[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

Jerry, I am hoping the more of the BOD candidates will step up and provide the membership with their positions on the issues, or talk about issues that we have not yet discussed here

Jack

[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

Mr Earl: I agree totally with you on that , i hardly ever used this forum before running for the BOD, mostly from ignorance on the value of information it contains. Those of us using it now for election purposes would never be able to fully get our stance on issues clarified with out it.

Jack

[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

Jerry. I don't think you will get any argument about the need for long range planning for the BCA. You have some advantage in knowing the specifics of how bad the situation may be as a sitting Board member over those of us, just running for the Board now. The need for better communications has been mentioned, and part of those communications would be the health of the Club, in terms of member retention, and financial situation.

It is common knowledge how the Club was losing money in large amounts until a prior Board (some of those members are still on the Board, I believe) rolled up their sleeves and dealt with the problem, at least in the short term.

You are correct about declining membership in most Clubs. There are a lot of reasons for that , including the aging of the automobile hobbyists. I believe one of the reasons for the growth of the hobby was the constant stream of interesting cars coming of age, so to speak. We had enthusiasts for cars ranging from the brass era to the muscle car era. That stream of interesting cars, especially Buicks has come to an end. Any of the future generation of old cars are just going to be old. With a very few exceptions, they will not be desirable cars. Most of the newer people in the hobby are buying a project car, that someone else has already finished.

A lot of the younger members have never actually worked on cars. They outsource all but the most simple tasks.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is changing the dynamic of the hobby.

Demands on younger couples are very different than they were in the younger days of our mature members. There is not much disposable time left, and because of that younger people tend not to be joiners.

You run in to a lot of car people these days, that do not belong to a Club.

All of this is going to mean that membership in the BCA and other Clubs will continue to drop. The BOD will have to really focus on retaining membership and keeping a strong financial position if the BCA is to stay healthy.

I believe the time may not be far away, when car clubs will have to consider merging with other like minded clubs to survive. They may at least have to go to "shared services" to lessen overhead, without losing quality of product. The day may come when the BCA, ROA, GS Club, et al may have to unite to survive.

What ever the future is, it will take an energetic BOD to guide the Club. THe BCA is a great Club and it will continue to be , because we have always had people willing to step up and get things done.

I can forsee, a BOD with an entrepreneurial spirit instead of business as usual. That is my reason for my position on BOD term limits. The term limits position is not directed at any current BOD member, but I think that it is too easy to stay too long and get stale.

A changing BOD keeps up enthusiasm and brings in fresh ideas.

Jack

[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

A point of further clarification: When I talk about "men on the ground" I am speaking of species Homo Sapien" , and not limiting my thoughts to the male gender. None of our events would run well without the help of our female members, wives, etc.

Jack

[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

John: you and I have known each other long enough , that I feel that we can disagree in a spirit of good will, and on this issue, that certainly is the case. After having run two National Meets and served as Meet Head Judge on two others, I feel that a great deal of the strength of a well run meet is in the desire of a local Chapter to want to show the membership at large, their area of the Country.

You mentioned a Military flavor to running a meet and, I could not agree more with you in that context. I also feel that the success of a military operation lies in knowing the terrain and having "men on the ground". I feel that both aspects of the "operation" can not be adequately run by volunteers, most of whom may not know each other, or the meet director right up until the meet actually starts. The success of both Danvers meets came in the form of "dry runs" at the actual Meet location. a local knowledge of the area also is a great advantage, when things go wrong, and things always do go wrong. The success of having a successful National Meet is in having things be so seamless, that for the most part, Meet attendees do not ever notice that something has gone wrong. I strongly feel that the importance of having the Meet Director actually live in the area, where the Meet is being conducted cannot be over emphasized. The critical details cannot be left to a convention bureau or an event planing company. We have very special requirements for our shows and a takes someone with a real feel for what we do to get it done properly.

We also have a National Meet Committee and their expertise should center around helping to provide the assets that the Chapter may lack. This may be assistance in contract negotiation with the host hotel, writing a business plan, risk management, etc. Every Chapter is different, and the amount, and type of assistance they would require will differ as well.

Years ago, the real stumbling block to running a National Meet was registration. WE had to handle that ourselves for the first Danvers meet. By the time we did the second meet, the Faries were handling registration and the difference was staggering. It is so much easier now, with them doing it. I guess that in itself is a part of the NMC, and probably its most important asset.

Sorry for rambling, let the discussion begin John!!!!

[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

I would like to to expand on my position that National Meets should be returned to the Chapters. It is a great source of revenue and Fellowship to run a National Meet. I have become close friends with members who helped run both of our Danvers Meets.

First, I do not think that the NMC should be disbanded, I think that they should act as an advisory committee to assist Chapters in running a National Meet. We have guidelines for most things the Club does, and there are guidelines for running a National Meet. They are just not specific (detailed) enough.

Second, Any National Meet should be a team effort between the NMC and the Chapter. If no Chapter steps up to the plate to run a National, let the NMC run it that year. The CCCA has done that for many years with their National Meeting, and it works well.

Thirdly, I do not believe that the NMC has any agenda, but it is not clear to the average member who the members of the NMC actually are, and that alone could give that illusion. They should be listed in the Bugle along with Tech advisors, et al.

Fourthly (is that a word? ) I believe that there should be specific term periods for the NMC members, and volunteers should be solicited at large from the membership to serve on that Committee.

Lastly, As John Schieb said, the survey is a great step forward, and it should be expanded a bit in future years. Dis-satisfied members do not usually post on forums, they just drop out.

Thanks

Jack

[BCA Board of Directors Election - 2014]

Hi: I am Jack Welch BCA #5387. I am also running for the BCA Board this year.

I currently own a 1940 model 91 Buick and I have owned several Buicks over the years. The newest collector car model being a 1963 Riviera and the oldest being a 1931 model 96.

I have served as Meet Head Judge at two National Meets and was Co Chair of both Nationals held in Danvers MA. I have worked the hospitality tent at Hershey for many years. I was the founder of the Minute Man Chapter of the BCA, and I currently serve as the Director of The New England Region of the Classic Car Club of America.

The Bio that will be in the upcoming Bugle reflects my stand on a variety of the issues, that I feel are important. I will list some of them here so, all members using this forum will know where I stand.

I do feel that in recent years, the communication between Chapters and the Board has not been sufficient and that many Chapters feel left out in the dark. Better communication between members and the Board of Directors is important.

I would also like to see the running of National Meets returned to the Chapters. The National Meet Committee was formed to HELP the Chapters run National Meets. I do not think that has ever happened, (I could be wrong) The was certainly no correspondence from any Committee. I think the National Meet Committee should be composed of members with experience in running National Meets.

I was not at the 2013 National, so I cannot personally speak about it, but it seems to be controversial, given that the advantage was to have an experienced committee run it.

I am also in favor of term limits for Board Members.

I was asked by email, my position on the parking of like years together, and I can say with certainty, that I am in favor of parking all cars in Class. A completely original car, be it driven class, archival, or display only can be a big help to the judge, when authenticity issues come up, and as has already been said, the socialization of being with owners of like models is a big factor when going to a National.

The Buick Bugle and the National Meet are the two big products that the BCA has to keep members , and they should be the best product we can provide.

Thank you for letting have this opportunity to communicate with you and remember "Buicks are meant to be driven"

[2011 Buick Club National Meet Registration]

Judging went back to Saturday because it has been tradition to have it that day since the Club started having National Mets. it was only changed at Ames because of the "open" car show on Saturday. The agenda for National meets is so crowded in a very limited number of days, so It seems that Saturday works out best.

[Danvers MA 2011 meet, must see things]

The hotel , like a lot of hotels has a shuttle van on an (as available basis) that members especially small groups could take advantage of for excursions to local Malls, Restaurants, etc. Shuttle transportation is available on a cost basis from Logan airport to the hotel. There are several transportation companies in the area. A quick call to the hotel will get you that info. Again I urge all to get their room soon, the hotel is filling fast.

[Danvers MA 2011 meet, must see things]

Wow this forum has more info about our meet and the things to do than I could ever imagine. For those of you with extra time to spend, Maine and seacoast NH are great takes as well as Newburyport MA, the Maine border is only 45 minutes away straight up I95. Pete the wedding cake house is in Kennebunkport maine, and the ice cream stand is Whites Dairy on route 133. Another great ice cream stand for members deciding to drive to Lexington or Concord is Kimball Farms on rte 225 in Carlisle. Jack Welch Meet CoChair:)

[2011 Buick Club National Meet Registration]

Sorry, forgot to include my email address cartoys@comcast.net

Jack

[2011 Buick Club National Meet Registration]

Actually we have plenty of beef in Boston, but we also have Boston prices, and in an effort to keep the banquet prices somewhat affordable, we chose to let members have beef on their own anytime they want during the week. We also have a lobster / clambake that people have asked us to redo ever since the 1998 meet. So we have done that on Friday night. I would encourage you all to at least register for a room at the host hotel ASAP as we are very close to full capacity.I also encourage you to email me if you have specific questions about the meet Jack Welch Meet CoChair

[1937 Buick Running Board Trim Repair]

As I remember those moldings are just a single wall, with a small flange, but not a double wall