[KLUG Members] The State of Elections, and KLUG

[Robert G. Brown]

Greetings!
   As a member of the Elections Committee, and as someone who has 
had a long-term interest in the vitality of our Linux Group. I want 
to give you a brief update about how nominations are going. Perhaps 
you will also see the reason for my concern.

    To-date, we have 1 nomination for Chair, 2 nominations for Vice-
Chair (one nominee is still considering acceptance), one nomination
for Secretary, and one nomination for Member-at-Large. No one has
been nominated for Treasurer, and we have only one possible office 
in contention so far...that of Vice-Chair.

    All of the nominations submitted so far have come from TWO people.
  
    Today, the Elections Committee has written to each confirmed 
nominee, asking each for a statement which, when received, will appear 
on our web site.

    I can think of three ways to interpret the relative lack of nomi-
nations so far:

  1. The people who are operating KLUG on your behalf are doing a 
     PERFECT job. Clearly, you believe that all of those people 
     listed as officers and volunteers are going to run for office 
     again, and you will be quite pleased as they continue to deliver 
     the sort of Linux Group you have come to expect.

  2. You're not interested in the election at all. As long as the 
     "product" KLUG produces is good, you'll keep attending -- meetings 
     and mailing lists.But please, you don't really want to be involved
     in all that pesky stuff that makes all of this happen.

  3. Elections? What Elections? I'm too busy with the holidays, work,
     the kids, that darn car, Mom in the iron lung (and so on) to be
     worried about this.

   If you can come up with another good interpretation for the silence
of this nomination season, I'm eager to see it, if only in the spirit of 
Open Source.

   KLUG exists in the spirit and reality of Open Source. Linux and other
projects were not created by silence, a lack of participation, or the
desire to be a consumer without giving something back. These projects 
are all about initiative, opportunity, and a continual need to take part
and improve things. KLUG has been built on your interest and involvement,
and that extends to selecting our leadership. We have a good team (and
we have a good system), but can it be better? Of course! However, our
volunteers, elected officers and appointed volunteers, are not superhuman,
and they will not stay in their positions forever (or even next year!).

   Only YOU can guarantee the continued existence and vitality of KLUG.
You do so with participation, investment of your abilities, and a desire
to stay involved and learn. Many of our members participate by presenting
topics at meetings. Others have helped novice Linux users, and others give
something to the group by diverse activities, from getting food for meetings
to making CDs, or representing KLUG at computer sales.

   This is YOUR chance to show that you believe in what we do, by helping
to select our leadership for the coming year. Volunteer for one of the
positions, or stand for an elected office. Nominate someone else, if you
feel that you know a good potential leader. Read the descriptions of the
positions, and let your choice be guided by the things you see. Linux,
like good elections, are about choice, participation, and freedom.

    http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize

   Invest a few minutes. You know it will pay off, all year.