I am Paul Toth-NA4AR, a candidate for Southeastern Division Vice Director.
In the next few weeks, you will have an opportunity to help define the
future of Amateur Radio and the ARRL, an organization formed to represent
your interests in Amateur Radio. Here are four points to consider when
choosing your next Southeastern Division Vice Director.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership is more than just a title and a badge. Leadership is LISTENING to
the membership, listening to their needs, their desires, their goals and
ambitions and making them yours. Leadership is knowing how to set goals and
attain success through teamwork. Leadership is having the vision to help
shape the future and manage change responsibly.
This is the philosophy I currently employ as an Assistant Director and will
continue to use as your Vice Director. The Southeastern Division has enjoyed
remarkable success thanks to the outstanding teamwork Director Butler and
retiring Vice Director Gauzens have employed for so many years. I pledge to
continue this longstanding tradition because it works!
SERVICE
Some people would have you believe service is equated to longevity. Not so!
Service is using your skills, your talents and your leadership capabilities
to make a positive difference. As Section Emergency Coordinator, I helped
energize the ARES program in Northern NJ and rewrote the Section Emergency
Plan to serve the needs of the served agencies and communities there. When
TWA Flight 800 crashed off Long Island, I led a contingent of Hams from the
Garden State that provided needed communications support for the recovery
effort. And as an Assistant Director of the Hudson Division, I raised the
level of awareness about Amateur Radio inside and outside the hobby.
Shortly after moving to the Southeastern Division three and a half years
ago, I helped form the West Central Florida SKYWARN Group to better
coordinate Amateur Radio's commitment to this vital National Weather Service
program. Under my leadership, the NWS-TampaBay office is now equipped with
a state-of-the-art Amateur Radio station (WX4TBW) and utilizes a regional
repeater system made possible by the hams of West Central Florida.
When members on Florida's West Coast said they wanted more from the ARRL, I
led the successful campaign to form the West Central Florida Section and
continue to serve today as Assistant Section Manager.
When Hams throughout the State were denied Amateur Radio Callsign License
Plates, I worked with the State Division of Motor Vehicles to successfully
resolve the dispute.
As a SE Division Assistant Director, I continue to work with Director Frank
Butler on issues ranging from Spectrum Protection to modernization of our
hobby.
VISION
Amateur Radio faces some major challenges in the next few years. The
pervasive use of DEED RESTRICTIONS with most new housing developments,
including single family dwellings, threatens to displace Amateur Radio from
the American landscape. I am firmly opposed to the continued use of private
contract law to circumvent the "reasonable accommodation" provision of PRB-1
and will work to enable equal access for all Hams.
The current proposal to move commercial interests into the 2390-2400 MHz
Amateur Radio allocation is one more example of commercial pressures on our
spectrum assignments. An even more pervasive threat is the incursion of
unlicensed Part 15 operators, using everything from cordless phones to
broadband networking technology, on our assigned frequencies. In this case,
our best defense may be a good offense. That is why I am leading the West
Central Florida Wireless Network Task Force to get Amateur Radio operators
on the air under Part 97 rules. And I will work, as your Vice Director, to
help the ARRL National Task Force get similar results nationwide.
We cannot assure Amateur Radio and the ARRL a bright future without bringing
new operators into our hobby. Our success depends on a smarter, coordinated
approach. It's time we employed scientific methods to marketing Amateur
Radio, the ARRL what we have to offer. We need better coordination with our
Affiliated Clubs on candidate recruitment, training and testing. And we
need to expand our "post-licensing" Continuing Education program.
COMMITMENT
Evelyn Gauzens has left some mighty big shoes to fill. This Amateur Extra
is up to that challenge! Your support and your vote in this Fall's election
will be most appreciated. Together, we can make Amateur Radio's future a
bright one!
Want to know more? Just visit my website, http://www.qsl.net/na4ar. Or
write me at na4ar@arrl.net.
Looking forward to seeing you soon on the campaign trail, I remain
73!
Paul J. Toth-NA4AR
Assistant Director-ARRL Southeastern Division
West Central Florida SKYWARN Group (WX4TBW)
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