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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Mar 23, 2007 15:56:40 GMT -5
I received my 2007 Director's Election Ballot in the mail today. Note: We will be able to cast votes for five (5) candidates this year, due to John LaMar Cole being appointed as an interim director in 2006. The four (4) candidates receiving the highest number of votes this year will fill the four full, three-year terms and the fifth highest vote recipient will serve a one year term (the remainder of Cheryl Jones' original term, which expires in 2008). The candidates listed for 2007 are: Gary Bush - Ohio John LaMar Cole - Kentucky (appointed as interim director in 2006 when Cheryl Jones became OVP) Kenneth C. Jones - Pennsylvania Joe E. Levinson - New Jersey (incumbent up for re-election) Bill Liebman - West Virginia/California (incumbent up for re-election) Bob Rodgers - New Mexico J. Kevin Smith - Alabama (incumbent up for re-election) Debra S. Young - Florida Thanks to all of the candidates for being willing to volunteer their time and efforts. I just checked and current candidate platforms are not online yet, but here is the link to read the platforms of the candidates when they are posted: www.caves.org/committee/nominating/Platforms.htmThanks to Montana Spencer for her efficient work rounding up candidates, preparing ballots, and mailing the ballots in a timely fashion as the NSS Nominating Committee Chair. (Candidates are listed in alphabetical order because I like it that way. ;D)
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Brian Roebuck
Site Admin
Caver
Caving - the one activity that really brings you to your knees!
Posts: 2,732
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Post by Brian Roebuck on Mar 24, 2007 5:57:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up Sharon. It'll be helpful when I decide how to vote!
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Mar 25, 2007 12:05:45 GMT -5
No problem Brian. Here is a message Montana Spencer, NSS Nominating Committee Chairman, sent out today: Greetings Cavers, This is a courtesy e-mail to let you know this year's election ballot mailing went out Wednesday, March 21st. You should start seeing them arrive in your mailboxes very soon. Should you, or another caver you know, *not* receive your ballot in a couple weeks, please feel free to contact me so that I may send you a replacement ballot. Deadline for *receipt* (not postmark) of cast ballots is May 31, 2007. This allows over two months for you to cast your vote and mail it in! Please take the time to read the ballot submissions and contact the candidates for additional conversation regarding their platforms or to have any questions answered. You may find Director candidate contact information (and additional information regarding the election process) on our website: www.caves.org/committee/nominating or by looking them up in the NSS Members Manual. You may also find voting statistics by state listed on our website. If your region is not represented on the Board, perhaps it's because your fellow members are not voting. Please take the time to vote now! Encourage your fellow NSS members to vote as well. Thank you for taking an active role in YOUR society by choosing those who represent you on the Board. Montana Autumn Spencer NSS Nominating Committee Chairman cavrbab@earthlink.net NSS MM pg36 Please feel free to forward and/or print this notice in its entirety to any caving forum or publication.
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Post by Azurerana on Mar 25, 2007 13:07:11 GMT -5
No problem Brian. Here is a message Montana Spencer, NSS Nominating Committee Chairman, sent out today: <snip> You may also find voting statistics by state listed on our website. If your region is not represented on the Board, perhaps it's because your fellow members are not voting. Please take the time to vote now! Encourage your fellow NSS members to vote as well.<snip> Montana Autumn Spencer Nope. My region is not often represented on the board because a) regional cavers go caving because it is cheap, and most do not have the funds/time off from work to jet around the country for meetings and b) when we do elect someone from our region to the BOG, they are so seriously out of step with the national NSS (not the regional cavers) that they can never get anyone to agree with them on proposals, and they take an awful lot of grief to make very little progress in the direction which the regional cavers would like. Life is just easier all around to avoid national NSS politics.
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Post by madratdan on Mar 26, 2007 9:06:18 GMT -5
Hey, I noticed that eight people have put there platforms on the website. Too bad more people don't vote. When I first started, I didn't vote either. I'm going to try and encourage my grotto members to vote at this next meeting. Voting is good........but it is hard to vote for a stranger on the limited information in their platform statement. Luckly the NSS is a small enough group that it isn't too hard to get to know a director or two. For some reason I feel like the Forest Gump of caving when it comes to caving with BNC's. Heck, I even had the extreme privilage of leading Ron Kerbo on a trip into Cave of the Winds! (Did more listening than leading, I can assure you.)
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Mar 28, 2007 19:50:44 GMT -5
Well, I'll be voting and I would encourage others to vote also. I do keep up with NSS politics, but I can understand that it is not for everyone. Tho, I do believe folks can vote without becoming too bogged down in the politics (pun intended ;D). I agree with this. While I found it easy to come up with a short list of candidates from the 2007 ballot, it is not as simple to decide between the "newer" or non-incumbent candidates with the limited information provided. I would have liked to have heard more from Bob Rodgers and Debra Young in particular.
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Apr 25, 2007 9:00:53 GMT -5
A friendly reminder from Montana Spencer to get your Director's Ballot returned for counting. ------------------------------------- Greetings, Cavers, This year's election mailing was sent 5 weeks ago and I hope everyone is in receipt of theirs by now. Deadline for *receipt* (not postmark) of cast ballots is May 31, 2007 which means you still have plenty of time to vote and mail back the ballot (just over 5 weeks yet). If you meant to vote and laid your election mailing aside, now is the time to ruffle through the pile and read through the bios and platforms. Director candidate contact information (and additional information regarding the election process) is found on our website: www.caves.org/committee/nominating. Return ballots are still arriving in a steady stream, but to date only about 1200 have been received. Surely we can improve our election participation this year! Please remember to remind your fellow NSS members to vote during your grotto, section, and survey meetings. Thank you for exercising your right to vote by helping choose our society's leadership. Montana Autumn Spencer NSS Nominating Committee Chairman cavrbab@earthlink.net NSS MM pg36 Please feel free to forward and/or print this notice in its entirety to any caving forum or publication.
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on May 13, 2007 22:10:33 GMT -5
Just a reminder---If you haven't already returned your 2007 NSS Director Ballot, think about looking over the candidate platforms and doing so now. Thanks Sharon
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on May 18, 2007 20:37:22 GMT -5
A message from Montana Spencer, Chair of the Nominating Committee. ----------------------------- Greetings Cavers, We are closing in on the May 31st deadline for receipt of cast NSS Election ballots. If you wanted to vote in this year's election, now is the time to do so. I am sorry to report that ballot receipt has slowed to a drizzle in the last couple weeks which doesn't reflect a very high interest in the Society nor shows that you have a preference for who does the decision making and implementation of new policies which affect you, the members, and perhaps the caves and karst you visit. If you wish for a volunteer Board that shares your opinions about the future and direction of caving and the NSS, then please take the time to vote and mail in your ballot today. Thank you to those of you who have already exercized your right to vote! Montana Montana Autumn Spencer NSS Nominating Committee Chairman NSS MM pg36 www.caves.org/committee/nominatingThis message may be copied and published in its entirety to any caving publication or forum.
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jun 13, 2007 22:31:45 GMT -5
Announcement of the 2007 NSS Election Results from Montana Spencer: Dear Fellow Cavers, I am announcing the results of the 2007 NSS Board Election with votes cast accordingly: Gary Bush...............OH..........978 John LaMar Cole... KY........1112 Ken Jones...............PA...........467 Joe Levinson...........NJ..........683 Bill Liebman............WV/CA...1180 Bob Rodgers...........NM...........721 J Kevin Smith...........AL............757 Debra Young............FL............955 The four Directors filling the three-year terms are: Gary Bush, John LaMar Cole, Bill Liebman, and Debra Young. J Kevin Smith will fill the one one-year term. All newly elected Directors begin their terms on Monday, July 23rd. Please join me in congratulating them. Also we extend our gratitude to our outgoing Directors, Joe Levinson and Bern Szukalski, for their years of service to the Society. The membership will be officially notified in the Society News section of the August NSS News. Thank you for your participation and interest in the 2007 NSS Board election. Respectfully Submitted, Montana Autumn Spencer, 41155RL NSS Nominating Committee Chairman 260 982 7792 cavrbab@earthlink.net www.caves.org/committee/nominating This announcement may be copied in its entirety to any caving publication or forum.
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