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For Hudson Division Director - John Crovelli, W2GD
Starting in the next week or so, ARRL Members in the Hudson Division will be receiving election
ballots. This will be the first contested Hudson Director race in six years and may be the most critical election in League history.
Your vote counts! So please, when your ballot arrives, take a few moments to select a candidate,
and promptly return the ballot to ARRL Headquarters - or vote electronically following the instructions provided in the ballot package.
I'm a candidate for Hudson Division Director writing to you today asking for your support and
your vote. Thank you for taking a few moments to read this campaign message which is being emailed to you in lieu of a mailed postcard or brochure. Sharing with others is appreciated.
Let me first answer the question:
Why am I running for Director?
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To give Hudson Members an opportunity to directly participate in League governance - by voting in a contested election. You can make your voice heard by
the choice you make exercising the power of the ballot.
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To promote transparency in ARRL governance. I believe Members are inadequately informed about League affairs and your voices are often ignored.
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To vigorously defend against any attempt to transition the League from a Membership organization into one that might be governed and dominated by big donors.
My promise to you if elected Hudson Division Director is simply this -
I'll aggressively voice YOUR CONCERNS and protect YOUR RIGHTS.
I bring to the table a wealth of knowledge and leadership experience accumulated over a five decade
professional career in management, consulting, and business ownership. Amateur Radio has been my life-long passion and the ARRL played an important role in making that possible. I strive to give back in a meaningful way.
ARRL Must Survive: The vitality of our 109 year old organization is at a critical juncture
- and in my view changes in the way the ARRL does business are necessary. We all benefit by having a healthy and well managed ARRL protecting our Amateur Radio interests, particularly when it comes to spectrum defense and regulatory matters that come before
the FCC, ITU and Congress. There is simply no other Amateur Radio organization performing these important functions on our behalf. Survival of our League must be assured and efforts to expand its membership are critical to the survival of Amateur Radio.
Elections Matter: Until this spring, the ARRL's website carried this statement:
"the ARRL is a representative democracy - its members control its policies through the power of the ballot."
For some reason, this statement is no longer ARRL website accessible. I feel it is imperative we not allow this 109-year old baseline governance principle to be corrupted, or even worse, allowed to disappear. I cannot and will not support the elimination
of our right to determine the future of Amateur Radio and the essence of the League by giving up direct selection of our leaders through elections. The ARRL is a membership organization and should always remain so. Directors set policy and answer only to the
Members in their Division, who under the bylaws have the sole right to remove a Director who fails to serve his/her constituents responsibly. Further, it should be mentioned and made clear, management takes direction from and serves at the discretion of our
Member elected Board.
Donor-Centric? I'm quite concerned about the rumors that some in League leadership want
to replace the ARRL elected Board of Directors with one that would be largely dominated by major donors. This concept appears to be under active discussion and could emerge as an agenda item as soon as the January 2025 Board meeting. A Director led
study group created during the July 2024 ARRL board meeting (as reported in Meeting Minute No. 18) is likely to consider this option.
If elected, I will strongly oppose any attempt made to implement a donor-centric governance model.
I hope you will agree with me this is an undesirable approach. Has anyone ever taken the time to ask Members their opinions on this idea? Should Members expect a hand-picked board of 'donors' to be responsive to Member needs? I know I'm uncomfortable with
this possibility.
Transparency:
I strongly believe in transparent governance where the will, needs and voice of ARRL Members are given first precedence in the actions taken by elected representatives and management. In my opinion, there has been far too much secrecy surrounding League
decision-making. Consider examples when Members were left uninformed by Officers and Directors about proposed rule and bylaw revisions. We only learned about proposal content and purpose
after the Board had voted! In my view, this is irresponsible leadership and limits the ability of Members to participate and influence ARRL governance. In my opinion there need to be procedural rule changes that ensure Members are brought into the discussion
of issues while their views can have impact.
Open Board Meetings: I strongly favor implementing Board meeting broadcasts (with the usual
exceptions for personnel matters, litigation strategy, etc.). Business conducted by the Board is, after all, the business of the Members. Closed Board meetings deny us the opportunity to observe our elected representatives in action. The technology required
is trivial by today's standards and considered completely reliable. The time has come to open the ARRL boardroom doors and allow Members to observe first-hand what their representatives and management are doing on our behalf.
Other Meetings by Directors: I do not support clandestine meetings where just a select portion
of all elected Directors are present along with upper management. This practice deprives Members from those Divisions excluded to fully engage in the business discussed – effectively diminishing their voices in managing the League's direction. Similar
meetings are forbidden by law in many government entities. In my opinion, this practice has no place in ARRL governance. The interests of ALL MEMBERS must always be properly represented.
Dues Increase and QST: I believe Members are entitled to a more detailed and reasoned explanation
of the 2023 dues increase and QST decision, especially since there appears to be unrestricted (i.e. spendable) net assets nearly double that of just ten years ago available to cover possible losses from operations. Like others, I don't perceive there
is a likelihood of an ARRL financial crisis occurring anytime soon.
The prospect of a dues increase and the cut back in QST distribution were not disclosed in advance
to the Membership. This action by the Board appeared to be literally treated as a
secret and remained such until the day of the Board meeting when the motion and vote took place. It came as a complete surprise to the membership - and was, in my opinion, another example of how the present leadership disregards the importance of transparency
in governance. We have yet to be given access to information (i.e. the financial assumptions) that would better explain and possibly justify this controversial Board action. I believe Members have a fundamental right to know the facts.
Roll Call Votes: At the July 2024 Board meeting, the Standing Order governing roll call
voting was amended for a second time in just one year. It appears the new language will make it more difficult for Members to determine where their elected officials may stand on any issue not tagged as a governance issue. In the future, fewer roll call votes
are likely to satisfy the new rule requirements. In practice, the rule amendments eliminate the ability of a
single Director to request an on the record roll call vote on any motion, which had been Board rule literally for decades. At least four additional Directors must now concur. Just like the dues increase, Members were never given prior notice these
rule amendments would be considered for Board action - and once again Members only learned about of the changes after they were passed by the Board. What appears to me to be a repetitive pattern of selective secrecy needs to be curtailed with new rules requiring
that Members be kept better informed.
Democracy and our rights parish in darkness. If you permit me to serve you as your next Director,
I will introduce at the January 2025 Board meeting, and at every subsequent Board meeting if necessary, motions to restore our right to know who voted how on League business.
Advance Notice: Further, if elected, I pledge to ensure Hudson Division Members have the
opportunity to see and review rule and bylaw proposals impacting League governance
in advance of Board consideration. You are entitled an opportunity to comment before action is taken. I'll also propose rule changes that call for enhancing the content of Board meeting minutes, so Members are better informed on the actual discussion
and debate on the issues discussed and considered at Board meetings.
Governance Status Report: Finally, last January, retiring ARRL First Vice President Mike
Raisbeck, K1TWF, submitted what I found to be a strikingly candid status report to the Board on League governance, capturing what in my opinion are the most important challenges facing the League now and into the future. It was profoundly disappointing to
me that Directors attending the January 2024 Board meeting had no questions or comments on his report.
Like K1TWF,
I strongly support operational transparency. I agree that the primary focus of ARRL leadership should be on our Members over increasing organization assets. We need to work toward a more equal representation for all Members which takes into account the existing
disparity in Division populations. And I support moving responsibility for the conduct of elections and the adjudication of ethical disputes to an independent panel, excluding sitting board members. The potential for even the appearance of partisan bias needs
to be further addressed.
Motions Rejected: Unfortunately, at the January 2024 Board meeting, all four of K1TWF's
motions on the subjects addressed in his report were defeated or tabled. Rejection of what I believe were common-sense proposals, which were supported by just a handful of Directors who appear to value and support transparency, illustrates what I and others
find lacking in current ARRL leadership.
Read the K1TWF report for yourself: I urge you to take a few minutes to read K1TWF's report
and form your own views on these issues.
Since a link to the report has disappeared from the ARRL website, here's one that works:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15HHiLY_Lw0JXAipqj4q9T3SWf32Xnf7h/view
Thank you for being an ARRL Member, and thank you for participating in the election process. Changes
in governance can only begin at the ballot box.
One final ask: Please cast your vote to elect W2GD as your next Hudson Division Director.
Best regards,
John Crovelli, W2GD
[email protected]
Additional information about John Crovelli, W2GD:
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Life-long resident of the ARRL Hudson Division.
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I currently live in Flemington, NJ
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First licensed in 1961 at age 11.
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Amateur Extra Licensee
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ARRL Life Member since 1968
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Former Publisher and Editor of the
National Contest Journal
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Author - Feature Articles appearing in QST, CQ, NCJ
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Former Hudson Division Assistant Director
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Former NNJ Section Manager and Official Relay Station appointee
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Former Manager - New Jersey Traffic Net (NJN) and NTS participant
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Former Hudson Division Rep. - ARRL Contest Advisory Committee
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Member - ARRL Study Committee on Codeless Licensing, 1989
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Inductee - CQ Contest Hall of Fame, 1999
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Six time World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) competitor
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A-1 Operators Club, RCC, WAS, DXCC and many other operating and contest awards
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DXpeditions: CY0S, K1N, K5D, EF8M, V47KP, PJ1B, PJ7A, VP2MGD, FS5PL, 8P5CV, A61AJ, 4U1ITU, OH0MB/OJ0, and owner of P40W
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Founding Member - CW Operators Club (CWOPS)
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Member - First Class CW Operators Club (FOC)
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Guest Speaker/Instructor: Contest University (CTU - Italy)
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Keynote Speaker - Dayton Hamvention Contest Dinner
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Past President and Director - Cherryville Repeater Association II
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Current Vice President and President Emeritus - Frankford Radio Club
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Retired Business and Systems Consultant (25 years)
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Professional Amateur Radio Tower and Antenna Consultant and Installer (22 years - now Retired)
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