Discussion District X Election

[ltougas]

I have been notified by the AMA that my nomination was accepted for the Vice Presidential election in District X. Any District X Members who would like to discuss issues that are of interest to them please join me at a web site I have created, the address is:

http://ama-district-x-election.blogspot.com/

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Lawrence Tougas
AMA 247032

[Dr. Sandy Frank]

Originally Posted by ltougas

I have been notified by the AMA that my nomination was accepted for the Vice Presidential election in District X. Any District X Members who would like to discuss issues that are of interest to them please join me at a web site I have created, the address is:

http://ama-district-x-election.blogspot.com/

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Lawrence Tougas
AMA 247032

I will ask here and now...



"WHY" do you want this?????????????

??


you are Rather YOUNG....


do you have the TIME to devote to doing this???

thanks for your honest answers...

[Magician]

Lawrence,

Good luck with your campaign. Although I'm not in District X I applaud you taking the positive step forward to get involved and volunteer your time on behalf of the AMA members in your district.

As to Dr. Frank's comment, what does age have to do with volunteering to represent your district? I think it's great that someone under the retirement age is willing to get involved in a meaningful way. BTW age is relative, I'm 42 and by no means consider myself "YOUNG" as you put it.

Chris

[init4fun]

Hello Gentlemen , I have read the statement linked and I am in total agreement with preserving flying sites , expanding the web site , and promoting our good image . Who Isnt ? . What I do question , However , is the notion that we need ANOTHER national flying site to spend a ton of money on . In these times of economic downturn and membership decline does it make financial sense to be discussing anything other than how to best preserve our current intrests and investments in an ever changing world ? One large national site is enough in my humble opinion . Happy Flying

[Silent-AV8R]

We tried several years ago to build a regional site in Visalia, California. The project eventually died on the vine after it was determined that the tire ruts on the property formed a potential habitat for a small species of fish that had not ever been observed within 200 miles of the site.

But before that the support outside the District was less than overwhelming. I am not sure that this is an idea that needs to be resurrected, especially now. Sort of a BTDT type of situation.

[Dr. Sandy Frank]

Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R

We tried several years ago to build a regional site in Visalia, California. The project eventually died on the vine after it was determined that the tire ruts on the property formed a potential habitat for a small species of fish that had not ever been observed within 200 miles of the site.

But before that the support outside the District was less than overwhelming. I am not sure that this is an idea that needs to be resurrected, especially now. Sort of a BTDT type of situation.

I will NOT DISCUSS what was spent on """a regional site in Visalia, California"""

and BTW """http://www.modelaircraft.org/amaexpo.aspx"""

is done FOR D10

I offered to GIVE the SWAC (Arlington,TX) to AMA...

but they did not think that they NEEDED IT !!!

and a 45 year old needs to focus on his JOB, Family, KIDS and personal things...


AMA DVP is a FULL TIME JOB when done right!!!

you have lots of other things but they are secondary to

YOUR DVP JOB....

again WHY do YOU wish to be D10 VP ????

[Silent-AV8R]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sandy Frank

I will NOT DISCUSS what was spent on """a regional site in Visalia, California"""

and BTW """http://www.modelaircraft.org/amaexpo.aspx"""

is done FOR D10

I offered to GIVE the SWAC (Arlington,TX) to AMA...

but they did not think that they NEEDED IT !!!

and a 45 year old needs to focus on his JOB, Family, KIDS and personal things...


AMA DVP is a FULL TIME JOB when done right!!!

you have lots of other things but they are secondary to

YOUR DVP JOB....

again WHY do YOU wish to be D10 VP ????

Sandy, take a DEEP breath and slow down. Your post made no sense at all. To whom was it directed? I mentioned the former District X regional site in response to the point about Mr. Tougas wanting to build such a site.

And I am not running for DVP, Mr. Tougas is. Did you somehow get confused on that??

[draftman1]

cool nice to see some new blood in this area, wow, I never heard of the Visalia site project, that would have been cool! personally I think there should be 3 or 4 regonal sites. most of us west coasters will never get back to Muncie and enjoy the benifits of our membership and major contests and events. why cant we have contests against people in our area on a large scale like the Muncie sie gets.

rock on Dude, you have my vote!

[ltougas]

draftman1,
Thank you for your vote. Please let your AMA friends know about my campaign.

[ltougas]

Sandy,
The following is a post I made on another site outlining my top three issues:

In my candidate statement I laid out my three top priorities. Maintaining flying sites, leveraging new media, and creating a Western United States flying, site those would be my initial focus.

My job puts me in the position of working with government employees on a regular basis. I’ve developed skills in dealing with confrontational matters and resolving them. I’d like to use these skills to help clubs keep their fields. I’m also a huge proponent of clubs promoting themselves to their community before their field is at risk. Putting some good will in the bank is priceless. I’d explore how clubs could best do that and provide guidance in the monthly column.

Speaking of the column I think it’s great to list a club’s activities for other members to enjoy. I’m just not sure that’s the best place. Space is extremely limited, the photos are in black and white, and there are other better alternatives. I think that the AMA as a whole does not take full advantage of the internet. District X certainly does not. It has a very limited and static web page. We can do better. I envision a site that would allow an almost limitless space to cover club events in color, we could include video, and it’s a much more dynamic environment to cover these events. I read recently in MA that clubs in a common area are grouping together to support each other. I think that is a great idea, we could use text alerts to let members in these areas know when a city council meeting is going to be held that might threaten a flying site. These are just a few examples of the new methods of communication we could be using in District X.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Muncie 3 times. I’m able to do that because I work for an airline and airfare is inexpensive for me. Anyone who hasn’t been there should go it is a fantastic place. The flying site is unbelievable it has something for everyone. Whether you’re flying free flight, control line, or R/C they have it there. On top of that there is a great museum. I took my father and he couldn’t believe all of the things they had there from his childhood. The tough thing about the Muncie site for District X and XI members is its location. We should be able to have an auxiliary flying site in the Western United States. A site that would allow all of our disciplines to meet and have large competitions. I would campaign for just such a site.


As far as feeling 45 is too young to be DVP, I have to respectfully disagree. More than once in the last several years I have read columns in MA that talk about the average age of AMA members increasing and how that does not bode well for the long-term health of the organization. I think a wider range of ages on the Executive Council could help that, in fact I'd like to see someone in their mid 20's to early 30's on the Council. New faces can bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

[Silent-AV8R]

I am curious if you are aware of the history and background of the previous attempt to build a Regional flying site in District X. What do you see yourself doing differently compared to the previous effort? How would you see the AMA funding such a venture?

With regard to the website (District X) aside from the desire to improve it (which I agree with) how do you see doing this? How do you plan to obtain content and improve the site? While your goals are laudable how exactly do you see them being realized? Do you plan on using volunteer help or pay a professional for the impressive array of features and information you propose?

Beyond your work with government agencies in your job have you held any positions within model clubs or volunteered with the AMA in the past? How long have you been a Leader Member? Do you have experience working within a club to obtain a flying site?

Sorry for all the questions but you have appeared out of nowhere and it would be nice to fill in some of the blanks. All of your goals are really nothing new so I am trying to understand how you see realizing those goals and the background and history you have that will enable you to do so.

Thanks.

[Dr. Sandy Frank]

Thanks for the time and efforts and your thoughts.........

AMA DVP is a FULL time job!!!

most all other things become secondary if it is done RIGHT !!!

Originally Posted by ltougas

Sandy,
The following is a post I made on another site outlining my top three issues:

In my candidate statement I laid out my three top priorities. Maintaining flying sites, leveraging new media, and creating a Western United States flying, site those would be my initial focus.

My job puts me in the position of working with government employees on a regular basis. I’ve developed skills in dealing with confrontational matters and resolving them. I’d like to use these skills to help clubs keep their fields. I’m also a huge proponent of clubs promoting themselves to their community before their field is at risk. Putting some good will in the bank is priceless. I’d explore how clubs could best do that and provide guidance in the monthly column.

Speaking of the column I think it’s great to list a club’s activities for other members to enjoy. I’m just not sure that’s the best place. Space is extremely limited, the photos are in black and white, and there are other better alternatives. I think that the AMA as a whole does not take full advantage of the internet. District X certainly does not. It has a very limited and static web page. We can do better. I envision a site that would allow an almost limitless space to cover club events in color, we could include video, and it’s a much more dynamic environment to cover these events. I read recently in MA that clubs in a common area are grouping together to support each other. I think that is a great idea, we could use text alerts to let members in these areas know when a city council meeting is going to be held that might threaten a flying site. These are just a few examples of the new methods of communication we could be using in District X.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Muncie 3 times. I’m able to do that because I work for an airline and airfare is inexpensive for me. Anyone who hasn’t been there should go it is a fantastic place. The flying site is unbelievable it has something for everyone. Whether you’re flying free flight, control line, or R/C they have it there. On top of that there is a great museum. I took my father and he couldn’t believe all of the things they had there from his childhood. The tough thing about the Muncie site for District X and XI members is its location. We should be able to have an auxiliary flying site in the Western United States. A site that would allow all of our disciplines to meet and have large competitions. I would campaign for just such a site.


As far as feeling 45 is too young to be DVP, I have to respectfully disagree. More than once in the last several years I have read columns in MA that talk about the average age of AMA members increasing and how that does not bode well for the long-term health of the organization. I think a wider range of ages on the Executive Council could help that, in fact I'd like to see someone in their mid 20's to early 30's on the Council. New faces can bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

[abel pranger]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sandy Frank

AMA DVP is a FULL time job!!!

most all other things become secondary if it is done RIGHT !!!

And WHO would KNOW better than YOU!!!

[mongo]

able,

someone who actually did it right.