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Cast Your Annual Membership Vote
VOTING DEADLINE: OCTOBER 14

Ballots may be mailed to P.O. Box 15165, Seattle, WA 98115 or dropped off at the office at 7400 Sand Point Way, Bldg. 138, Seattle, WA. If you need a ballot and cannot download the PDF version below, please call the office (206.522.3222) and one will be mailed to you. Candidate information can be found below.

Vote! 2008 Cascade Bicycle Club Board Elections & By-Law Change Recommendations

by Chuck Ayers, Executive Director

Board Candidates

Over the last four months, Cascade’s Board Nomination Committee spent a great deal of time developing a list of potential candidates for our board. It has been the most comprehensive process to find great board members in my tenure with the Club. I want to thank our committee members, Ed Zuckerman, Meg Goldman, and Alan Durning, for their effort.

Clearly their work has produced some top notch candidates. Some of the people on their list will continue to be interviewed and, if appropriate, will be appointed by the full board to serve up to a one-year “trial” period as board members, as allowed by membership approved by-law. This process allows the Club and the appointed board member to assess the fit with each other rather than hoping that a full three-year elected position works out for both parties.

While this process continues, the committee is recommending two board candidates to run for the full three-year period.

Joy Erickson has served one full three-year term on the board serving as treasurer and currently as vice president. Meg Goldman is currently serving on the board via the 1-year appointment process and is active on our Strategic Planning Committee and the Development Committee, as well as the Nomination Committee.

As Cascade grows – now up to 10,000 members – diversifies, and becomes more influential, having the right people providing leadership for us is essential. As we continue to expand our networks solidify our reputation as the go-to organization for ensuring the rights of cyclists and improving the infrastructure that we all count on for our safety, it is even more incumbent upon us to ensure that the right people are governing this great organization.

Both Joy and Meg have proven themselves to be great advocates and leaders for our Club. I am delighted – and honored – that each is seeking the opportunity to continue serving us in our most significant volunteer positions.

Bylaw Change Recommendations

As detailed in the September Courier, the Club’s board of directors is recommending several bylaw revisions which are intended to (a) clean up out-of-date language; (b) broaden and strengthen the board and (c) provide a more manageable process for setting membership dues as part of the board’s financial oversight and fiduciary responsibilities.

The proposed bylaw revisions are set forth in full on your ballot. Highlights include the annual selection of a Nominating Committee by the board president that includes members selected both from the existing board and from general membership. It is anticipated that the Nominating Committee will seek input on prospective candidates from general membership, staff, the board, and from the community in developing a slate of candidates to stand for election by the general membership each October. The bylaw revisions are consistent with current practices of the Club and do not substantially alter the manner by which Cascade has elected directors in the past.

With respect to the Club’s dues structure, a bylaw revision allowing the board of directors to set annual dues is proposed to update the current system that was set 38 years ago. This change will provide the membership elected, volunteer board an increased level of fiscal control to operate the Club commensurate with their legal fiduciary responsibility to keep the Club financially sound. With the vastly expanded membership from 38 years ago, the increased scope and complexity of the Club, and with fiduciary oversight responsibilities squarely on board members’ shoulders, this bylaw change is a prudent measure. (Many non-profit organizations, large and small, already follow this method for setting their dues).

Please read through the short biographies of our board candidates below as well as the proposed bylaw changes and cast your ballot. Your membership number can be found on your Courier mailing label. Your ballot can be personally dropped in the ballot box at the Annual Membership Meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m. at the downtown Seattle REI or mailed back to the office. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Oct. 14.

2008 Ballot

Nominees for the 2008 Board of Directors:

JOY ERICKSON

MEG GOLDMAN

JOY ERICKSON

Submitting for a second term on the Cascade Board

I have had the honor to serve on the Board of Directors for the Cascade Bicycle Club for the past three years. Working with a core group of dedicated, hardworking people has been inspiring and rewarding. I was pleased to serve for two years as the Secretary of the Board and this past year as the Treasurer of the Board.

I commute 22 miles round trip to my work site. I was a fair weather commuter riding in spring, summer, and fall. Three years ago, I made the decision to become a year round commuter. Cascade has been critical in the improvements in safety for cyclists that we have been seeing on the streets of Seattle. The bike lane on Western below the Pike Place Market has made my life a lot safer as has the crossing of the Fremont Bridge. There is still a great deal of work to be done. The work with the Seattle Department of Transportation and the Mayor’s office must be ongoing. The safety improvements would not have happened without the continuous pressure and education of Cascade.

Each year that I have worked on the Board, I have seen the authority of Cascade grow both in the political community and in the Seattle, King County community at large. Our growing membership has brought political leaders to our Board meetings to present their cases and seek our support.

I work for the Port of Seattle as a Facility Maintenance Manager. I have participated on the Port’s team in the Cascade Commuter Challenge for the last three years.

My volunteer record includes working with the YMCA as a fitness leader, trainer, and fundraiser. I was on the board of the City Cantabile Choir for ten years. I am a Trustee on the Wedgwood Community Council. I am also a member of the General Advisory Council for the Seattle School District for the development of a technical training track in the public schools.

My great interests in being involved with Cascade Bicycle Club as a board member are commuting and political advocacy. With all of the transportation opportunities that are on the horizon for this region, I would like to continue my support for Cascade to be included in the discussions. My goal as a cyclist is to make cycling safer for commuters. I believe that safer cycling is the incentive for more people to participate.

I thank the Cascade membership for its support. I hope to serve you for another three years.

MEG GOLDMAN

I have been a member of Cascade Bicycle Club for 14 years and have served on the board of directors since January 2008. It would be an honor to continue to serve you. Apart from my most recent role as a board member, my leadership roles have included serving as a Group Health Commute Challenge team captain for two years, working in a professional capacity to facilitate the organization's 2003 strategic and fundraising plans under the auspices of The Collins Group, and riding RAW, STP, Kitsap Color Classic, Flying Wheels and RSVP.

Since joining the board, I have contributed my professional experience in nonprofit management, organizational development and fundraising to help position the Cascade Bicycle Club as a leader in the field. I draw on my experiences in the nonprofit and public sector where I have worked in the areas of public health, community and youth development. As a parent of two high school students in the Seattle public schools, I am also committed to cultivating a new generation of young leaders to carry forward the organization's critical mission of "creating a better world through cycling."

I've enjoyed many years of bike commuting and touring and I bring that passion to my work as a board member. My bike touring experience began with a year long solo bike trip to Europe at age 17, and has been followed by touring New England, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. My bike commuting resume includes riding to high school in San Francisco, to college on the south side of Chicago, to work and graduate school in Boston, and most recently as a year-around commuter to my job at Public Health – Seattle & King County.

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