The American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) during it meeting last week accepted the resignation of their Secretary General, Billy Young who had served in that office for the past 2-1/2 years.
Young who was present at the meeting said it was his final meeting as an Executive Board Member.
In his letter to Langkilde and the Executive Board Members, Young said, “this is a step which I feel needs to be taken and the Board needs to decide whether the new Constitution which was ratified last year is to be followed or whether the same old outdated mind set continues.”
He wrote, “I truly believe that the Secretary General position should be paid and board appointed. This is imperative so that the office can operate without any political pressure.”
Young assured the board members that despite resigning from his position, he “will be available to assist the office and President with the pending reports and applications required to secure the Admin Subsidy and National Activity Program Funding.
”It has been an honor to serve the athletes of American Samoa and I have had great pleasure in their achievement over the period of time that I was in this position,” Young concluded.
Before accepting his resignation, president of the ASNOC Victor Langkilde and members of the Executive Board thanked Young for his service to ASNOC and the great job he has done in assisting with the development of sports on island.
Young told Samoa News yesterday in a telephone interview that what he wrote about in his letter is why he is stepping down from his position.
Langkilde said that ASNOC is planning to inform the ASNOC General Assembly that there will be a 2016 Annual Meeting at the end of this month.
“With the General Assembly looking to come together, one of the pressing issues is agreeing to the new constitution. With the revision of the constitution from last year, it is still lacking in some areas and more dialogue from its general membership is required,” said Langkilde.
The ASNOC president continued, saying that Young’s resignation makes way for one of the major changes, which is in the position of the ASNOC Secretary General.
“The ASNOC General Assembly has to now decide whether or not to make the position a paid position and an ex officio member of the executive committee (voice but no vote). There also needs to be proper planning in making sure the position has a specific job description, funding source, and contract if the general membership decides to move in this direction. If this process takes place, this position would be advertised to the general public,” said Langkilde.
In conclusion, he said that Young has done a good job with the position and with the many challenges that were presented.
“I thank Billy for his service and time at the position and look forward to working with him in the general assembly. I wish him all the best,” Langkilde concluded.