By David Swarts
AMA members, the time has come to take action. The October issue of American Motorcyclist, the official magazine of the AMA mailed on September 1, contains a ballot and instructions for nominating candidates to be elected to the AMA Board of Trustees.
Once candidates are nominated, an election will be held–using ballots included in the January issue of American Motorcyclist.
Instead of talking about what you would do, now is the time when you can actually do something to change your organization for the better.
The three Board of Trustee seats from the AMA’s southern regions are up for election to three-year terms. These are rank-and-file-elected positions, and winners of these elections will sit with the AMA Board of Trustees–even during top-secret “Executive Sessions”–and help chart the organization’s path regarding everything the AMA is involved in, from racing to government relations on the state and federal level, including the things that you never knew were happening because they were kept under wraps.
John Ulrich started the “Take Back The AMA” movement earlier this year, and the result was hundreds of people stepping up and donating money to provide inflatable air barriers to help save the lives of their racing sons, brothers, husbands, friends, and fellow AMA members.
Now is the time to continue with that call to action, and take the next step to Take Back The AMA by nominating candidates dedicated to representing all and making the AMA a member-run organization again.
We ask that AMA members read the nomination instructions carefully and nominate a member of our Take Back The AMA slate of candidates as follows:
If you live in the Southwest Region (Southern California south of San Jose, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii): John Ulrich, Lake Elsinore, California
If you live in the South Central region (Missouri, Southern Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi): AMA Pro Thunder Champion Jeff Nash, Mansfield, Texas
If you live in the Southeast Region (Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Puerto Rico): 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz, Davidson, North Carolina
All three of our Take Back The AMA candidates meet the applicable rules for nomination; AMA rules for nomination follow:
You may nominate any AMA member in good standing, including incumbent members of the Board of Directors, subject to the following regulations:
1. The nominee must be from your home region.
2. Nominees must have been members of the AMA in good standing for a minimum of three years as of September 1, 2001.
3. Nominees must not be employed by any company currently holding a corporate seat on the Board of Directors, nor be employees of the American Motorcyclist Association.
4. Nominees must have completed, or agree to attend, the AMA EAGLES Leadership Academy for volunteer leaders.
5. Nominees will be required to sign a Statement of Understanding of Responsibility for AMA Trustees.
6. Nominees must be willing to meet with their fellow directors a minimum of four times each year, on weekdays and/or weekends.
7. Nominations must be sent on the official ballot and must be received no later than October 8, 2001.
8. All nomination forms must be mailed to the firm of Ernst & Young as printed on the official ballot; any nomination forms mailed to the AMA will be void and will be destroyed.
9. The ballot in the magazine is for the addressee on the cover. AMA members in good standing who do not receive this magazine (associate members, etc.) and who live in one of the southern regions may request in writing a ballot for their own use. Only original ballots will be accepted – no photocopies or handmade ballots are permitted. If you need a ballot, please write to:
AMA/BALLOT
13515 Yarmouth Drive
Pickerington, OH 43147
The official nominating ballot reads:
I live in the _______ region and my AMA number is ________. I would like to nominate:________ of__________ for a position on the AMA Board of Directors. To the best of my knowledge, this nominee lives within the boundaries of my region, is an AMA member in good standing and has been a member for at least three years as of September 1, 2001. Signature _______________.
The October issue of American Motorcyclist magazine describes the election this way:
Join The Democratic Process
It’s campaign time again – time to elect the officials who will direct the future of your Association. The AMA is looking for active and dedicated motorcyclists to serve on its Board of Directors, which shapes policy for the world’s largest motorcyclist organization. This year, AMA members from the three southern regions – Southeast, South Central, and Southwest – will choose representatives to serve three-year terms on the Board. Those elected as directors will join three representatives from the northern regions, elected in 2000, and six representatives elected by AMA Corporate Members. The 12 members of the AMA Board of Directors collectively determine policy and set the financial direction of the Association, so each and every AMA member has a stake in making sure they select the best people for the job. And the way to ensure that is to nominate fellow AMA members who have the appropriate experience and qualifications. The nominating process is simple: Just make sure that your candidate meets the qualifications listed on the reverse side of this page, then complete the form below and drop it in the mail. The top three nominees from each region will appear on the ballot to be published in the January 2002 issue of American Motorcyclist. (A minimum of 25 nominations are required to appear on the ballot.) If you feel that you or a fellow member could be a valuable addition to the AMA Board of Directors, get involved now.
