[SCCC] Upcoming ARRL Election

[Marty Woll]

To my fellow Southwestern Division ARRL Members:

 

You will soon be receiving your ballots for the Southwestern Division Director election.  As that time approaches, I would like to ask two things of you.

 

First, please do vote!  Incredibly, two-thirds or more of the members eligible to vote typically do not bother to do so.  This is true across the entire country at both Division and Section levels, year in and year out.  More than most organizations, ARRL policies and direction are shaped by its Board of Directors.  Also unlike most other non-profit organizations, the membership both nominates the candidates and chooses the Directors.  This is as close to a true democracy as any large membership organization gets, and it's a shame that more of our members do not take advantage of the opportunity to participate.  A strong turnout in this election will let everyone know that Southwestern Division Hams do care about the League and will give added weight to the positions advocated by your representatives to its Board.

 

Second and equally important, I ask that you cast your vote for our incumbent Director Dick Norton N6AA.  Even having known Dick for close to forty years and being aware of his many remarkable accomplishments, I was not prepared for what I saw once I was given the privilege of serving as your Vice-Director three years ago.  Dick is a unique and critical force on the ARRL Board.  Contrary to what a few have suggested, he is not a protected or favored insider.  Rather, he is a strong voice - and sometimes the lone voice - for principle-driven, carefully thought out positions on issues facing the League and Amateur Radio as a whole.  Sometimes that means he is the burr in the collective saddle, but even then he has demonstrated the ability to convince many of those who had not previously considered the points he makes and to turn the tide on a decision.

 

In a private e-mail to me, the long-time Director of another Division told me, "Dick brings some needed thinking to the Board."  I couldn't agree more.  Dick is the most consistent and committed advocate for the strict exercise of fiduciary responsibility over League assets and for management accountability to the Board.  Despite his own depth of knowledge in many areas, he does not hesitate to tap the expertise available within and outside our membership to provide the best information possible during the Board's decision-making process.  He knows the power of a collective volunteer effort, and he is constantly lobbying for the League to make better use of that volunteer power in non-traditional ways for the benefit of the members. 

 

The position of Director demands critical thinking, business acumen, a strong sense of fairness, the ability to digest new information quickly and a willingness to stand up for what's right rather than go along with the crowd.  Dick Norton possesses all those qualities in a measure that's often hard to find these days.

 

I join with our past Southwestern Division Directors in giving Dick Norton my strongest endorsement.  Please cast your ballot for N6AA when you receive it.

 

Thank you and 73,

 

Marty Woll N6VI