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BCA 2012-2013 Officers


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At the 2012 Buick Club of America National Meet the newly elected Board of Directors were sat and officers were elected by the BOD. The new Officers of the Buick Club of America are

President: Rick Young

Vice President: Kevin Kinney

Treasurer: Bill Stoneberg

Secretary: Jerry Courson

I'm sure Rick will do a great job in his return to the role. I’ve enjoyed the past year as President and will continue to serve as a Board of Director for the next three years after just being re-elected. Hopefully I’ll be able to return to the role of President in the future. Thank you for all you do for the Buick Club of America.

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Brian,

I personally will say that you have done a fine job as President and it was great to speak with you, face to face at Hershey last year. I also look for great things to continue happening within our great organization. We all are depending on the board to help direct us where and how we need to move forward. Matt

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You have done a phenomenal job as President, Brian! I am sorry to hear you were not re-elected. Your leadership and enthusiasm is what the club really needs. I hope you will be coming back as our president next year! In the mean time, I am sure Rick will do a great job! you will be missed though!

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You have done a phenomenal job as President, Brian! I am sorry to hear you were not re-elected. Your leadership and enthusiasm is what the club really needs. I hope you will be coming back as our president next year! In the mean time, I am sure Rick will do a great job! you will be missed though!

X2...one class act!

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You have done a phenomenal job as President, Brian! I am sorry to hear you were not re-elected. Your leadership and enthusiasm is what the club really needs. I hope you will be coming back as our president next year! In the mean time, I am sure Rick will do a great job! you will be missed though!

very well said. I too hope he will be back. Hell, he was just gettin started good and had accomplished much.

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
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Guest BigDogDaddy

I agree too ! :) Brian, you have done an excellent job as president. I enjoyed meeting you at Danvers. I hope to see you return as president too.

And Good Luck to all the new officers and board members.

Phil

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Thanks Ben, Lamar, and Phil.

As for returning only time will tell, if the BOD wants me back and life's situations agree I'll be back. If they don't or I have something going that I feel the BCA would be better served by another individual in the role, then I won't. But regardless I still help my fellow Buick friends however I can.

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Brian,

Every time a contribution came from you in the Bugle, this forum, or other interaction your energy and commitment have always been obvious. Good Luck. I hope to see you in South Bend........ Of course you know a tag like 38 Buick 80C puts you in the best graces, anyway. ;)

Bernie

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Guest my3buicks

Brian, I am sorry to see that you will no longer retain the role as President of the BCA - while I am still happy you are on the board, I can't help but think you not retaining the President position will be a backward step for the BCA - I thought under your watch the BCA was under leadership heading in a direction other than same old, same old, a fresh outlook.

We all know (or many of us know) how politics play a role in the running of the BCA - I hope you not retaining the Presidents position wasn't caused by the "BCA mafia" at work again, but I suspect that is the case. Many good people with agenda's, idea's or that asked questions that didn't meet with the approval of the "mafia" are in your same shoes.

Ask for our support when it comes time to put the BCA back on track and you will have it!!!

Thanks for a great job Brian!!!!

Here we go, back to same old same old!!

Edited by my3buicks (see edit history)
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Brian, I am sorry to see that you will no longer retain the role as President of the BCA - while I am still happy you are on the board, I can't help but think you not retaining the President position will be a backward step for the BCA - I thought under your watch the BCA was under leadership heading in a direction other than same old, same old, a fresh outlook.

We all know (or many of us know) how politics play a role in the running of the BCA - I hope you not retaining the Presidents position wasn't caused by the "BCA mafia" at work again, but I suspect that is the case. Many good people with agenda's, idea's or that asked questions that didn't meet with the approval of the "mafia" are in your same shoes.

Ask for our support when it comes time to put the BCA back on track and you will have it!!!

Thanks for a great job Brian!!!!

Here we go, back to same old same old!!

Keith

Please leave it alone. If Brian has enough class to not point blame, wealso should not. Something you can do: contact the board members and find out what their position is/was on this matter or any matter you are interested in. If their position does not match yours, don't reward them with a second term on the board.

Willie

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A bit strange, don`t you think?

BOD votes

Brian Clark 415

Brian DePouli 877

Keith Horsfall 445

Chuck Kerls 393

Mike Middleton 393

John Scheib 299

Dick Sweeney 410(Appointed to a 2YR filling the remainder of a vacated term)

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Guest my3buicks
Keith

Please leave it alone. If Brian has enough class to not point blame, wealso should not. Something you can do: contact the board members and find out what their position is/was on this matter or any matter you are interested in. If their position does not match yours, don't reward them with a second term on the board.

Willie

Willie, Why leave it alone ? ? ? - that is the problem, to many people leave it alone and don't make their feelings known. You would be amazed in just the short time since I made this post how many people have contacted me agreeing - but as I said, sadly most don't make their true feeling heard - they keep it hidden.

Yes, Brian handled it with class - I am not so tackful and I guess left my "class" at the door where there needs to be a bar brawl.

Things in the BCA need a shakeup. If it get's people talking, thinking or doing, then I am glad I am not "leaving it alone"

Edited by my3buicks (see edit history)
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I believe the discussion is relevant and requires an accounting.

1st, a standing BCA President is afforded the courtesy of a 2nd term if for no other reason then many of the programs and ideas unique to that President require more then 12 months to fully implement.

Regardless, a standing BCA President should only be voted out IF there is overwhelming evidence of corruption or disintegration of the role of the President. To my knowledge, and to the knowledge of everyone else, there has been none.

As Bob Coker noted, Brian D. received over double the votes from the next BOD candidate and ALL present candidates were highly qualified and passionate BCA members. So, if for no other reason then this sample, the present BOD members should have voted as a reflection of the membership’s wishes.

Willie mentions that although the decision to remove OUR PRESIDENT was not desired by ANY of the membership we should “just leave it alone.” I respect Willie a lot, and although he doesn’t remember me, I remember him as the 1st BCA member I spoke with at the Rochester MN National meet. That friendliness is the key tothe BCA’s success, so I hope Willie will allow me to comment on this subject.

The issue with why this subject needs reviewed is primarily due to the actions that brought it about and the intent of the 3 people that orchestrated it. Their intent is to change the by-laws and the rules to favor their agenda.

If we do as Willie mentions, leaving it alone, then this will result in changes to the organization that can not be easily retracted. The 1ststep was thus – removal of Mr. Depouli as President and bringing in one of the 3 orchestrators as President for the purpose of green-lighting implementation of their agenda.

If we wait and vote the ones who voted to remove our choice as President without at least a dissenting comment, then the apathy speaks volumes. This would simply embolden those responsible for the coup.

In fact, no BOD member voiced any issue during the meeting against this position.

1st vote resulted in a tie,wherein this lead to an extended period of secret ballots which lead to a return to a President that expressed no prior interest in the position, as he had served in that capacity.

It is my position that each BOD member present and having voted come onto the forum, onto this post and declare who they voted for and why. IF the votes add up to a plurality for Brian, then the Books should be terminated immediately from their role as the BCA Office.

One need only look at the last published meetings minutes from February 2012 to see what was starting to take place. I believe all interested parties should go to the BCA main website and read the minutes. You will note a passage wherein someone recommends Bill Stoneberg be allowed a position as the club’s permanent Treasurer.

You will also note the frequency of the mention of the name Mike (Mike Book). Finally, you will read that several chapters have gone defunct and are to be removed from the roster.

First of all, it is not in the best interest of the club to have a permanent Treasurer. This is a voluntary interest driven (love of Buicks) club, not a government. While Mr. Stoneberg has done an excellent job as Treasurer, there are a lot of people just as capable as he is. When he started, I am sure prior Treasurers advised him and assisted initially.

In fact, one could make the argument - do we want all the Treasurer eggs in one basket? How many times have you seen organizations fall into disrepute and financial issues because of the power being given toone individual?

One need look no further then the ROA (Riviera Owners Assoc) when Sean Cahill took over complete management of the club finances and it took years to undo the corruption and neglect.

I do not believe Bill Stoneberg would ever allow that but that is entirely beside the point. This is a club, and someone else needs to step forward and Bill can pass along his knowledge and move on. As it stands now, Bill S. is out of time on the BOD (after this present term).

However, the removal of OUR PRESIDENT is key at this juncture. There is language in the February BOD meeting which alludes to Bill’s role which can only be implemented with a favorable BOD alignment.

Now that the alignment is in place, will Rick Young, Mike Book and Bill Stoneberg set up a permanent role for Bill as Treasurer including a salary and voting rights? The BOD meeting mentions this, assigns the possible role as voluntary but with an expenses allowance.

Expenses allowance. Does that mean Bill gets a free ride on the BCA dime to all future BCA Nationals? Does he get the power of the purse to decide what the BCA spends money on? This could be an abuse of power that could only come about with the orchestration by RickYoung, Bill Stoneberg and Mike Book to gain control of the BOD in this critical year.

After this year, it would have been too late. I don't beleive for a second it is coincidence.

So Willie, while we can vote out the BOD members that orchestrated this coup, we can not as easily change the direction of the club they intend to implement. Please keep in mind that most of the present BOD were elected without opposition. Only Brian D saw fit to increase the candidate pool to give the membership real options.

Why didn’t Rick Young or other BOD members bring this subject up? In my opinion because they saw an opportunity to “stack the deck”and in fact, they have. And it worked. It remains to be seen if the new members will exhibit real courage and vote against the “lifetime” appointment of Bill S and the Books to increasingly powerful behind the scenes influence.

They believe they are the club, essentially, by how they voted and how they manipulated the end game.

I challenge the BOD members, many of whom are forum members – to come on this forum, this post and announce how you voted, why you voted that way. While I understand the voting was in secret and you do not have to declare your vote, this is a voluntary, not for profit “fun” club that should not have any of this BS happening and so what do YOU have to hide? Wouldn't you agree Rick, Bill, etc.?

Bill Stoneberg? Rick Young? Kevin Kinney MarkLob, Chuck, Kris, etc

Finally, the club needs to distance themselves from the Books. Mike and Nancy Book run a business 1st and are BCA (andCadillac LaSalle Club) members 2nd. They know who butters their bread. I would hasten to bet that Mike Book, Bill Stoneberg and Rick Young have had more BCA conversations this past year then they have had conference callswith the entire BOD’s.

The Books have control over the National meet selection process. (As the National Coordinators-see the meeting notes)

The Books have control over the Regions and Chapters. (As National Coordinators)

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Books get paid a stipend forthese additional duties when in fact they should go to volunteers. John Schieb,who is retired and infinitely capable, should be called and asked to be theNational Chapter and Regions Coordinator.

The Books are far too busy to do these roles. Are the Book’s good people with a genuine interest in the club? Perhaps. But Mike Book is intimately involved in the outcome of the recent election and the reason is money and influence. Are you going to side with Brian and reform, or with 2 guys you are entirely beholden to and who will pay you?

The bottom line is that the club is not well served by the BCA President election of Rick Young. In my opinion, and the opinion of many, the BOD needs to explain their decision sooner rather then later.

Otherwise, if the membership continues with an apathetic position, all you are doing is allowing these 3 individuals to determine important decisions for the club that will influence the club direction for years. That is why we use this forum to make comments. I have called Rick, Bill and Mike out but have not made personal comments calling them names.I am saying they have agendas, agendas which are contrary to the core requests from the BCA membership that Brian DePouli be allowed a 2nd term. We have facts, guys and gals, that are indisputable and we have a “secret” Soviet style back room election that requires vetting. What's the harm, if there is nothing to hide?

As to what some have told me that perhaps Brian did not have the time to devote to the role this is without merit. 1st of all, every BOD candidates “stump speech” involves “attracting the youth”. Now, we get a bright, articulate, issues driven younger candidate in place and the BOD votes him out??

Please keep in mind that less then 1% of the membership is active in this forum. This message will not reach a majority of BCA members. Instead, you have a group of members, many new members that were brought in by the informative and impassioned President’s messages from Brian and all those that voted for him by a 2 to 1 margin in the last election – who will now wonder “what happened”? This can not be good for the retention of new members.

Edited by BJM (see edit history)
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Guest my3buicks

Fantastic post, right to the true heart and meat of the issue. This exact letter/post needs to be expedited into the next Buick under letters to the editir. Bravo!!

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BJM,

I dont give a damn what you think. I had no hand with what happened.

My goal is to help the BCA and to watch finances.

If I am not appointed as treasuerer or do not accept it I am fine with that.

Yes, I talk to Mike and Nancy because of my position. I try to avoid the politics of the club because I hate that crap.

BTW, I had no vote in the matter.

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as Chairman of The Buick Performance Group I will say that I have had many productive conversations in regards to combining events in the future with the BPG and the BCA with Brian.Will this continue as we had proposed a combined event in 2014, It seems to me and the BPG that the BCA wanted to expand and join other groups such as the BPG and the GSCA to promote Buick's and the fun that they are. He was a breath of fresh air in the BCA. IMHO opinion this is a step back as Brian was looking to expand the BCA incorporating other groups that love Buick's into National Events that would include the BCA.. In the grand scheme the Buick brand is the least recognized of the GM brands. Sometimes you need to look outside the Box and Brian was doing that...I hope that the BCA and the BPG can continue to grow..and Promote Buick's and fun

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I will add: it was a shock to hear Brian was not re-elected. In a voluntary organization, where someone is in the position, and expresses a desire to remain in the position, it seems odd that the person is voted out. But I am certain there is a reason for the action. Sure do wish I had made it to this board meeting as a spectator though.

In my opinion, Brian was very good at reaching out to the Chapters and promoting their importance to this club. As a Chapter Director I felt at ease working with Brian. He made a specific effort to update the Chapter Directors with relevant and timely information. Updating Chapter information and deleting inactive Chapters is commendable. Not much worse for membership than to reach out to a Chapter Director who no longer responds.

While I would like to know what went on, I respect that this information was held to this room and will await the official minutes.

Meanwhile I wish the new BOD officers good luck, and hope that the trend of keeping the Chapters out in front remains part of the BCA agenda.

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]144602[/ATTACH]

(What OTHER items does Old-Tank have saved on his computer??)

With all due respect, some good points have been mentioned. But perhaps we need to let the engine return to "base idle" for a while, so to speak.

First, there seems to be an overwhelming sentiment to have new people everywhere, even in political office. "New Ideas", it's claimed. "No more long-term people", where experience is now a negative attribute, even for activities where experience and knowing "how things work" can be key to acheiving credible results.

Back in 1996, a younger (relatively speaking) group of new officers came to the BCA BOD. The result of a strong initiative to get youth onto the BOD. Yep, that concern of "No young people to keep the BCA alive" was active back then, too. That younger BOD President (and others) did bring some new ideas and orientations to the BCA BOD, as did later BOD Presidents for several years. But there were "issues" with what these younger people desired to accomplish . . . and why. We DID get past that rough time to emerge a somewhat better organization. When Brian was elected, I had flashbacks to those earlier times and the issues from back then. Luckily, this time, everything worked very nicely! Brian might have had a LOT of sticks in the fire, but he seemed to get them all attended to very nicely. PROGRESS was made in many areas, which I believe everybody would thank him for. The key factor is that these projects and activities be continued into the future, lest the efforts expended to get them to where they were (prior to the BOD elections) be wasted.

After seeing the BOD election returns, I was surprised that it appeared that Brian received many more votes than other candidates did. I would take that as "A Favorable Approval Rating" and a membership desire that Brian serve another term as BOD President. I also know that it's the BOD members who divy-up their functions among themselves each term. Some want other functions while others can pickup new functions. I wasn't there so I can't speak to any suspicions why Brian wasn't re-elected BOD President, considering the vote totals . . . IF the vote totals might mean anything at all.

Second, in the world of car clubs there are some officer positions which need a good deal of stability through the years. One of those positions is Treasurer. Having been a car club Treasurer, several times in the same club, I can certainly say that things change in the world of banking from time to time AND staying up with these changes can be very important to the club organization. I'm not sure what "magic" Mr. Stoneberg might have worked, but it obviously made a favorable impression on the BOD for them to consider keeping him around as an appointed Treasurer after his elected term on the BOD expires. When I heard of this, before reading the minutes posted on the BCA website, my main concern was whether or not he would be "a contractor" (with a bidded salary) or "an appointee" (with no voting priviledges, but could provide input at the BOD's pleasure). In my inquiry on this matter, I was informed of the latter . . . as stated in the Feb, 2012 BOD Conference Call meeting. With my knowledge of being a car club Treasurer, I have no problems with the stated current situation of Mr. Stoneberg being an appointed BCA Treasurer.

Experience is ALSO needed in National Meet Planning! Until you've been a part of site selection and meet event planning (I was involved in both of the BCA National Meets our North Texas Chapter hosted, 1996 and 2004, being advised of initial site selection and later planning functions, as a member of these groups). Plus, from our research group's findings of how much different locales differed in MANY areas relating to accomodations, lodging rates, comped things, I can certainly say that a significant learning curve MUST be endured to get the best deals! Having one group of meet planners look at these things, knowing how much bargaining power they might have in specific areas can be an extremely KEY item in getting the best rates and having the best meet experience for the membership attending these meets. There are many differences in costs in different parts of the country, plus differences in meet accomodations. ONLY if you have a single group looking at these contracts and making these "deals", can the BCA get the best bang for their buck in this area. Having the BCA National Meets already scheduled this far in advance is a first in BCA history! From what I read in the Feb, 2012 Minutes, some great deals have been struck with the CVBs! Another area where EXPERIENCE pays off!

For quite some time, I've known that Mike and Nancy work for other national single-marque car clubs, as office managers. I've considered this a little "strange", but also knew there could be some positives to it, too. Since the later 1980s, I've been involved in other car clubs, too. I've used a good deal of what I learned in those involvements to help our North Texas Chapter be as good as it has become, with all due respect, through the combined work of our chapter's officers over the years and how all of this dove-tails with the chapter membership. I also looked at what other clubs were doing (in particular areas) and pondered if WE could do something similar or more fine-tuned to our membership's orientations and desires. This resulted in proposals being made and further fine-tuned (if needed) after an open discussion with the membership at meetings. In other words, as many of our members are also members in other car clubs, too, a much larger information base exists from which possible actions or decisions can be made which better benefits OUR membership -- EACH car club group, even with similar vehicle enthusiasms, are unique entities unto themselves. Trying to get one group to do exactly what another groups does/did can lead to trouble, by observation.

As the Feb 2012 Minutes clearly illustrated (re: e-Bugle initiation), the network possibilities of our BCA Office Managers is much greater than if they did not have these other involvements. I'm NOT concerned which brand of vehicle they might like the best. I'm concerned that they leverage these other involvements against the needs and orientations of the BCA for the BEST OVERALL RESULT for the BCA -- period. In that respect, I feel they've done a very good job!

"Experience"? Yes, there are some areas where experience IS needed AND a certain level of continuity in some key car club officer positions NEEDS to be maintained for the better overall good of the organizational entity. These are my observations, which y'all can feel free to agree or disagree with, which I fully respect. And, Yes, I know enough about "learning curves" to know that we need politicians with some political experience to run our national affairs, lest we get a bunch of "newbies" (with all due respect) who have no real interest of sticking around very long and end up causing more harm than good, PLUS having the distinct opportunity of being mentored by "the wrong people", which can cause other problems. Similar things exist in any organization, by observation.

Second, I'm not going to entertain any "conspiracy theories" as many of these things can be PURE "point of reference" situations . . . and all that can imply and include. Still, though, "private agendas" can exist AND they will usually reveal themselves over time, by observation. It might not be soon, but usually are "later". Many times, when I see "screaming and hollerin'" about something, I'll step back a little to consider the whole scene I might be seeing. Then you look at who's hollerin' and why. Usually, when I get to the third level below "the obvious", points of view and related points of reference will be revealed which usually go a long way in explaining what's going on on the surface.

Third, as the BCA BOD is elected by the membership (even with very few total candidates), the membership's majority (of those voting) result in what WE get. WE trust the BOD members to make decisions and otherwise manage the BCA in the organizaton's best interest, short term and long term. BUT, the membership needs to have capabilities of monitoring the BOD's past and future actions via BCA BOD Meeting Minutes. I also commend Brian for sending out the BOD's Meeting Agenda for the National Meet BOD Meeting! I certainly hope this continues in a time frame which will allow me to inform our chapter members of what the BCA's considering doing such that, if desired, our chapter members can relay their feelings and orientations on these proposed actions to myself (as chapter director) to relay to the BOD or for them to relay these things to the BOD members directly. Thanks, again, Brian! What's important is that the membership has the knowledge of AND opportunity to make these contributions to the BCA BOD's decision-making process, whether this tool is utilized or not.

Over the past decade or so, the BCA BOD has streamlined the way they operate. Some of these things might speed-up the decision making process, but some of these things might also give the impression that the BOD operates more "in private" than "in public". How? Alleged e-mail exchanges and discussions which have allegedly resulted in decisions being made. An observed problem is that when boards who might operate this way don't treat these communications as "official business", rather than more informal communications among themselves, then the wrong signals can be sent to the membership who elected these people to the respective board. Certainly, e-mails initiated by the BOD President to the other BOD members (and chapter directors, plus other interested parties for the particular issue) can be used as an initial notification that a decision needs to be made at a later date on a particular issue with "What do y'all think? I'm scheduling a vote on this on _________. Please think about it and let me know what your thoughts are. Then we'll discuss the issue and take a vote on it." Professionally, I'd like to see these things on anything the BCA spends money on (contracts, vendors, etc.) but not day-to-day operating issues (like renewing a post office box rental) as there would need to be some stated guidelines in this area for it to work well. There could also be some "emergency" issues where the BOD President could make an executive decision, if needed.

In the end . . . I don't feel we need a wholesale overhaul of the BCA and how it operates. There have been MANY things which have evolved into better systems than what we had previously. MANY troublesome areas (national meet site selection and operation is one particular area!) which caused much stress in past times now operate significantly more smoothly. I understand some "fixes" for past issues are to happen in the near future, too . . . at least that was my understanding before the last BOD officer duties re-shuffling. And there are still some areas where I feel a little more information about BOD actions/decisions/orientations might be desired. NOT to "armchair quarterback", but just to try to better understand why particular things happened as they did in particular situations. WITH that additional knowledge, I can go from there . . .

Although I am Chapter Director of the North Texas Chapter, BCA . . . I make these comments as a free-standing current member of the Buick Club of America.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Willis Bell 20811

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I appreciate Willis' comments. (And others, including Bill's) Willis is - in my opinion - taking a stance somewhat opposite of mine and in support of some of the direction of the BOD. I am fine with criticism of my (usually) extreme positions. It clarifies my intent and perhaps the intent of the silent majority.

But there's no conspiracy. Brian D was voted off as President against the desires of the club members in a specific action in a specific opportunity unique to the structure of the BCA by-laws. Regrettable, but entirely factual.

While Bill's experience as Treasurer is surely a positive, as is the Books increasing knowledge of National Meet selection processes, I just disagree with Willis that the experience is unique.

The bottom line is so far only one BOD member has responded. Bill stated he did not have anything to do with the outcome. I take that as meaning he did not vote on the selection of President.

I have received PM's from some on the BOD and the total then is close to being that which would keep Brian as President. They felt a PM was the best way to answer to this issue, which speaks volumes. What does it say about a club when the President and BOD's can't simply come on a forum and answer to the inquiry.

And it doesn't have to be in a tone of anger. I respect Bill for simply stating he doesn't give a damn what I think, but he doesn't go on to call me names or threaten to serve me with papers from the BCA attorney. As one of the most tenured members on the BOD, with vast business knolwedge and acumen, I wish Bill would have provided more insight into what happened and why.

Edited by BJM (see edit history)
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Keith

Please leave it alone. If Brian has enough class to not point blame, wealso should not. Something you can do: contact the board members and find out what their position is/was on this matter or any matter you are interested in. If their position does not match yours, don't reward them with a second term on the board.

Willie

07.06.12

Hey Willie,

Did the same BOD members that "voted" to re-elect Rick Young ("the Iowa weatherman" per somebody else's previous post during his first term) as President, elect you as the secret policeman of this Forum?

Respect everybody's comment whether you agree or disagree. Amen.

Al Mack

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

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Y'ALL. This commentary is needed. But unless we keep our comments non sarcastic, truthful and based on fact ,objective and to the point, somebody is going to say "something" that is gonna get this post pulled. Please consider that before commenting. Just sayin.....

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Y'ALL. This commentary is needed. But unless we keep our comments non sarcastic, truthful and based on fact ,objective and to the point, somebody is going to say "something" that is gonna get this post pulled. Please consider that before commenting. Just sayin.....
100% agree. I edited and continue to edit. Rick Young, Mike Book and Bill Stoneberg have done so much for the club, period. That - is not in dispute!

One over-riding theme from all the PM's and emails I have received is that the National BOD meeting is so lightly attended. I have been to 4 Nationals and attended all the BOD meetings and can tell you that few attend.

I would recommend that for 2013 and beyond, that the BOD meeting be allowed a stand alone time not to compete with other meetings and events and that it be given a prominent BOLD notice in the handouts for registered guests. Then attend the meeting. Let's get 100-200 for the next annual BOD meeting and ASK questions.

Edited by BJM (see edit history)
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Best I understand, the open BOD time is set in enough time to work around the schedule. It was 8 AM -Noon on Friday and conflicted with only one tour, so I am not sure what cobflict there may have been on the schedule. I belive that there is always an executive session that is not open to the full membership. So, there is not much for excuses for not attending the open session.

Personally I usually attend, but was mostly manning the PWD table trying to recruit new members. I consider that time well spent as we gatherrd 20+ new despite not having an after-tour this year, However, it looks like I should have attended the open session. When I walked by the doorway near the end, I think there only 4-5 non BOD in attendence, and they were probably presenting a section of the program. So, please if anyone is interested, please attend, and please vote next year.

John

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I respect BJM's comments and orientations.

While I might not like "conspiracy theories", regular theories are just fine. Regular theories can usually be proven or disproven. Not to forget "gut suspicions" in that mix!

I might believe that certain car club groups' (national, local, or regional in nature) officer positions need to have a certain amount of stability, measured in "years". One of those is Treasurer. Other officers might come and go, or rotate among themselves, as desired. I've seen several clubs which do this, keeping a central core group as officers, though, which can lead to a unique set of problems and issues as time progresses.

Who the entity's Treasurer is can mean where the entity's bank is located. It can be "a pain" to change banks AND to find another bank that has the same programs and types of accounts which are needed for an entity like the BCA. Building a relationship with a bank by a consistent Treasurer can be a very good thing to do, too. Not unlike the similar relationships we might build with other people in our lives . . . even an automobile sales/service/parts organization, a particular dry cleaning shop, or a tailor. "WE know them, THEY know US".

Stability is good, but "status quo" is not good in the long term, by observation. Things change and must be adapted to if the organization is to grow and progress. Too much "status quo" can eventually lead to "mediocrity" and disinterest by the membership. Being in the car business, you have to continually adapt to things every year, or part thereof, with new models and such. Keeping the status quo can mean you get left behind, especially with product knowledge, even if you might not really like the new model's changes.

Also, in the normal course of business, there will be some things which don't play out "as desired", so reflecting to determine what went wrong, how it went wrong, and what might be done to keep this from happening in the future MUST be considered. "Continuous improvement" combined with "advance damage control". I consider the former to mean that "you're always considering how to make things work better" with the latter meaning "if you see something's not going to work, you stop and consider other options such that the chance of failure is greatly diminished . . . one door closes, three other possibilities present themselves for consideration".

Stability with continuous improvement would mean that you're always climbing the learning curve, in one way or another. Many of these "school of hard knocks" things might be put in a book, but unless those reading it understand and "buy into" what they're reading, it can all be a waste of time to try to educate and inform the reader such that prior mistakes are not re-made by the reader later on. By observation, continually putting different faces in the same spots will usually result in the same mistakes being made in the same situations time and time again, just by different "generations" of employees.

Mentoring has seemed to become a lost art AND a "dirty word" as it implies that somebody might get paranoid as they might not know some of these things. Yet, cross-training with effective mentoring can be a good situation AND an orientation which can elevate everybody in the process. Spreading the knowledge can be a good thing as MORE people then know what's going on and why. Increased knowledge of operations can also result in increased trust of management and of those in positions of authority.

BJM mentioned the receipt of PMs on particular subjects. I'm glad he has received those responses, privately.

This whole situation has resulted in some previously not-worried-about functions of the BCA BOD being highlighted for all to see . . . or at least those in this forum. In the orientation of continuous improvement, perhaps a new BCA Policy and Proceedure can be formulated to deal with who might become the BCA BOD President and/or V-Pres in the future? Perhaps, IF the top vote-getter is automatically deemed to be BCA BOD President and second-highest-vote number designating the Vice-President, it might motivate MORE BCA members to vote to ensure the desired person is placed in these positions? Might this be one way to encourage more BCA members to vote in these elections? If the BCA BOD decides to let the BCA Treasurer be a former BCA BOD member who transitions into an appointed position as Board Advisor/Mentor, as long as the results justify it, make it so.

Hopefully, we can make some mighty fine lemonade from these lemons!

Respectfully, as a free-standing current BCA member,

Willis Bell 20811

Edited by NTX5467 (see edit history)
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I This whole situation has resulted in some previously not-worried-about functions of the BCA BOD being highlighted for all to see . . . or at least those in this forum. In the orientation of continuous improvement, perhaps a new BCA Policy and Proceedure can be formulated to deal with who might become the BCA BOD President and/or V-Pres in the future? Perhaps, IF the top vote-getter is automatically deemed to be BCA BOD President and second-highest-vote number designating the Vice-President, it might motivate MORE BCA members to vote to ensure the desired person is placed in these positions? Might this be one way to encourage more BCA members to vote in these elections? If the BCA BOD decides to let the BCA Treasurer be a former BCA BOD member who transitions into an appointed position as Board Advisor/Mentor, as long as the results justify it, make it so.

Hopefully, we can make some mighty fine lemonade from these lemons!

Respectfully, as a free-standing current BCA member,

Willis Bell 20811

That might work, but you often have members of the board that would have no desire to be in the more active role of President, so if you would automatically make the high vote getter President, you could end up with someone that is not really into the role, or you may even have less candidates running because they wouldn't want to take on that role if high vote getter.

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You proved that fact with that comment.

Tell you what, I will edit my comment when you edit yours. Think about it.

No need to edit yours, you are correct, my comment was in poor taste and has been deleted.

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Yes, The SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) are in the back of the Roster. A new one coming this summer.

As to the Topic at hand;

I am old enough to know and accept that not everyone in this world is love with Rick Young.

Most of you I have met over the past 7 years. Some have been to my hometown and a few have dined in my garage. If you brought a Reatta to Jewell in 2010 I personally bought your dinner (at $752.00) as The Reattas won my President's Challenge for membership.

To most of you, I consider you friends and some it seems I've known for 50 years, although how could that be.

I think for those who have met me you would know I am not a vindictive person.

I chose to run for President one last time because this old fart has one more year of giving.

I have no plans to put the BCA on "pause" for the next year.

This old fart has a few more ideas to help the BCA and my friends in it.

Brian has done a awesome job and he will be around a long time. He has done so much, as recognized here.

This will be my "Swan Song" as I have other challenges to face in the near future.

There are bridges and fences to be repaired. I plan on traveling to work on those in person.

So indulge me if you will for one last year. Together we can accomplish much.

There is a new beginning in the BCA now running National Meets. There will be a few bugs to be worked out, but in the end the BCA will be better and stronger for that.

I just visited the Oldsmobile Club National in Des Moines where they had a "all indoor" meet.

The temp outside was 100F and 72F inside. A interesting concept.

So anyway, I hope that clears some air.

Regards to you all

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I would like to indulge for just a few min. First after working with both Brian and Rick on the board this past year I have total respect in both of them. While I did not have a vote along with Bill and Paul in the election of President of the BCA I can assure you that it would have been a very hard decision. Brian just completed a super National in Charlotte with out a hitch and as a Reatta owner Rick did the National in Ames Ia with the same professional skills. The bottom line to me is we should spend time in thanking both of them for giviing up their time that could have been spent on quality time with their families but they chose to give freely to the Buick Club of America. Before we cast any more stones, take a few min and appreciate what both men have done. Yes there always changes that need to happen in any club, but how many are willing to put forward the effort to get it done. Changes will come only when others are willing to step up and run for office and vote. Our board is elected by the membership to make the decisions that is being questioned in the above post. The board voted.

Thats the way it is for this next year, so thanks Brian and Rick for a job well done. I for one wish you and the entire board continued success.

Chuck Kerls

booreatta@cox.net

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