Meet the Candidates

From Lyn Barnett, President

As announced in the October Clapper, following are Candidates' Statements from members standing for 2010 offices. The information presented for each candidate was provided by him/her in response to a questionnaire designed to provide comparable presentations. A 30-word limit was imposed on the "2010 project/initiative" question. Also reprinted here for members' convenience are the duties of each office as detailed in the current Bylaws of the Guild.

No candidate is opposed, therefore these candidates will serve in the offices indicated in 2010.

SECRETARY (MEMBERSHIP)

Duties:
- collect membership dues and forward them to the Treasurer;
- maintain membership records;
- provide address labels and membership lists as required by the Officers;
- provide the membership directory for inclusion in the Annual Report;
- maintain a list of contacts for each ringing group in the Guild.

TOM MILLER, incumbent; unopposed
Nominated by Mary Clark; second, Meredith Morris.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 1998 at Philadelphia. My home tower is Philadelphia, St Mark's and St Martin's. I frequently visit Washington for ringing. My last ringing "road trips" were to Texarkana in April 2009, and to New York for the AGM in September.

In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following project/initiative for the NAGCR: Maintain the same high quality administration of the NAGCR's member database, and further integrate the database with the NAGCR's website.

PEAL SECRETARY

Duties:
- maintain up-to-date records of peals rung for the Guild, and of other peals rung in North America;
- have records available for inspection, at least at each AGM;
- decide on the eligibility of peals rung for the Guild;
- submit an annual peal analysis for inclusion in the Annual Report;

THERESA RICE, incumbent; unopposed
Nominated by Meredith Morris; second, Paula Fleming.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 1987 at Washington. My home tower is Washington (Cathedral and OPOT), and I am also considered a local at Frederick, MD. I frequently visit lots of places for ringing. My last ringing "road trips" were to Philadelphia in January, March, June, December, 2009;
Toronto in November, 2009; New York in September, 2009; South Africa in August, 2009.

In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following project/initiative for the NAGCR: Expand on reports available from the peals database.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Duties: The Newsletter Editor shall prepare and distribute a Guild Newsletter. There shall be at least four issues each year, one per quarter.

SALLY COOK, unopposed
Nominated by Don Morrison; second, Bill Buckner.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 1998 in Hendersonville. My home tower is St. James (Hendersonville). I have rung on several occasions in Charleston and Atlanta/Marietta. My last ringing "road trip" was to Trinity/Wall Street in Manhattan for the AGM in Sept. 2009.
In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following project/initiative for the NAGCR: I would like to focus on "tightening up" The Clapper and in making it a more vital and interesting publication for the ringers of North America.

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

Duties:
- promote awareness of change ringing and the Guild among the general public;
- keep a record of published materials relating to Guild activities;
- accumulate materials for members' use in publicizing change ringing and the Guild;

SCOTT STRICKER, unopposed
Nominated by Porter Brownlee; second, Dawn Uebelhart.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 1988 at First Presbyterian Church (Texarkana). My home tower is Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Little Rock). I frequently visit Dallas, Houston, and Texarkana for ringing. My last ringing "road trip" was to Houston (for a peal attempt) in November of 2009.

In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following project/initiative for the NAGCR: As part of the regular duties of Public Relations Officer, I hope to continue the positive activities of my predecessor; and to enhance the ever-changing communication needs of the Guild.

TREASURER

Duties:
- collect and manage the funds of the Guild;
- prepare an annual budget;
- prepare financial reports as appropriate.

ROSALIE CROUCH, incumbent; unopposed
Nominated by David Porter; second, John Willson.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 1994 at St. Michael's, Charleston SC. My home tower is Grace Church, Charleston SC. I frequently visit Atlanta and England for ringing. My last ringing "road trip" was to the AGM in NYC in September 2009.

In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following projects/initiatives for the NAGCR: 1.Complete addressing the issues raised by the Financial Advisory Committee. 2. Support the recruitment and training of new ringers.

EDUCATION OFFICER

Duties:
- organize and run courses and other training or educational activities sponsored by the Guild;
- represent the Guild's interests in the publication and distribution of any materials, other than the Guild Newsletter, issued by the Guild or in the name of the Guild;

BRUCE BUTLER, incumbent; unopposed
Nominated by Jim Ziegelbein; second, Beverly Faber.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 1963 at Cranbrook, Kent, UK.

My home towers are St Martin's and St Mark's in Philadelphia (The Philadelphia Guild of Change Ringers) as well as offering monthly support to Immanuel Church in New Castle.

I visit as many places as possible trying to attend the various ringing events held throughout the Guild. My last ringing "road trip" was to Miami, Florida where I held a training course for the local ringers in November 2009.

In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following project/initiative for the NAGCR: Continue visiting as many places as possible to help train; promote ringing events; provide support and advice to new/old towers, plan mini courses and add to the information available on the website.

PRESIDENT

Duties:
- be the chief executive of the Guild;
- chair the Executive Committee;
- prepare and distribute the Annual Report;
- prepare and distribute the call and agenda for all General Meetings;
- carry out election procedures;
- be an ex-officio member of all committees.

LYN BARNETT, incumbent; unopposed
Nominated by Ted Clark; second, Kris Fowler.

Candidate's Statement:

I learned to ring in 2001 in Atlanta and Marietta. My home tower is St. Luke's - Atlanta. I frequently visit Marietta, Birmingham and Charleston for ringing. My last ringing "road trips" were to Pittsburgh and Birmingham in August and to the AGM in NYC in September 2009.

In 2010 I would like to accomplish the following project/initiative for the NAGCR: Increase delivery of hands-on support to new and re-building towers and financial support as fiscally feasible. Identify and recruit potential officer candidates and ringing tutors from among our newer/younger members.

Note: This message was posted by Dianne Cermak on behalf of the WebTeam as the request of the President of the NAGCR.