On January 3rd, 2012 each member will receive an email that will enable you to cast your ballot and have your voice heard. I hope that your voice includes a vote for me when you take time out to cast your ballot. I will assume that you have had a chance to read the Bull Sheet published by KCBS and read the answers that all the candidates have submitted. With 14 candidates the reading takes some time and attention, which is a very good way educate yourself and determine who will earn your vote. I want to take a few moments to point out why your vote for BJ Hoffman is a vote that will give each member a voice, not just a member number! I want to give members a means of being in the loop, not left to read or listen to edited meeting happenings. As a former government employee and government contractor I understand how important having open meetings and leaving as little behind closed doors as possible. The more you put out in public, the more opportunity you give people to see what is going on, and the less you attempt to conceal, the better off you are.
If elected I will promise you that I WILL only vote to go into closed session when personnel matters are being discussed. The value of closed session meetings is greatly diminished when it takes place all the time and that is irresponsible in my opinion.
Secondly, my count of candidates that are also KCBS reps is 8. What does that matter? I believe that if you add more people to the Board of Directors that are reps you will soon have a Board of Directors made up of reps and the cooks and judges that make contests happen will be left unrepresented. Leaving cooks and judges without the voice of someone like me that walks in the shoes of judges and cooks is a poor choice in my opinion. Along with making meeting easy to access, I would procure a vendor that would make listening to meetings live while they take place as easy as a mouse click or dialing a phone number. Asking permission to be a part of a meeting of an organization you pay to belong to is very elementary and somewhat insulting.
Third, I want to bring more delegation of authority to the committees, and name the members of the committees. The committees are in place for a reason and it appears that the committees and the people on those committee's aren't being utilized in the best manner. It is time for this to stop, and the responsibility needs to be assigned to the committees so the work of those committees can be brought to the board for action based on the input and knowledge of committee members.
Finally, I want to set myself apart from other candidates in the fact that I if elected I will make bringing back a positive mentality back to the KCBS. No more bickering, no more personal conflicts of interest, and more BBQ, fun, fellowship, and preservation of BBQ! On January 3rd I ask each KCBS member to look at which candidates best represent what you want in an organization. Remove their picture from your mind, remove their awards from our mind, remove their website from your mind, remove their BBQ affiliations from your mind. Now, think about the organization that you pay to belong to and what you ideally want that organization to be, then decide which candidate best represents what you are and what you want, then vote.
This January 3rd, when your ballot arrives I want to be part of what you picture KCBS to be and earn your vote for a better KCBS.
Respectfully, BJ Hoffman