Changing of the Guard- Election Committee
To: FTR Members

From: Jim Wilder, Outgoing Chairman, Election Committee

Subject: How The FTR Works and How Your Vote Matters

For the last two years, I have been the Chairman of the Election Committee.
It has been a good way for me to do my part for what I consider to be an
excellent, family oriented, racing organization - the FTR. As is often the
case, volunteering has also taught me a lot about how the FTR works and how
we get things done. Doing this job and participating in many of the
official FTR meetings, I have come to realize that many folks are not very
clear about how decisions are made. This can be very frustrating for
members, so I thought I would take some time to write this message to help
folks understand how this works and to reiterate the importance of their
vote for officers every year.

As with any major organization, we can't just take a vote of all the members
every time a decision needs to be made. Can you imagine the chaos? This is
why organizations elect officers as their representatives to make important
decisions and create committees to get various jobs done. Ideally, these
volunteers are trusted people who are qualified to make decisions in the
best interests of the membership. This requires quite a commitment of time
and energy by these elected officers, all of whom have to work to support
their families as well. They must take time to understand all the details
and issues so they can make the tough decisions. Of course, that does not
guarantee that every decision will be flawless, but the work gets done and
the members continue to enjoy the benefits.

We expect a lot from these officials. Have you ever had a situation where
you questioned the decisions of an elected official? Perhaps it was a bad
decision, or perhaps you did not get the whole story. Whatever the case,
the membership must support the decisions made by their elected official.
Otherwise the trust is lost and the organization cannot succeed. Of course
there are exceptions such as unethical conduct, but in general, elected FTR
officials need to be supported by the members, even when their decision is
not the one you might have made. The key is to elect the best possible
officers to the position, then trust them to do the job.

If you decide you don't like the way an official is running things, vote for
a different person. The better the elected officials, the better the
decisions, and the better our organization will become. Can you believe
only 300 or so out of over 2,000 members voted in the last two elections?
Later this year, Mike Presler will dust off the election box for your votes
as he assumes the volunteer job of Chairman of the Election Committee.
Please take a few minutes to evaluate the candidates. Ask some probing
questions. Look at their experiences, not just how fast they ride or where
they're from. If we all take the time to consider the candidates and cast
our votes, we will continue to keep the FTR strong.