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Election of 2015 Directors

Every so often the executives of The Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club will pose a question asking for your thoughts. Or maybe you have something that you would like to share with us. Step up on the soap box here.

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Al Benton
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Election of 2015 Directors

Post by Al Benton » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:16 am

Election of 2015 Directors – Nominee Boigraphies
Last year, the Club conducted its first ever Election of Directors. The purpose is for you, our members to validate your Club leadership by participating in the election process. The 2014 Election of Directors begins Nov 1st and ends promptly on the 15th. Vote early but only once. Mailed ballots must be received by Nov 15th.
If we have your current email address you will receive an email on November 1st giving you access to the Official Online Ballot. Simply click, key in your vote, and send before midnight of Nov 15th.
After October 15th an official ballot may obtained, filled out, and mailed to the address provided on the ballot. Go to Boat Buzz and login, then select Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club Business. Open the Topic “2014 Election of Directors” and follow the process for printing a copy on your printer.
Need help with your login? Send an email to [email protected] and we will get you logged in. While logged in, check your contact information by clicking on My Account on the Home page.
No computer? Call Catalyst Communications at 773-878-1940 and request a ballot after Oct 15.

Biographies of Nominees:
Robert Macaluso:

Amateur boat restorer for over 40 years
Charter member Southwest ACBS
Past President SWACBS
Treasurer SWACBS over 15 years
Participated in 18 Keels & Wheels shows as planner, judge
Early and continuous member (1973) of Chris Craft Antique Boat Club when the newsletter was a 2 page manila flyer
Raised in the New York, New Jersey area, as I child I spent many Summers at my Aunt's lake house in Connecticut. I have owned a boat as far back and I can remember in some form or another. Purchased my first "gray boat" Chris Craft in 1972 and completely restored same. I have been active in the wood boat movement in the Texas area for over 30 years.
As a retired military officer and pilot I have served in many management positions and on many project committees. I get along well with others and believe I possess the experience and motivation needed to serve as one of your Directors.

Donald Ploetner:
I was born and raised in New Jersey and have spent my entire life benefitting from the unending joys of water sports. Boating and swimming have helped make me the person I am today.

When I was twenty my family purchased a 1956 Chris Craft Capri which was my first wood boat and I have been showing and attending boat shows around the country ever since. I have been a judge for the past several years at the Lake Hopatcong Show, as well as judged the Clayton Boat Show.

I am a consultant by trade and work with people to solve problems that they are having.

I also have prior Board experience having served on the Sussex County Open Space Board, as well as, the Sussex County Solid Waste Advisory Council. I am affiliated with many ACBS Chapters around the country including Lake Hopatcong, Sunnyland, and North Lake Tahoe to name a few.

I have the time and drive that is needed to continue to make the Chris-Craft Club successful.
For, I am always willing to listen, to learn and to strive toward further perfection for everyone concerned.


BK Powell:

Professional experience
President, CFO OfficeTECH, Inc. Company is associated with the Xerox Corporation as a business partner Company as an Authorized Xerox Agent is responsible for the sales and leasing of office equipment and IT/software support in Washington State and Alaska

Previous Board Experience
Board Member of the Inland Empire Chapter ACBS- 2001-2004
President of the Inland Empire Chapter ACBS- 2004-2008, ACBS Director at Large 2008, ACBS Director 2009-2012, ACBS Director at Large 2013, ACBS Safety and Education Committee Chair 2011 to present. Board Member the Spokane Chapter of the March of Dimes 2001-2003

As one who has two passions in life, the first is for my wife, Julie, and the second for the preservation of and the historical value of Antique and Classic water craft. Being the fortunate owner of several classic boats, I enjoy a direct connection to the joys of classic boating and with it a desire to share this unique experience, the history and the heritage this passion has to offer. To answer the question “Why would I be a good addition to this board?” My answer is simple: to serve with the same passion and dedication I have for the two passions listed above. My experience as a member of the ACBS Board of Directors has shown me the value and the growth potential to ACBS that the various Marque Clubs bring. I want to assist with that growth and potential and would bring that desire with me as a board member.
Al
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JohnKadimik
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by JohnKadimik » Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:53 am

How many of the group do we vote for?

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Al Benton
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Al Benton » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:47 pm

John,
And ALL:

As it turns out this year there are 3 nominees and 3 open Director seats to fill. Only 2 of the 7 present Directors' terms end on December 31st of this year. However, one of our Driectors whose term ends next year has announced that he will resign his seat this December. We well announce this when the time is appropriate, along with another exciting announcement. So stay tuned!

We certainly encourage ALL MEMBERS to participate in the election in spite of having 3 nominees for 3 Director seats. Your participation will serve to validate your Club leadership.
Al
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by JohnKadimik » Thu Sep 18, 2014 3:28 pm

OK, Thanks Al.

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Doug P » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:36 am

Al, It appears that the member base has no input as to its leadership.

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Al Benton
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Al Benton » Fri Sep 19, 2014 3:08 pm

Doug,

Thanks for pointing that out! There's no way to change it this year, only 3 of our members came forward when asked to consider running for a Director position before nominations had to be closed. It may be even more difficult next year, as there will be 4 seats up for election.

Its never too early to start thinking about next year, and the Club's leadership in the future. If you feel that you are in a position to be considered for being nominated to serve the Club as an elected Director please let one of next year's board members hear from you. A new Nominating Committee will be in place in early March and will be looking for qualified candidates to nominate.

Last year there were 7 nominees for 4 open seats. That should indeed be the goal for the new committee; to provide a choice from several qualified leaders for members to vote for. It certainly was the intent of the present Nominating Committee for this election.
Al
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by JohnKadimik » Sat Sep 20, 2014 7:07 am

Agree with Doug!

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by drrot » Sat Sep 20, 2014 7:41 am

I'm from Chicago. Throw in some dead people voting and it sounds normal to me.
All joking aside. the three nominees all sound highly qualified and It's really hard to get someone to stick their hand up to freely volunteer their time when there is every chance they might get verbally lynched.
One thing everyone has to agree on is it's better than it used to be!!

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Doug P » Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:19 am

Jim, You may be correct...Chicago politics.
and Al, I may be wrong, but I do not see where the general membership was notified about nominations. You stated "only 3 of our members came forward when asked to consider running for a Director position before nominations had to be closed."
Who was asked, by whom and when?
Also, nominations are not closed until October 1, where a nominee may be offered when backed by 100 member signatures, this does smack of Chicago politics.

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by JimF » Sat Sep 20, 2014 10:13 am

As chairman of the Nominating Committee I feel I should comment here. This Club has about 2300 members of which I know possibly 30 personally and the same is probably true of the other two members on the committee. This committee is charged with finding enough qualified candidates to fill the vacating seats on the Board and I can tell you it is no easy task as we know so few members who are willing and able to serve on the Board. I am sure there are many members who would be equally qualified as the ones we have selected but unless those members express an interest to us or the club, there is no way to identify them. Another problem is that some very qualified members are hesitant to run in a contested race for fear that they might lose and that might be an embarrassment to them personally.

The nomination process has gone on for most of the summer. Several names were suggested by Board members as possible candidates and others were brought in by the Nominations Committee. The three members selected by the Committee were the ones we felt were the most qualified and, and also were excited by the chance to serve on the Board.

The Committee has followed the schedule set out by the Board. There is still time for any member to gather the signatures to have their name placed on this years' ballot. If you or anyone you know would like to be considered for next year's ballot, please let me know and I will pass on your name(s) to the Committee for next year.

As has been mentioned on these pages several times and is mentioned in the new Brass Bell, this is a volunteer organization. We are always looking for members to step up and become more involved with the activities and committees. I would encourage any member to contact any Board member to see about volunteering to help with running the Club. It belongs to all of us and the more members involved in the operation, the more it will reflect the true needs of the members.
1930 Chris-Craft Model 100 20' "MOXIE"
1940 Chris-Craft Red and White 25' "Old Paint"
1946 Chris-Craft Sportsman 25' "CinCity"

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Doug P » Sat Sep 20, 2014 10:52 am

Jim, You say it is no easy task for the board to find qualified prospective nominees.

An easy solution...the nominating committee, per Robert's Rules, can accept suggestions from the general membership base.
WHY was not the base asked, as you said that the nominating committee knows personally less than 100 members and from that you selected 3. If you asked for nominations from the "floor", as is customary, we would have more nominations.
We are not getting much info from the club, minutes from every meeting should be posted and available to the base
Now you can see why only 10% of the base voted last year. This year it will be much less.

Get the membership involved!

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by JimF » Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:06 am

Doug, shall I assume that you wish to be more involved by serving on a committee or running for the Board next year?
1930 Chris-Craft Model 100 20' "MOXIE"
1940 Chris-Craft Red and White 25' "Old Paint"
1946 Chris-Craft Sportsman 25' "CinCity"

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Don Ayers
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Don Ayers » Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:14 am

Doug.

I respectfully ask that you allow a reasonable amount of time for Jim and others to respond. How quickly we forget that the Club operated for nearly 40 years without ANY kind of membership election. Last year was our first and I am personally proud that we got this function of the Board going. It was the right thing to do.

Now, I know for a fact that there were communications in both print and electronic regarding membership participation. How many times have we written about it in the From the Club at the front of the Brass Bell. We also do membership email blasts to everyone in our database that has an email. If you are not receiving our email communication then you need to inquire at [email protected].

I'm sure Al will be glad to post the day and time the elections blast went out.

Can we continue to improve, of course we can! Will we...Of course we will.

Doug, I assure you, your comments are valid and I also assure that you are part of a small group that is highly active in the Club. I wish there were 2,000 of you!
Don Ayers
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by RRGadow » Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:57 am

I have to agree with Doug....I would think there would be an open forum of "who is ready to run" for these positions. Not to be disrespectful, but if you want to run it like a club and not the "good ole boy" network then you have to get the membership all involved.

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Doug P » Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:59 am

[quote="JimF"]Doug, shall I assume that you wish to be more involved by serving on a committee or running for the Board next year?[/quote]
No, but I would be more than glad to assist in areas other than the board

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Oberon01 » Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:34 am

Thanks Doug - you may rest assured that we will be in contact with you.

Volunteering for committee work or to assist in other area's of club operation is a very powerful way for an interested individual to initially signify his interest in ultimately becoming involved in club management and operation as a BOD member. In the absence of the expression of such interest, we are unable to isolate potential candidates. Volunteerism is an important way for club directors and the membership to become exposed to and familiar with those individuals who are genuinely interested in joining the BOD. It is difficult to simply accept names from such a dispersed membership and endorse them, without having personal knowledge or direct evidence of their commitment - often obtained through previous volunteer efforts.

The longest serving director on this BOD is Don Ayers, who was instrumental in salvaging the club from the wreckage wrought by prior administration, and he is not up for re-election. The other director's have been on for no more than 3 years and have all been instrumental in returning the club to a position of stability. This is hardly an "old-boys" club as Gaddow asserts - a maximum tenure to date of 3 years is "old-boy"? That is just completely unsupported by an examination of recent history. All present on the BOD now and several who have already had terms expire and were replaced made critical, significant contributions to the club and are collectively responsible for the fact that you can post on the board today. Had they not done so, the club would have ceased functioning in early 2012 - it did not fail solely because they volunteered and cleaned up a mess far more substantial than most know.

There have been numerous calls for assistance and volunteers for BOD nominations and other volunteer contributions. We work with what we have, and encourage member participation at every turn. The BOD is volunteer, there is no financial benefit at all and few if any perks. In my case, I think I may have had one lunch paid for in the last year, after going to Chicago from Calgary for a meeting.

I hope this thread serves to enlighten interested parties to the progress on governance (from essentially none under prior management, thus leading to the problems) that has been made and alert them to the acute need that the BOD and the club have for an expanded volunteer base. I will say that I was not on the nominations committee, and that with the expiration of my term at the end of 2015 I do not plan to stand for re-election. I joined in an effort to help stabilize the club in March 2012 and never had the intention of making a career out of it - it was a response to a crisis. The BOD does need turn-over and fresh ideas from qualified, motivated members and the staggered terms of the current BOD allows that to occur. It is then up to the membership to go the next step and volunteer, and thusly produce qualified candidates to fill the voids we purposely created within our governance model for just that purpose.

Paul Harrison
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Don Vogt » Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:40 am

Ideally, early on in the nominating process, a general announcement should go to the membership indicating what was occuring, the timeline and number of open positions, and requesting member suggestions as to potential nominees, including a request for those interested themselves in serving, to step forward for consideration. I do not know whether that occurred. If not, I think it was a mistake that should not be repeated next year during the process.
1938 Chris Craft 17' Deluxe Runabout "Jennifer II"

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Jim Bell » Mon Sep 22, 2014 9:05 am

Don, I totally agree with your suggestion. All members should be involved in the process from the beginning, not just when it comes time to vote.

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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Doug P » Mon Sep 22, 2014 9:48 am

Don, Jim. That is exactly the norm in most organizations.

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Al Benton
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Al Benton » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:28 am

Don, thanks for that. Looking back at this year we were not as specific with this as we were last year. We included the same announcement in The Brass Bell and here in Boat Buzz this past year. Only casual (passive) messages included election news this year. I can assure you that this was not intentional, or to imply a "good old boys" attitude on the part of the present board.

The Brass Bell is the only resource we have that reaches all of our members, but not all read it cover to cover. Not all members list a current email address and less than 60% of those that do, open emails from the Club on average. It's possible that Boat Buzz gets even less attention by our members than email blasts do. Less than 30% of our members use Boat Buzz (use as in leaving posts). Fewer than 9% have left 10 or more posts and less than 1% have replied to posts regarding Club management related items. To say that 50% of our members read Boat Buzz subjects at all may be a stretch.

So there's no way to "involve" all members in the election process, or any other Club related subject. It's simply not possible, and not necessary as long as the Club provides the value expected for the cost of membership. Selecting candidates that have the management skills to deliver these values is critical to the Club's future and are expected to be taken very seriously, even by the great silent majority. Their means of protesting is to simply not to renew.
Al
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Re: 2014 Election of Directors

Post by Don Vogt » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:01 am

Al, you are right that there are lots of challenges in running a club like ours. I think doing something along the lines I suggest will dispel completely the idea that there is a cabal trying to maintain control of the club. As we both know, in truth, clubs like ours are usually desperately looking for qualified people to help shoulder the burden. If the message is there, if people dont choose to read it, then they only have themselves to blame.
1938 Chris Craft 17' Deluxe Runabout "Jennifer II"

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