[CVRC] Pacific Division Vice-Director

[Jack/W6NF]

Dick Flanagan K7VC wrote:
> In the next few weeks ARRL members in the Pacific Division will be 
> receiving ballots so they can cast their votes for Vice-Director.  
> Both candidates, including incumbent Vice-Director Andy Oppel N6AJO, 
> are honorable men, but in one critical area they are worlds apart.
>
> The challenger has never held any elected or appointed ARRL office or 
> position.  He has no experience with the internal or external 
> functioning of ARRL, yet he is asking to be one heart-beat away from a 
> position of determining national ARRL policy.
>
> Andy Oppel, on the other hand, has spent over two decades working with 
> ARRL, as both an individual contributor and leader.  Having served as 
> an elected Section Manager and then Vice-Director, Andy is intimately 
> familiar with all aspects of the ARRL, both locally and nationally.
>
> I could go on to enumerate a dozen more reasons incumbent Andy Oppel 
> is the best candidate for Vice-Director, but the issue of ARRL 
> experience is so overwhelmingly in his favor that I'm reluctant to 
> take any more of your time.
>
> Please join me in voting to retain Andy Oppel N6AJO as Pacific 
> Division Vice-Director, where experience not only counts, it is 
> vital.  For more information about Andy, please see 
> http://www.andyoppel.com/N6AJO/
>
> 73, Dick Flanagan K7VC
>
>
> -----
> Visit the CVRC Web Site at http://www.cvrc.net
>
Dick, and all:

Rob Brownstein, K6RB,  may not have any experience with the ARRL 
organization, but he has many years of experience in other areas of this 
hobby. On the other hand, Andy Oppel's experience in Amateur Radio seems 
to be largely EMCOMM which, while important, is not the be-all and 
end-all of Amateur Radio. Take a look in the governing regulations at 
the FCC's stated purpose of the existence of Amateur Radio to see what I 
mean.

Regarding a lack of experience within the ARRL, I have pointed out to 
Andy, in another forum which I will mention in a moment, that it is 
essential that a wide variety of views and ideas be factored in the 
operation of any organization, particularly one with such a diverse 
membership as the ARRL. Over the years I have had a few significant 
disagreements with the policies of the League which I have shared with 
my Director, Vice-Director, K1ZZ and others, generally to no avail! A 
closed organization is not necessarily a good thing.

I would strongly suggest that, if you are to endorse a particular 
candidate in public forums such as these you should, to be entirely fair 
and to promote a transparent election environment, give Rob and Andy an 
opportunity to respond by way of an invitation to these reflectors. You 
may well find that K6RB has qualities and experience that would suit him 
well for the VD position about which most folks on these reflectors 
could not have any knowledge. Both Rob and I are members of the Northern 
California Contest Club and such an invitation was extended to Andy when 
conversations about the Vice-Director election were initiated on the 
NCCC reflector. This was the fair and honest thing to do and is in the 
present situation as well.

Thanks,

Jack, W6NF (ex NA7RF)
Silver Springs, NV
(ARRL Life Member and holder of the ARRL 40-year membership pin)