petition to hold open elections for the AMCA board

[KNUCK]

Rocky said in his one and only posting I have ever seen here that he hates computers . I believe that is an accurate quote.

I read the same thing. Sounds like we are going in the wrong direction, at the top position. Time to get in the 21 century.

[Greg H]

KNUCK, Indeed i think the ball is being dropped big time regarding the future.
Ok many members will never embrace the use of the internet , but younger folk do, question is where are they all certainly not on this forum i guess?
Could probably name the youngest in Ryan Mackey.
Great youth program great thread ,beyond that is there any follow up should be trying to grow the online setup( it`s payed for anyway) to link up the knowledge from an older generation before it`s lost to to future yet to be AMCA members.

[Paquette]

I really do not see a " next generation" in this organization unless it is fathers/mothers handing down their machines to their children who probably see them as something to sell to get the next best computer, x-box or whatever they are into these days. The days of hanging out with wrenches in the old greasy Harley/ Indian shops is well past. Hell, I cannot even find someone to pay the dues to aprentice with me in my business , instant gradification I do not do!!!! Kids these days just cannot afford ( or for that matter most adults) to get into this very expensive hobby. As the old guard continues to die out ( much like our WWII vets) I just do not have much hope . Now , with that said, how do we get off this BS and whinning jag and start looking to the future?--Michael--6671

[Edd]

Was anyone at Denton circulating this important petition?

Ed

[rwm]

Was anyone at Denton circulating this important petition?

Ed

no. there is timing in a void.

[Chris Haynes]

no. there is timming in a void.

Timming???

[Lonnie]

Probably too grumfulous.

[Pete Gagan]

Gentlemen:
Read what Dr. Sprocket has to say. He is a wise man.
It is all very well to want open elections, etc., but consider that anyone can choose to apply for board positions if they wish. Sure, they are vetted by the existing board, but there are very few applications. I note that most of the complainers on this forum have never opted to step forward.
Running the club is like running a business. The right people have to be chosen. Consider, for example, that a secretary should probably have be able to write legibly, and be literate. A treasurer should probably know how to add and subtract, and maybe even have some basic accounting skills. The chief judge also might have to know a bit about motorcycles. The president in particular, should have public relations skills above all else, and be able to communicate and manage the rest of the board. Sure, we don't always get the ideal people, but as I say, very few actually want to do a job that takes a lot of time, doesn't pay, and someimes takes a lot of flak. If it is an old boy's network, maybe it's because only the old boys have the time and experience to do the job.
I also have seen a lot about "our money". It is not our money, it is the club's. It doesn't belong to the members, or the board, but the club. We are a not for profit company, and always have been, so none of us have any vested interest. You pay your dues to belong and get the benefits, period. If the benefits aren't worthwhile, you drop out. It's up to the board to make them worthwhile.
I wanted to open the options for open elections when I was president, but it went nowhere. If we opened it up, who would step up to the plate? I wonder.....
Pete Gagan

[Paps]

Those running for an office position would need to convince the membership of their qualifications in holding said office Pete. A resume if I may say.... paps

[Chris Haynes]

The president in particular, should have public relations skills above all else, and be able to communicate and manage the rest of the board.

Then why doesn't our President participate in this forum? I have never had any communication from our current President. The only thing I have heard about his public relation skills is him screaming at someone and acting like a thug. I see how he has chosen to manage/mismanage our Board.

[Ohio-Rider]

Chris, When you do get an opportunity to meet the club president, I hope you get treated better than I did last year when I attempted to say hi to him. First impressions can say a lot about a man and what he stands for.

[RichO]

The President ?

I've known Rocky (why not use his name here?) for quite a few years. We've ridden on many national road runs and conversed at many national meets. as a business man he's always tried to do right by his customers, a good family man, friend to many, and a good officer and board member for many years. The death of his business partner and long time friend I would imagine as taken a heavy toll. He doesn't need me to defend him or his actions here. Through 30 years in the AMCA I have always played the devil's advocate. Rocky as I do see this forum as more of a techinal assistant for our club than a political insturment. Very few from my contacts throughout the club (and they are many) gripe about lack of information or mismanagement of the club by the board or the President. When i was on the board, though only a short time I'll grant you, I seen the politics and their effects up close and personal. I could write volumes on it but to what purpose. I hear one of the judges that was remove of his duties (his words) crying like a stuck hog (some pun intended) when maybe it was just deemed his serviced were no longer required as mine weren't. I hear a lot of people make judgments about processes, people, and actions on this forum who have no information, half the information, or the wrong information. And about things they have no control or need control over. Assumptions just make an ass out of you and me. My two cents, well earned.

[Lonnie]

In regard to the comment that in an open election situation that candidates would need to post a resume, that is exactly the case in CORSA.
In CORSA, the BOD is divided up with one director per district, the US and other countries being so divided. Elections are staggered, each candidate posts a resume listing his credentials in an issue of the monthly magazine that is devoted primarily to the upcoming elections. If you are in that district, determined by your postal code (Zipcode), you can vote for the candidate of your choice in that district. Votes are collected and please note that a minority of the members in any given district go to the trouble to vote, which is pretty typical in any organization. Winner becomes the board member. Existing board members compete with anyone else desiring the post. There are no term limits that I am aware of.

CORSA = Corvair Society of America. Hey, they're air-cooled!!

It works well and CORSA is quite well-run, though expenses are outstripping income at this point. Major expense is the magazine as is the case in our club.

[fillibuster]

In regard to the comment that in an open election situation that candidates would need to post a resume, that is exactly the case in CORSA.
In CORSA, the BOD is divided up with one director per district, the US and other countries being so divided. Elections are staggered, each candidate posts a resume listing his credentials in an issue of the monthly magazine that is devoted primarily to the upcoming elections. If you are in that district, determined by your postal code (Zipcode), you can vote for the candidate of your choice in that district. Votes are collected and please note that a minority of the members in any given district go to the trouble to vote, which is pretty typical in any organization. Winner becomes the board member. Existing board members compete with anyone else desiring the post. There are no term limits that I am aware of.

CORSA = Corvair Society of America. Hey, they're air-cooled!

It works well and CORSA is quite well-run, though expenses are outstripping income at this point. Major expense is the magazine as is the case in our club.

(replies still don't post, so must use quote. help, kval?)

Pete Gagan has reminded us that few have expressed interest in the chores of leadership. We have to reckon with that. The time is now for a candidate to propose the procedure, petition for it at Davenport, campaign for the job, and assume duties. 3 months to go. Go for it. No takers and we'll survive with the status quo.
Didn't we hear (read) that Rocky will end his term this winter?
I would hope that an open election becomes no great inconvenience, as I am fairly happy with our club, save for a few disagreements that are huge to some members.

Any bets on how long it takes for someone to say, "I'll be your next AMCA president"?

[gmarakas]

Pete, you raise an important issue...who will step up to the plate?

And Rich, you raise an important point...too many assumptions and lack of information cause a lot of useless dialogue.

Let's consider these two points together. Regardless of the facts surrounding who yelled at who or who fired who, one fact is clear -- there is no plate to step up to. The Board runs this club as their fiefdom. I'm sure they honestly believe they are acting in the best interests of the club but unless they have been elected to do so by the majority at large, they do not represent anyone other than the other members of the fiefdom who appointed them. I believe an open election process would generate a whole lot of people who would step up and take their turn helping our club grow and prosper. I have no problem with any of our board members, per se. My problem is with the process by which they claim to be "our board." With the current system, this claim is unfounded and simply impossible to achieve no matter how good your intentions are.

As far as factual information, the lack of transparency renders this impossible. A member needs permit to even view the board proceedings. Perhaps a little sunshine on the board would allow for more, and better, information to be soaked up by the membership.

This new rules thing is a perfect example. We are being told by our benefactors what is right and wrong and how we will conduct ourselves. Our new Chief Judge is a good man with good intentions who simply does not have the experience to manage this position. No matter. He was appointed into the fiefdom and there he shall rule.

I hear a lot of people suggesting that we stop talking about the bad things and remember all of the good things. Let's remember the good things! Let's also remember that good things do not need any fixing. That's how we know they are good. Telling a patient that she has pretty eyes, a nice smile, and a good heart means little when she has a brain tumor. We can't fix all of the good things -- and there are admittedly many of them. We can, however, fix the bad ones and the discontent of the membership is there for all to see. Discontent is not dysfunctional. It means something is wrong that needs to be corrected. Like our lack of democracy and good 'ol boy governance system.