Great summation "Blaircsf" Harness. I agree with all of your points.
I think there is something "broken" with the board, contrary to the assumption above that nothing needs "fixed". This is what we are all discussing currently, and have been for years. Personal attacks are not the motivation, nor will attacks be tolerated as a response.
The election process of the MRA has proved to contain some flaws. A large group of members have been discussing the potential changes which could make the MRA club take the next step toward shoring up policy, creating a much more inviting atmosphere for volunteering, and capitalizing on the wealth of management talent within the MRA membership.
Many competent members have run for a position, and lost to the incumbent. Why is that? It appears to be one of the side effects of being a racing club, where being in front of the membership regularly for a term creates such a popularity/familiarity advantage, that it sets the bar abnormally high for a challenger. In other words, the current board director/representative would have to do an absolutely terrible job for them to loose their position on the board during a normal election, as the election process is currently structured. That in itself can insulate the board from "excessive turnover", but where is the balance of quality fresh blood on the board then?
We have seen several examples of individuals serving on the board to the point of burnout because of this. I also think there are examples of board positions receiving minimal preservation, because the board member has served for too long to maintain their enthusiasm for improvement.
I strongly believe that the appointment process of board members is not the right thing for the MRA moving forward. It was a provision in the bylaws to be used in a time of emergency, but has been misused at this point. According to this poll the proposed changes also appear to have a lot of support [41% support at this point].
I believe the appointment process has many negative consequences. The "collusion" that was referenced above is actually ironically a more accurate description of how the board is currently assembled by all these past appointments, than it is a concern for any probability that it would be an issue through electing a fresh board representative/director when the current reaches their term limit.
I am very passionate about racing motorcycles, and my primary interest in any of this is only because I truly understand that a healthy political dynamic is a necessary component of a sound racing organization. It is my plan to continue serving the Motorcycle Racing community into the future. The negativity exuded by the opponents of these proposals says a lot about the "board vs membership" mentality that has been noticed on many occasions, by far more MRA members than the board seems to realize. I am interested and willing to do whatever I can to support positive change in the MRA. The dysfunctional environment that has turned off many racers and associates can be easily fixed through some simple organization and policy improvements that prevent either party from "taking things personal" and letting things turn to "drama", instead of appropriately addressing the membership needs and inquiries.
I am proud of lots of BoD members of past years. Some that come to mind: Mark Shellinger, Scott Rybarik, Tony Baker, Aaron Fisk, Jeff Brown, Carl Sorenson, and several other friends of the last decade of racing with the MRA. The innovation and leadership has been very admirable. I would love to see the MRA continue to hold elections where lots of competent candidates get involved, because they aren't turned off by bickering, and because they truly feel like they will be afforded the opportunity to do a great job for the club. This starts with the membership having a real vote in how the MRA is run, which means they also have a real say in who is running it. This should be a quite agreeable premise, and I hope we can spur good discussions about how to go about implementing these terms.
Thanks for your time and attention everyone!
Dennis Stowers #151