Candidates speak

[1212FBGS]

romaro....
You already slammed Latin on this board a week ago, before you finally met and talked to him last Sunday. so it doesn't surprise me, or probably anyone else on this board, that you will stay on you side of the fence and continue to talk bad about him. If you would do research before you shoot your mouth off you would have found out that the SCTA already "HAS" over $400,000.00 in the bank!!!! Romaro if you want to pay more than a single entry price, go ahead! Heck if your so concerned, why don't you just outright donate some money to the SCTA!
Latin helped bring the SCTA out of almost bk and in financial trouble before, and i'm confidant has the ability to protect the financial intrest of the SCTA. Why didn't you ask Lattin about his plan for financial trouble due to rain outs before you made this post? if you did, posting his responce would have been a more informative post instead of a fishing slam. Ya know the political slamfest we are getting in the media right now before the elections is frustrating and sickning. We dont need it on this site.
kent

[JohnR]

romaro....
You already slammed Latin on this board a week ago, before you finally met and talked to him last Sunday. so it doesn't surprise me, or probably anyone else on this board, that you will stay on you side of the fence and continue to talk bad about him. If you would do research before you shoot your mouth off you would have found out that the SCTA already "HAS" over $400,000.00 in the bank!!!! Romaro if you want to pay more than a single entry price, go ahead! Heck if your so concerned, why don't you just outright donate some money to the SCTA!
Latin helped bring the SCTA out of almost bk and in financial trouble before, and i'm confidant has the ability to protect the financial intrest of the SCTA. Why didn't you ask Lattin about his plan for financial trouble due to rain outs before you made this post? if you did, posting his responce would have been a more informative post instead of a fishing slam. Ya know the political slamfest we are getting in the media right now before the elections is frustrating and sickning. We dont need it on this site.
kent

The trouble is kent, you see anyone who disagrees with you as slamming. I am not AGAINST Lattin, I am not FOR Dunn, I am only FOR the SCTA. As to the "political slamfest" you are referring to, well, your post is yet another in a long string of first rate examples of it. Stop writing to me. Your constant attempts at bullying and shouting down anything that you don't agree with are getting quite tiresome. Jon Amo won't do anything about it so I have no option but to stop ignoring you and start replying to your silly, childish, simplistic, black & white, 2nd grade view of the world.

I am quite sure that any reasonable person will re-read my posts and take them for just what they are. I do not expect that from you. In fact, I expect very, very little intelligent thoughts from you. You are Landracings version of the WWF except you are the only one in the ring yelling...

[Bob Jr.]

Glen, that is exactly my point.  The candidates or club reps could get their messages out faster and to a broader audience by posting here.  Also, club newsletters tend to be somewhat politicized and/or reflect the views of the writer in describing issues and views.  I don't believe the brief statement by candidates that came with the ballots gives anyone enough information to make a informed choice.  Bob

Bob,

this is just a BLOG site for the sport not an official site for the SCTA as some people like think it is...  Jon works with the associations on some important postings when needed and does a great job...

[Bob Drury]

Bob JR., Maybe if the SCTA did a little better job of keeping its members informed on the issues, rather than a brief "such and such made a motion, and it was seconded and passed", we wouldn't need this "insignificand blog" to open up the disscussions.  Any who dare to ask questions may visit here, and any who don't wish can merely skip over any posts they are uncomfortable with.  I favor open disscussion, and their is a hell of a lot of it on here.  I consider it a great source of information.  It is up to the reader to decide what is fact and what is fiction.

[JohnR]

Jim Lattin as President
13 Goals for 2007
...
Goal #3   SCTA is made up of an older group of people. We need to entice younger people to become involved. Some ways to promote interest might be by making Board Reps meeting more open and friendly and by turning vehicle inspection into a helpful experience not an intimidating one.
...

This one is obvious and I think everyone agrees on the basic statement except I don't see the tech inspection as being intimidating and not helpful. It is challenging to build a new car and get it through tech the first time so there will always be a bit of apprehension in tech but i have found that if you approach tech as a learning experience and work WITH the tech inspector, you will usually have a very quick & easy time in it.

I think the problem of infusing our sport with new blood goes much much deeper than implied. The simple fact is that we are not even on the radar of the current youth hot rod movement. I say that as a person who works in that segment of the market right now. Your typical 25 year old kid wants to build a drift car or a drag car. The really esoteric ones build a roadrace car.

What has happened recently is twofold. Of course, TWFI gave lots of exposure and we will continue to see the bump in new vehicles directly attributed to it. The other is the resurgence of the "traditional hot rod scene" which is visible at Speedweek and the Stateline hotel during speedweek. Bonneville and El Mirage is the Mecca for this resurgence.

The Texas Mile has done a good job in getting the street legal "racecars" out for events and I think the low barrier to admission (e.g. tech requirements) has something to do with it. There is actually a potential to run a street car there.

At SCTA, we now will not even allow a car with a 4 point roll bar, window net and a helmet to run against an 80 mph record. It has to have a full cage, fire system, full drivers suit, scattershield etc... Essentially no street cars have this. NHRA allows a car to run down into the 12's with just a drivers helmet and OEM seatbelts. If you were 25 years old, making 30k year and had a hot street car, where would you go?

I am not proposing a return to the leather helmet and a prayer, just an understanding of some of the barriers that a new, young potential racer must deal with when contemplating a jump to the SCTA.

Additionally, the SCTA is BLESSED with alot of retired racers. What that means is that they are now FULL TIME VOLUNTEERS!!! YEEEAAAHHHH!!!

I would love to help both my club and the SCTA in any way I can, and I do, but the simple fact is I work 55 hours a week and when I get home I have 2 racecars, 2 kids, 3 dogs and a wife to worry about. (in that order). So I CAN NOT go to bonneville a week early and help set up and I think many are in the same boat. Like Jim, I worry about the next generation stepping up but I also thank god every day that we have so many "old timers" cuz thats how stuff is getting done!

In short, I think Jim is right and I think the core challenge is deeper than he stated.

[JohnR]

John, what I was implying was that club reps should have a pretty fair view of the goings on at SCTA meetings, and could give hopefully their unadulterated, or at least first hand experiences with candidates.......

Here is another.

Jim Lattin as President
13 Goals for 2007

Goal #1 Last year the SCTA Bylaws were grossly deviated from twice that I am aware of. Why have laws if they aren?t followed? Allow no one to break SCTA Bylaws!

Of course, no one should be allowed to break the SCTA, BNI or thier respective Club bylaws.

When I spoke to Jim he explained the two instances that he was referring to:

#1, Section VIII.C.1 of the SCTA Bylaws state the following: "The officers shall be elected annually by mail ballot by the members.  The outgoing ballots shall be postmarked by October 15. The ballots shall be counted at the Association Representatives? meeting held in November." Jim Lattin told me that Mike Manghelli had not given his candidate statement to Warren Bullis (the SCTA Secretary) by this date and that the mailing was made after October 15th. I have not verified this with Warren and don't feel any reason to question Jims statement.

#2, Section XI.A.1 of the SCTA Bylaws state the following: "The President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant-At-Arms, immediate past President, and additional appointed members selected by the elected officers, shall constitute the Board of Directors.  The total membership of the Board, both elected and appointed, shall not exceed a maximum of seventeen (17)." Jim Lattin contends that the board was appointed without the Sergent-At-Arms input therefore denying all the elected officers their right in determining the boards makeup. I believe this did happen as it was confirmed by Mike Manghelli when he offered an apology for it to the SCTA board and membership at the January (or February?) board-reps meeting.

I think the first mistake where the mailing was held up to include a candidates statement does not rise to the level of a gross deviation as Jim contends. Some would even say it was just a person making an honest attempt to do his job as best he could. But, if it did happen then it was against the current SCTA bylaws.

Now, the second mistake, well thats different and much more serious. However, I will accept Mikes explanation of it being an accident and his public apology and move on. If anyone (meaning Don Ferguson III, the excluded board member) has more information that contradicts what I just wrote then please post it so the record can be complete and accurate.  

Even with these these two errors, I do not believe that the board has abused it's power or been heavy handed at all. I have attended every board meeting of the current administration and it is my impression that the current board has tried, and succeeded in being very open and as fair as possible to all SCTA members.

[Bob Jr.]

Bob JR., Maybe if the SCTA did a little better job of keeping its members informed on the issues, rather than a brief "such and such made a motion, and it was seconded and passed", we wouldn't need this "insignificand blog" to open up the disscussions.  Any who dare to ask questions may visit here, and any who don't wish can merely skip over any posts they are uncomfortable with.  I favor open disscussion, and their is a hell of a lot of it on here.  I consider it a great source of information.  It is up to the reader to decide what is fact and what is fiction.

Bob,

Have you joined a car club or the SCTA?
Through the clubs we are provided with the information from the board meetings every month by attending the club meeting or it is put into the clubs minutes so that the long distance members can be kept up on the info.  For the non club SCTA only members  you are correct it maybe a little difficult to get all of info but this is not the place for it.  I think they should post it on there site so it can be hopefully unbiased info for all to read but only the members having a say.

[Bob Drury]

Actually Bob, I am a member of the SDRC and the SCTA, and although I recieve a newsletter, it is in fact, like all news letters, a day late and a dollar short in keeping its members up to date.  It is nice to be able to hear about and voice a opinion on current topics before they happen or have already become law.  While I understand that SCTA bussiness carries on with or without me, I and a lot of other paying members do not have the ability to have coffee with other members, or daily phone calls to catch up on whats happening.  Eight months ago you and several others on this site promoted that I and other BNI members join a club so that we could be involved from the inside.  Well, I for one have joined, and the results are pretty much the same. Other than this site, I here about it after the fact.  The only difference I see is that now I can petition for rule change, and I wonder if that is another secret deal.  Christ, Bob, is this the Masons, or what?  Maybe site users need to take up Navajo code talking.

[Bob Drury]

John R., you have mistakenly given me credit for a quote I did not make.  I have not mentioned ANY candidates by name in any of my posts, and that is for a very specific reason:  To encourage each and every one who reads these posts have to stop and think about the voting process.  If anyone wants to throw mud at candidates, it will not be me.

[JohnR]

John R., you have mistakenly given me credit for a quote I did not make.  I have not mentioned ANY candidates by name in any of my posts, and that is for a very specific reason:  To encourage each and every one who reads these posts have to stop and think about the voting process.  If anyone wants to throw mud at candidates, it will not be me.

Sorry Bob, that was from Jon's post of Lattins 13 goals for 2007. I'll edit it now.

[jimmy six]

1. How fast do you want or need to know what happens at a meeting.

2. All motions made at Reps meetings are brought back to the clubs for discussion and then are voted on the next month by the reps as directed by their respective clubs.

[Bob Drury]

J.D., you bring up a good point.  The SCTA is no more at fault than the member clubs when it comes to dispersing news in a timely manner.  My point is that without sites like this, a good portion of the membership first hear about a topic after it is fact, rather than in the planing stages.  I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I think that every SCTA member who has a vote, deserves as much information on a topic as is available.
  While we trust our club represenatives to vote for us at regular meetings, in this case we must vote for ourselves.  Some people seem to think that less information on candidates is a better way to go.  Some people vote like sheep.  Some people vote out of vengence.  However this election turns out, we will all accept it, I just want the membership to have the ability to vote their concience knowing they have their facts straight.

[interested bystander]

All that read this need to read yrs truly's "Handle" on this website and take it as you see it- been knowledgeable about land Speed racing since '48 when I read a book at my Junior High library showing this guy Malcomb Cambell in a monster car racing at a place called the Bonneville Salt Flats.
The politicking (sp?) for SCTA president is amusing- one recent winning cantidate had Scr##ed so many people that the scr##ees were going to poduce T-shirts with their names on them, but the list was too long to fit on the back of a T- shirt. But he was elected!!
Another got his crew members for his PERSONAL race car free lodging at Wendover at SCTA'S/BNI's expense.
Another, as of LAST year's election, had not repaid a debt he owed to a LONG Time car owner/record holder.
And another frequent campaigner had some mysterious fiancial disappearances when in power.
It's a wonderful organization and the last vesige of relative "freedom" in motor sports.
To paraphrase the Latin words- Caveat Voter!

[desotoman]

The only difference I see is that now I can petition for rule change, and I wonder if that is another secret deal.  

Bob,

I can assure you rule change forms are available at all El Mirage races at the registration trailer. I am sure the same is true at Bonneville. All you have to do is get one, fill it out, and mail it. It is that simple. Yes you do have to make an effort to get one, but if it is that important to you, the effort will be made.

Tom G.

[Glen]

POLITICS SUCK, TO MUCH FINGER POINTING, NAME CALLING AND DAMN FEW VOLUNTEERS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE.