[amsat-bb] My Ballot arrived - Now what? Something to consider.

[john at papays.com]

One of my ham radio friends asked me a few weeks ago, "What is going on
with AMSAT?"  It's nothing short of an all out civil war.  And it is
nasty and it's tearing us apart.   

With so many posts and so many twists and turns, it is hard to determine
the root cause of the War.  You have to stand way back to have any
chance of finding out.  If you take the time, the real issues becomes
clear.  

The War on the amsat-bb seemed to subside a few days ago when members
started talking about the ballots they were receiving in the mail. 
Maybe the thought was, if I just cast my vote, the problem will go away.
 Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Patrick and Michelle are not
on the ballot and they will still be on the Board after the election is
over.   

My ballot and the candidate's statements arrived yesterday.  And so did
the oversize postcard sent out by 3 of the candidates.  I read the
statements and have been reading the candidate's comments on other
social media platforms.   Some of the candidates talked about some of
the War issues.  Some said they would like to see regular Board
meetings.  One candidate posted that he would cast the third vote
required to demand General Board meetings be held regularly!  That's
about as bold as it gets in the candidate's statements.  The same person
promised to do some other things as well if elected; some helpful and
some not, in my opinion.  But at least he said them.. 

A while back, a member made a post about who he would vote for.  He
documented everyone's credentials, experience, past efforts with AMSAT
along with comments about personal interactions, if any.  Those are good
things to consider.  But what about the future?  What issues does the
candidate deem important and how does he or she plan to deal with them? 

To me. the most important issue for AMSAT is to find a way to bring our
Civil War to an end.  And that would include negotiating an agreement
with all parties that will restore civility and respect for all members,
a culture that is open to all ideas regardless of who is suggesting
them, as much transparency as the law permits along with fiscal
responsibility and accountability.  For the past week I've pondered how
to do this and came up with a plan that has a chance of working.  But
I'm not running for a Board position (and never will) so I will defer to
the candidates to come up with their own ideas. 

I challenge each candidate to address the issue and detail a plan to
deal with it.  Forget the general statements.  There are things that
must happen for the War to end.  And if someone with a high school
education and few accomplishments can do it, all of you should be able
to solve this problem with ease.  My vote will go to the candidates with
the best plans.  I urge others to wait a bit before casting their votes.
 Let's  see what happens! 

73, John K8YSE