Now that I have finally gotten through all of the exhaustive posts on the election ship. I do have a few questions of my own that either have not been discussed or were not responded to at all by some of the candidates.

Presidential Candidates.

1) There was a brief comment made about the Community and Marketing Coordinator. As a former MAC, I was in charge of promoting our club in various ways such as on other forums. Where do you see the current position and what do you think can be done to improve the position, to help get STF out to more people. And in turn, garner more interest in the club with new members?

2) There is no doubt that the club is in dire need of fresh blood in the upper cabinet positions. How will you go about in finding said new blood? There was talk about a mentorship program. How will you go about identifying individuals who might be interested in said program positions?

3) There is a new GM exam. What are your thoughts about a renewed effort to making the DH, XO, CO, Engineering courses available and updated? There used to be a list of people who have completed said courses. Would you be willing to make that available to the public again? (This is going back to effWebb)

4) Is there anything within the current government that you would like to change as soon as you are elected? Why or Whynot?

VP Candidates

1) Both candidates are rather new to any cabinet position. What makes you qualified to be running for the Vice President position within the club?

This is a solid question and an understandable concern. While I have not been in the club long, just going on two years, I have accomplished a lot in that time. I have been a DH in all sections on multiple vessels simultaneously. I currently am the CO of a vessel and the AFComm of a fleet. I am the club’s Dockmaster. I have proposed ideas for projects, one of which is currently being designed and built. I have been a mentor to incoming Cadets. All of these things have given me insights into how the club functions, and introduced me to the majority of our members. I know who I can ask for advice, who is knowledgeable in the various aspects of club Administration, and the general rules and regulations for how things need to be done to remain in accordance with the club rules and policies.

Besides my club specific experience, I have a great deal of real life experience in administration and leadership. I am a military veteran, a corporate director, and an experienced professional with regards to managing people and compliance and regulatory processes. All of these different aspects, I feel, combine to give me a solid foundation. That foundation, coupled with my sincere and unfaltering desire to see this club flourish, are the qualifications I feel I possess that will enable me to do the job… and do it well.

2) What is your opinion on being on multiple ships versus a few ships? WIll this help or hinder your abilities to perform your duty as VP?

The answer to the question of multiple ships versus few ships is not a simple ‘This one is better.’ It all depends on the individual you are referring to. Some people do well only with a few ships. But we have members who manage well over a dozen at a time and rarely, if ever, run into problems. So if I take this as a question as to whether or not I specifically can manage multiple ships and the duties of Vice President, I would have to say that I feel I can manage my ships and the duties. If I cannot, which is entirely possible, I will have to curtail the number of ships I am on. Its a matter of prioritizing my responsibilities and commitments; something I have a great deal of strength in.

3) The same question as the presidential candidates is there anything within the current government that you would like to change as soon as you are elected? Why or Whynot?

‘Change’ is a very broad term. There are changes David and I would like to see, yes. But those are not broad, sweeping changes designed to rebuild from the ground up. The tasks and ideas David and I have center more around updating our resources and encouraging more engagement from newer members. We always have to remember that we are a community, and there fore we as the Administration have to act in the best interest of the club as a whole; not just make changes because David and I think it’s best.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

Robert “Ducky” Thompson

Thank you for the question. I hope that addresses your thoughts. If not, let me know and I am happy to discuss.

James