There are less than two weeks until voting ends for the Board of Directors. Since I am a candidate, I do not have access to the actual count, but it is my understanding that only about 300 members, out of 2,600 members, have voted to date.
It goes without saying that 2009 was a stressful year for the Region. Car counts on the club racing side were down by about 10 percent, although SCCA-wide they were down by 15 percent. While our Solo program fared better, unlike previous years we did not have the long waiting lists we used to have during better times. Weak turnout also was experienced in our other programs. We are currently projecting a deficit of about $34,000 for the Region.
Difficult decisions will be needed in 2010 to make sure we do not lose more money. For example, what to do about the 12-hour, which was a big money loser; how can we improve the promotion of our product in order to increase our income; can we operate more efficiently and further reduce our costs without hurting the quality of our programs; and what should we do about our smaller programs such as PDX and RallyCross. All important questions.
I would ask that each of you read carefully the bios of the candidates and ask yourself this question: Which four of these people are best up to the tasks ahead. Having done so, please vote for them. If you have trouble voting on line simply call the club office and Heidi will be glad to help you.
Thanks.
James Noel