Mullins explains USPA Proxy

[AndyMan 7]

Mike Mullins just posted to wreck.skydiving. I thought I'd post it here. These changes make a whole lot of sense to me.
->begin quote Mike Mullins
USPA Members:
The USPA Board of Directors is soliciting your proxy. We need your
proxy for the upcoming board meeting in Alexandria, VA, this Feb 22-24.
There has been much speculation and suspicion about this proxy
solicitation. The reason we are asking for it is so that we can change
provisions to the bylaws relating to the size and the composition of the
board and to the election of directors. The board can already change
anything else, the proxy can only be used for the stated reason.
Here is what is proposed:
1. Date of the USPA Election.
The membership, through a previous referendum, has stated their desire
to move the date of the USPA Board of Directors election to a summer
date from the present winter date. The reason for the move was to allow
campaigning and discussion of candidates while most DZs are open, in the
summer.
The Boards effort to implement this change and comply with the
memberships wish was thwarted by the legal requirement, under the state
of New York law that we are incorporated under, that such changes can
only be made by a vote of the membership or with their proxy. If you
want this change made, we need your proxy.
2. Election to the Board, specifically how to get on the ballot.
This is a subject that I am very interested in as although I am
currently a USPA National Director, I was not allowed on the USPA Ballot
in the last election. I had to run as a write-in candidate and was,
obviously, successful.
There are two ways to run for the board, either as a National or
Regional Director. I will discuss the National Director candidate first:
Under the current bylaws National Director candidates submit their
application to run to the Nominations and Elections Committee who then
decide who will be allowed on the ballot. A maximum of 20 will be placed
on the ballot for the 8 positions available. Under the proposed system
any member will be placed on the ballot as a National Director candidate
who submits a petition with 100 current members names and pays the $50
filing fee. I feel that this proposed system is much more democratic
and takes the politics out of placing candidates on the ballot.
Regional Directors:
Under the current system Regional Director candidates must submit a
petition signed by 10 per cent of the total membership in the region he
is running. The problem is that it often takes far more names to get on
the ballot than are cast in the election! In regions with a large
membership it places an undue burden on the candidate and thus limits
the number of candidates. Some Regions have even had no candidates
running.
Under the proposed system, a candidate for Regional Director would need
only submit a petition with 50 members signature. Under the current
system, incumbent Regional Candidates are placed on the ballot without
the need to submit a petition, under the proposed system they would need
to supply the same petition as the non-incumbent candidate.
The above changes to the election procedures were drafted by me with the
help and direction of the Nominations & Elections Committee, of which I
am a member. I feel that the changes are necessary, that they will help
make the election process more democratic, and that they will encourage
qualified candidates to run for the board. In all fairness, I must also
state that the proposed changes are not favored by all Board members but
I hope that the changes will ultimately be accepted.
The only other issues before the board that would require the proxies
are changes in the number and/or ratio of National and Regional
Directors. There has been discussion in dividing the larger regions
into smaller divisions so as to provide better representation to the
members. There has been discussion of reducing the number of National
Directors and increasing the number of Regional Directors and there has
been discussion of eliminating the National Director position and having
only Regional Directors. There has been no consensus, so far, on these
issues.
There is no other secret agenda.
We need your proxy. I am making a personal appeal to each member to
please fill the proxy out and send it to USPA. I am aware of many
members concerns that there is a hidden agenda and the board will make
some radical changes to the detriment of USPA. I give you my personal
assurance that this is not the case.
Please print and distribute this appeal and post it on your DZ bulletin
board. The proxy form is printed below. Please copy, distribute, and
encourage all members to return it to USPA.
If you have any questions you can reach me at Arizona Skydiving
Coolidge, toll free at 888-741-5867 until 21 Feb, or you can email me at
mikemullins @skydivekingair.com
Thanks and blue skies,
Mike Mullins
USPA National Director
Fill out the below and send it to:
USPA
1440 Duke St
Alexandria, VA 22314
USPA MEMBERSHIP #______________
The undersigned regular member of the U.S. Parachute
Association (USPA) hereby constitutes and appoints the USPA board of
Directors, acting in a majority as proxies to appear and vote in the
name of
the undersigned at the Annual Meeting of members on February 22, 2002,
and
at any and all adjournments thereof, including without limitations the
approval or disapproval of amendments to the provisions of the Bylaws
that
refer to the size, composition and election of directors. The
undersigned
hereby revokes any other proxy given by him or her with respect to his
or
her membership in USPA.
This proxy may be revoked at any time prior to its exercise
at the Annual Meeting by execution of subsequent proxy by written notice
to
the Secretary or by voting in person at the annual meeting.
Print name___________________________________________
Signature ___________________________________________
Date ___________________________________________

[Dutchboy 0]

If there was truly no hidden agenda then they would send out extremely specific proxies. They are also not prevented from having you send a proxy for someone who has agreed to vote a certain way.
The attempt to blackmail USPA members by saying "if you don't send it in now we'll have to waste more of your money on further requests" is also BS.
If you send in this proxy you have no guarantee that what they do won't be far worse than what we have now.
The Dutchboy
CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI
http://www.philsflying.com

[wildblue 4]

Quote

The attempt to blackmail USPA members by saying "if you don't send it in now we'll have to waste more of your money on further requests" is also BS.

No shit.. that's what really put me off of the whole thing. Did you get the mass email they sent out too? They sure are trying hard for this. Had they just stated what Mike did in the first place, a lot more people probably would have signed it.
I've become really un-interested in the USPA lately. My boss is a pilot, and a member of the AOPA. We were talking one day about the differences between the two organizations, and the more we talked, the more pissed about the whole thing I got. He laughed pretty hard over the whole proxy mess too.
Did you know that "if" is the middle of the word "life"?

[flyingferret 0]

I have a few thoughts on this.
A) I agree with the whole suspicion thing. When I was at Waller a few weeks ago, Marilyn Murdock was campaigning really hard for this proxy. I mean to the point where you just wanted to say, you have have asked me five times, leave me alone so I can pack. The general concensus was that we did not feel comfortable signing the form without knowing exactly what the issues were. And of course we heard how really need this proxy or the USPA will be inefficiently using our money. So a lot of us just took the form or said we already had and kept packing.
B) I don't have a real good understanding of how the heck this affects me. I have never personally talked with the USPA staff, although I know my DZO has a very good relationship with some of the higher-ups. As a matter of fact, right now I am still waiting on a response for an address change request. I cannot ever remember my USPA number while I am at work, so I called and gave them all the other particulars, since they are not open when I am at home. I never heard anything back, and it has been at least 2 weeks. So, after not really hearing anything from anyone in the couple years I have jumped, they are running around like crazy trying to solicit my vote for something undescribed?
C)On the other hand, I wrote a personal email to Phil Boyer the President of AOPA during the whole GA grounding. And you know what? During the freaking busiest time he has probably ever dealt with, he sent me a personal response. I was not expecting one, I just wanted to thank him for his efforts that were indirectly helping skydivers. And he replied personally. I have to say, as soon as I get some spare change I am joining AOPA, if for no other reason than that. And as for the USPA, well, hell they could not even keep their page updated during the grounding fiasco.
D) I might be expressing my ignorance here. But if the quote comes from the Mike Mullins, of king air fame, I thought he was kind of on the USPA's bad list, not a national director. I had always heard that he and the USPA disagreed on some things, and so his DZ and his plane were governed by his rules not theirs. Am I the only one that has heard this? Did something change?
Malachi

[weid14 0]

Mike Mullins is on the national board, he got elected fair and square. to try to change some things

[freeflir29 0]

"Mike Mullins is on the national board, he got elected fair and square. to try to change some things"
You have to give the guy credit for that. It's no small pain to get elected to that board I'm sure. Now....I just question everyone's motivation that puts that much time into something like that. Are they doing out of benevolence to the sport....or are they expecting a monetary kick back in the future. I have only met Mike the couple of times that I jumped his plane at ASC so I really can't make any judgement call on his motivations......*shrug*
"It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[PhreeZone 15]

Quote

D) I might be expressing my ignorance here. But if the quote comes from the Mike Mullins, of king air fame, I thought he was kind of on the USPA's bad list, not a national director. I had always heard that he and the USPA disagreed on some things, and so his DZ and his plane were governed by his rules not theirs. Am I the only one that has heard this? Did something change?

Mike Mullins is the owner of WTS, Colliage and the King Air you are thinking of. None of his DZ's are Group Members and Mike is really against the entire GM program for most the same reason's I am. Mike also disagrees with most the BoD since he is'nt into their politics and helping each other out thing. He was denied being on the ballet this last election and ran a a write in canidate. Needless to say, he won, and beat lots of people on the ballet by a few 100 votes. He was elected because he is fighting aginast the organization and answering the members demands for a better organization that does not cater to just the DZO's but to the members. I started a thread a week ago about GM DZ's or not, I've been on the road all week for work and have not been able to update it, but I've got lots of info about how much the program wastes the members money, and thats what Mullins is fighting against.
I want to touch the sky, I want to fly so high ~ Sonique

[flyingferret 0]

So, this guy is fighting for us? I mean that is what it sounds like, although I have never met him, what phreezone says, seems to agree with what i have heard. So if he is totally against "the Man" isn't he probably the least likely to have a hidden agenda? And he supports the proxy. That might say something.
Malachi

[freeflir29 0]

"So if he is totally against "the Man" isn't he probably the least likely to have a hidden agenda?"
Probably.......but my philosophy is DTA...."It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[flyingferret 0]

DTA? Dont Trust Anyone? Well that kinda flies in the face of an elected republic.

[freeflir29 0]

"Well that kinda flies in the face of an elected republic"
Well....just cause I vote for em doesn't mean I have to like em.....
"It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay