, Tom Healy, Brenda Rising-Moore, Rob Sabatini, Jay Wetzel, and Sue Zilisch. Mark Wolf was the candidate not elected to the board. This was an awkward situation, since Mark was one year into a two-year term as president of the BRVA. It is what follows that has not been disclosed.

From the October 18, 2011 board meeting minutes: "Tom Healy made a motion to accept, with regret, Barbara Wilder's declination of the board position vacated by John Yantis. Phil provided the second. All were in favor except for Mark Wolf, who abstained."

From the November 1, 2011 board meeting minutes: "Tom (Healy) also addressed the vacancy on the board and feels that it is in the best interest of the community for us to fill that position. He made a motion to fill the opening with Mark Wolf. Justin McKeand seconded. 12 were in favor, 1 was opposed, and 1 abstained."

From the January 3, 2012 board meeting minutes: "Election of Officers: President; Jim Holland nominated Mark Wolf. All were in favor. Vice President; Nominations; Phil Lavoie nominated Chris Carlson. Chris declined the nomination. Elizabeth Marshall nominated Phil Lavoie. Phil accepted the nomination. All were in favor. Treasurer; Elizabeth Marshall nominated Brenda Rising-Moore. All were in favor."

This resulted in the following officers for the 2012/2013 terms according to a statement from the BRVA: President: Mark Wolf, President-elect: Phil Lavoie, Secretary: Elizabeth Marshall, Treasurer: Brenda Rising-Moore. Note: The previous BRVA board minutes list Phil Lavoie as Vice President. The statement lists Phil as President-elect, an office not in the BRVA bylaws.