is managing the elections process.
(Photo: Adams Carroll)
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is currently accepting applications to be evaluated for election to their Board of Directors. These elections are important because the board has significant sway and oversight into the policies and direction of the organization. We have gotten emails and phone calls from people in the community who wanted to know more about the election process, so I asked Board Vice Chair Stephen Gomez to explain how it works.
“We are looking for people that are mission aligned; people that have the time and the resources to help the organization”.
— Stephen Gomez, BTA Board Vice Chair
According to Gomez (who’s overseeing the elections process) seven of the fourteen current board members face expiring terms. Those members are:
- Chris Achterman
- Paul Adkins
- John Beaston
- Tommy Brooks
- J.S. May
- Jim Middaugh
- Austin Ramsland
The board is currently going through an internal review process with those seven members in order to determine which of them will run for re-election (a process expected to be done at the end of July). Gomez points out that the BTA bylaws allow for up to twenty members on the board, but they don’t plan on expanding. “Most likely we will stay at fourteen and add new members”.
When asked what the board will be looking for in prospective members Gomez stated, “it comes to who’s interested; who’s qualified” and continued saying, “we are looking for people that are mission aligned; people that have the time and the resources to help the organization”.
Applicants are first reviewed by the Nominating Committee members, who choose potential members whom they see as qualified for a position. The chosen applicants are then nominated to the full board who vote on the applicants along with the entire membership in September.
If you’d like to take on a volunteer role with the BTA that Gomez calls, “really rewarding and really challenging all at the same time,” the application date was just extended from June 1st to June 15th and applications should be sent via email to gomez[at]bta4bikes[dot]org.
— Read bios of current board members here and learn how to apply here.
I support any future board member who aims to transition the BTA into an Active Transportation Alliance and less of Portland-Only Bike Advocacy. Last time I checked, the BTA still claimed jurisdiction in ALL of Oregon and SW Washington and yet the BTA seems to think Vancouver is not a concern of the BTA. And thye wonder why I stopped sending in extra donations.
Emily:
Just to clarify a point: the BTA bylaws do allow for up to 20 board members and we are currently at 14 members. What I said about expanding the board was that we are open to doing this and that it will be predicated on how many current members chose to run for re-election and how many qualified members present themselves.
Marcus #1, Susan Peithman has been working her tail off since last fall to make the BTA a truly statewide organization. Her statewide advocate position is grant-funded for two years and she spends all her time working on issues in the Rogue Valley, Washington County, Eugene area and Bend area. Every time I try to get together with her she’s on the road. She’s smart and capable and I expect great things to come of her work.
So any Vancouverites willing and able to step up and work within the BTA board on Vancouver bike issues?
(A third of the Vancouver bike commuters live in Portland and another third work in Portland…)