President of the VHTRC

President of the VHTRC. Sounds kind of important, doesn’t it? Well, in a way it is sort of important, or at least I take it that way.

Every two years the club elects a new board of directors, and that newly elected board, as their first order of business, selects the club president. The club is not a business, or run like a business where the president can mandate his will. The VHTRC is run by the board of directors and the president’s one vote carries no more weight than the vote of any other board member. But even though the president and the other board members have an equal vote, the bylaws of the VHTRC were intentionally written to give the president quite a bit of power. The bylaws state:

“The president represents the Club externally, sets the agenda of the Club, calls Board meetings, and manages the affairs of the Club. The president shall set the time, manner, and place of all Board meetings and shall preside over all Board meetings. The president may, with the approval of the Board, appoint committees to further Club purposes.” The bylaws further state:

“The president shall set the agenda of the meeting. While the president should consult Board members on desired agenda items, it is the president’s responsibility to set the agenda.”

The president’s responsibility of managing the club’s affairs means, among other things, that the president usually has a pretty full plate of items requiring his or her time and attention.

Over the past 24 years the VHTRC has had four presidents. First was Chris Scott who was “President for life.” OK, he didn’t die, but he moved to California, and Joe Clapper became our “President till he gets it right.” I’m not sure Clapper ever did get it right, but somehow Mike Bur got the job, and for the past 6-1/2 years, the job has been mine.

So now to get to the point. I’m writing something here I never thought I would, but life’s circumstances leave me no choice. On July 13, 2016 I will step down as president of the VHTRC. Time consuming issues with aging parents, and mounting pressures brought on by the restructuring of my business do not allow me the time to do the job the VHTRC hired me to do. In all things I undertake I strive to do my best. Right now, the VHTRC is not getting my best effort. This is something I can tolerate no longer, and this is the reason I must step aside.

But don’t despair! I’m not going away. I may no longer have the time to be president, but I do have some time to serve the club and thus I shall retain my seat on the board. The board has a multitude of issues facing it, and I’m looking forward to continuing to help in any way I can. I plan to continue to bring items of importance to the board, and to remain involved with our club.

I’m very pleased to announce that the board met via teleconference on July 7, 2016. At that meeting I nominated Keith Knipling to be the fifth president of the VHTRC. He was elected by a unanimous vote, and so now it’s his turn. The club needs a guy like Keith at the helm. He’s part of the new generation moving into the club and yet he was there back in the day. I have confidence he can do a great job, and I look forward to continuing to work with him, and I wish him well.

If you have any questions about the board, the club president, or anything else for that matter, just let me know. I look forward to seeing everyone out on the trails soon.

Happy Trails!