My campaign speech

[Kejtar]

Howdy everyone!
It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in PA. A little bit cooler then what I'd expect in CA today but definately not as cold as I was afraid it was going to be.

I would like to ask you to vote for me for the SoCal chapter Vice President. As most of you know (I hope all of you do ), I am the current chapter VP and I would like to stay for the next term to serve the chapter in

the same capacity. Before I go on to say who am I and what I'm about, I would like to spend a few minutes listing accomplishments of current BOD, which I am part of:
1. Sadly it was not till the second SoCal Chapter BOD got elected, that we got our t-shirts made. Since then I have been responsible for keeping track and distributing shirts and coordinating (with Ron or on my own) new orders to keep a supply available.
2. We have successfully ran a Big Bear event in the spring of both 2006 and 2007 and have made a point of making donations from our raffle earning to worthy causes.
3. We had a XMAS party in 2006. OK, it was not a big one, but nevertheless we had a chapter wide M&G along with raffle, proceeds of which were used to support the 2008 Giveaway XJ. I am hoping that this years is going to be bigger and better
4. We coordinated a group buy of spill kits and purchased two for chapter needs.

I think that covers major highlights of the 2006~2007 BOD activities. I know that we (BOD) might have not appeared as visible at times, but we made sure that things were moving and happened.

Now on to me: well, for starters as most of you know I love Calico area That is the reason why I try to organize an unofficial gathering there at least once a year where everyone is welcome and we can wheel during the day and talk jeeps around the campfire at night. I know that folks have been asking for more official events, but I think it is easier and more practical to have one official event and a lot of unoficial ones. The end objective is to wheel, and for that to happen the event does not have to be official

OK, after getting a little bit sidetracked, let me get back on topic. I've been hanging around since about a year since it went online. I have been here during the old CGI forum days when we had 5 forums: tech, oem, non tech, members and for sale. Since then I have been involved at various levels with the organization, but I don't think there has been a year that I haven't been doing something either on the national or chapter level. On national level, since 2004 I have coordinated the onsite regitration at the Moab Fall Fling event (in 2003I got started by helping with the onsite registration) and from the looks of it I will be doing it again next year. Some people ask me why I do it: it's simple. For one, I get to meet folks as they come in: being involved with onsite registration and tech inspections I am able to put faces to poster's names. Also I get to help out the club make the event as great of an experience for both the returning folks as well as the newcommers. This past Fall Fling due to some scheduling/coordination issues, I was asked last minute to help coordinate the whole event. With help from Derek (IC chapter member) we were able to keep the event together and make it a great experience for those who came.

You might ask why am I bringing up national events/involvement? Simple: it goes to show what is for me all about. It's about wheeling, wrenching and the great folks that make up the organization.

Presence: I know someone will raise the issue of me falling of the radar a bit in the first half of 2007. That is correct: I haven't had a chance to post much due to issues coming up at work (more projects then resources) and some personal issues. I would like to point out that even though I was sitting on the quiet side at that time, I was still heavily involved in working on chapter issues. At that time we coordinated another run of shirts (which are pretty much now gone hence the custom shirt order), I organized the unofficial Calico event in the beginning of the year, and worked on coordinating May's Big Bear event. I wish I had more time to wheel with you guys during the first half of 2006, but it was not meant to be (though the upside is that it gave my jeep the chance to rest from al lthe crap I put it through ). Anyways, the important thing is that I followed through in my duties as a chapter officer.

What next? Should I get elected for the next term, I would like to :
1. see couple things happen: more local M&G's. Up until the beginning of this year, I believe that I have scheduled the bulk of M&G in the OC and the Valley area. I know folks keep asking why is it so far from them, why not LA or LB area. Well... why not? Look at IE folks. They motivated themselves and they have a semi regular M&G in IE. It does not take much to coordinate one, and I'd be happy to help out whoever wants to put one together.
2. bring back the OC M&G and raffle. For that to happen I need to locate a suitable facility (not every place allows you to raffle stuff off on their premises.
3. see more chapter involvement in interclub events. I will actually be starting on that early: I would like to see SoCal chapter rigs in the annual Toys for Tots event (any wants to join me?) as well as other events.


I think that's all I can of at the moment. I know more will come with time and I will do my best to answer valid questions (yup, Cracker ) as they come up.

Thanks
Remi

 

[karstic]

Westcoast 4x4 won't be holding the Toys for Tots run this year.

 

[Kejtar]

Westcoast 4x4 won't be holding the Toys for Tots run this year.

that is extermely dissapointing. I didn't make it last year as I went to services for Mike O. and I was hoping that we will be able to make it this year as a chapter.

 

[djblade311]

Just some questions about your opinions (not for me per se but good general "caucus" questions):

1. Do you prefer quantity or quality regarding membership drives?

2. What do you see are the 2 biggest issues with the SoCal chapter and how would you deal with them?

Thanks and good luck Remi!

 

[Kejtar]

Just some questions about your opinions (not for me per se but good general "caucus" questions):

1. Do you prefer quantity or quality regarding membership drives?

Neither. How's that for an answer I know has been pushing a membership drive and for the first one I have pushed right along with the national during that one special month. While it was a worthy effort, I think it kind of missed the point (Even though we did really good!). Why did we miss the point? Because I saw a lot of red names go back to black when their 1 year expired. So what does that mean? We have to make people want to stay and not have to talk them into signing up.

2. What do you see are the 2 biggest issues with the SoCal chapter and how would you deal with them?

2 biggest issues. That's a tough one but let me give it a shot.
I think that the first big issue is the membership. This past year a lot of people have went from red to black. I have spoken to quite a few of those members and I know that they were frustrated with some of the drama that keeps coming up on the national level and they're here to wheel not to deal with politics. Also it seems that a fair number of them were also the folks that signed up during the membership drive the year before that. So, what do I propose to do about it? Well SoCal chapter is a chapter. We are not national though we are part of it. I think making folks realize that is a first step. Some of the national politics affect us, but not that much. We are here to wheel and wrench and teach and educate: so lets do it and don't worry about rest. I don't think that we ever had an event (wether it was official or unofficial run) that was not fun. I want folks to hang out and become red because they want to and not because someone talked them into it. Having that red sticker should be like a badge Another aspect relating to this is that is not all only about offroading: that's only part of what we do. in the past has been really good when it came to catering to the big folks and the small folks. I would like to see us start doing that again on the chapter level at the very least. All the events that I work on coordinating usually cater to both of the crowds but due to lack of foresight there is not enough emphasis placed on promoting them as such and as a result a lot of folks that can do the trails are hesitant to come out. Also there is a lot of room left for "adventure" type events. Mojave Road, parts of Death Valley and other trails are places that will take a stock vehicle or nearly stock vehicle and allow you to enjoy the views, sights and history that is not accessible in a regular car. So what I'm proposing is to work on and help coordinate more unoficial events that offer a wider variety of experiences for folks.

Second problem? My goal for next year is to get more involved in land issues. We seem to be loosing a lot of ground both in SoCal and on the national level and that's not right. I think that there is a lot of things that can be done and it is our responsibility to make sure that the land and activity is available to our children. Yes we are doing some things already: we have the adopted trail, but I think that we also need to become more vocal as an organization. We need to educate the masses about what is offroading and see if we can enlist others to work with us. This past trip to Moab I've talked some folks that were staying @ the campground to go wheeling with us. They have never been wheeling before and it was a great experience for them. Talking with them afterwards I feel that it was a positive experience in light of them becoming 4x4 friendly (though that was not my objective when I asked them to go on the trail with us). So what am I after? I want us to be there on the front page someplace in non 4x4 environments putting our best foot forward to promote off roading and show us as good guys

Thanks and good luck Remi!

You're welcome and thanks.

 

[rpraterxj]

Great responses Remi!

Thanks for your service over the past few years.

Good Luck!

 

[Jump This]

What areas have been closed to street legal off-roading during the last two years?
Not closed do to fire danger, but permanent closures.

 

[GSequoia]

What areas have been closed to street legal off-roading during the last two years?
Not closed do to fire danger, but permanent closures.

Pontiac Sluice and Onyx Loop are slated for potential closure.

 

[Jump This]

Pontiac Sluice and Onyx Loop are slated for potential closure.

potential

All off-road trails are subject to potential closure....

 

[karstic]

potential

All off-road trails are subject to potential closure....

And that's what we have to fight against.

ALL the National Forests in California are going through the Route Designation Process. I don't just wheel in BB. Many of the closures aren't necessarily on technical trails either. There's many backcountry roads that lead to campsites, fishing holes, viewpoints, etc. that are on the list to be closed.

The majority of my use on FS roads aren't on the technical trails (John Bull, Holcomb, Dishpan, etc) but rather on the more mild stuff, geocaching, exploring, fishing, hunting, etc.

 

[Kejtar]

And that's what we have to fight against.

ALL the National Forests in California are going through the Route Designation Process. I don't just wheel in BB. Many of the closures aren't necessarily on technical trails either. There's many backcountry roads that lead to campsites, fishing holes, viewpoints, etc. that are on the list to be closed.

The majority of my use on FS roads aren't on the technical trails (John Bull, Holcomb, Dishpan, etc) but rather on the more mild stuff, geocaching, exploring, fishing, hunting, etc.

Yup, it's not only FS roads we are dealing with and not only hard trails either. One approach that I think we have to take is that folks need to understand us better and what we do and what we're after. The greenies launch a lot of propaganda about how destructive certain activices are supposed to be. We do very little (comparing to what they do) to counter it, so there should be not surprised when folks vote against us or pro greenies on certain issues.

I think every person should do things on at their "personal" level at least: After every trip I send pictures from the event around the office and I talk about the good time I have and highlight any good deeds done during the event. I also make sure to include as many pictures of variious views that do not include jeeps to show folks that it is worth it to get out and enjoy the remote areas. Taking it to the next level I think is one of the steps we should take. We organize events in Big Bear (official one, once a year) and a lot of unofficial ones as well. I think it would be smart to write small articles and include couple pictures (the articles should be coordinated and reviewed by a couple people so that they come out nice) and try and get them published in newspapers. Those newspapers should not be 4x4 newspapers. Well I have nothing against publishing them there, but I think we would get more impact if we went after general press

 

[rpraterxj]

I think it would be smart to write small articles and include couple pictures (the articles should be coordinated and reviewed by a couple people so that they come out nice) and try and get them published in newspapers. Those newspapers should not be 4x4 newspapers. Well I have nothing against publishing them there, but I think we would get more impact if we went after general press

This is exactly one of the things I was thinking. Local newspapers, magazines, or office bulletins... to help raise awareness of the beautiful FREE country and scenery folks can get to, with or without a built up Jeep.

I think the new BOD (whoever it may be) should focus on awareness items.....

Thanks for bringing this up Remi!

 

[Kejtar]

This is exactly one of the things I was thinking. Local newspapers, magazines, or office bulletins... to help raise awareness of the beautiful FREE country and scenery folks can get to, with or without a built up Jeep.

I think the new BOD (whoever it may be) should focus on awareness items.....

Thanks for bringing this up Remi!

No problem. I can't claim this idea for my own though I am working on occasion with another group on some 2A issues and they are coming up with some really good ideas for educating people about rules/laws and responsibilities. I found that there is a lot of similarities between the way issues need to be handled and I want to apply the experiences from one to the other (and vice versa).

This might really sound like a soapbox speech, but it's scary for me to see how some extremist interest groups (all the antis in various areas) try to ruin what this country is meant to offer/stand for. Exploration which relates to offroading is how this country was discovered/settled. My dream is to find one of these days some sort of a greenie group that would work with us and educate us how to be more responsible offroaders and learn from us in turn how resources can be used by all and enjoyed responsibly.

 

[Goatman]

This past year a lot of people have went from red to black. I have spoken to quite a few of those members and I know that they were frustrated with some of the drama that keeps coming up on the national level and they're here to wheel not to deal with politics. Also it seems that a fair number of them were also the folks that signed up during the membership drive the year before that. So, what do I propose to do about it? Well SoCal chapter is a chapter. We are not national though we are part of it. I think making folks realize that is a first step. Some of the national politics affect us, but not that much. We are here to wheel and wrench and teach and educate: so lets do it and don't worry about rest.

Excellent point, Remi. From the beginning, 's intent was to center around local chapters. When people are involved, and the Internet, there's always going to be crap, which can simply be ignored. Wheeling and being involved in the club is about friends as much as it's about the activities, so it is a good thing to be a member simply to be involved and supportive at the local level, regardless of what goes on occasionally on the national forums. Forums are for communication, and for some a form of recreation, the real world of the club is get togethers, whatever form they may be. Someone can be very involved in the club and yet not very active on the forums, and one could be very active on the forums and yet never show up to anything.

 

[Jump This]

and one could be very active on the forums and yet never show up to anything.

Please keep your personal attacks on me off-line....

 

[Goatman]

Please keep your personal attacks on me off-line....

Hey, if the shoe fits........................throw the damn thing away!

 

[Kejtar]

Excellent point, Remi. From the beginning, 's intent was to center around local chapters. When people are involved, and the Internet, there's always going to be crap, which can simply be ignored. Wheeling and being involved in the club is about friends as much as it's about the activities, so it is a good thing to be a member simply to be involved and supportive at the local level, regardless of what goes on occasionally on the national forums. Forums are for communication, and for some a form of recreation, the real world of the club is get togethers, whatever form they may be. Someone can be very involved in the club and yet not very active on the forums, and one could be very active on the forums and yet never show up to anything.

Yup, you've summarized it pretty well. I like the people, I like hanging out and wheeling with them and I have more fun on the trails and at events then on the forums (ok, forums are fun too, but that's not what it's all about).

It's really cool to see the number of runs that folks put together now in comparison to the few that we had in the beginning. Seems that almost once a week there is some sort of a wrenching party (either scheduled or last minute fix) and the chapter is really doing good over the recent times. So we have come a looooong way and I hope we will keep going in the same direction.

 

[cracker]

Boxers or briefs?

 

[Kejtar]

Boxers or briefs?

Oh come on. I thought you'd remember! BOXERS!!!!!!!!

 

[rpraterxj]

Oh come on. I thought you'd remember! BOXERS!!!!!!!!

He was thinking THONGS......


He must have gotten confused while on vacation..... could not tell the difference from the women and men "over there"....