Maine ARRL SM Election

 

The Challenger’s Pledge

Please allow me to introduce myself.  I’m Bill Crowley, K1NIT, of Farmingdale, and I am a candidate for Maine Section Manager.


I got my first amateur radio license at age 16 in 1960, and have held every class of license except Technician.  In addition to the ARRL, I am a life member of QCWA, and a member of the Augusta Amateur Radio Association, where I currently serve as president.  I am the Maine Section Public Information Coordinator, and an Assistant Section Manager.  Away from ham radio, I enjoy surfing the internet, traveling, and riding my motorcycle.  I am currently in the process of bringing a 1953 Studebaker Starliner coupe back to life.  In 2008 I retired after 21 years with the Maine State Police 9-1-1 Center in Augusta.  I have also worked as a U.S. Census Bureau supervisor, in automobile and advertising sales, and as a news reporter/photographer.


I am running for Maine Section Manager because I see a need for change. 


Our hobby is literally dieing.  Two years ago, we had more than 5,000 hams in Maine; now, according to the FCC database, our numbers are down to 4,500, a ten percent drop.  I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of us are over age 50, which means the census figures will keep going down. 


We need to introduce more people to ham radio, particularly younger people.  As Section Manager, I will appoint a special panel to investigate this project and come up with suggestions on how to work with local schools and youth groups to tell them about our hobby.  We have many teachers, both active and retired, in our membership who can use their experience to help us solve this problem.


I would like to raise awareness of ham radio by publicly recognizing our members who achieve greatness, not just in amateur radio circles, but in the community at large.  If a ham is commended by the mayor, for example, we need to point out that he or she is a ham.


I see a need for more coordination between emergency management services and ham radio, and more coordination within the hobby as well.  Currently one hand often does not know what the other hand is doing, with less than optimum results.  We need to have our emergency response people talking to each other and to their emergency response people on a regular basis.


We need to get more Maine hams involved in the ARRL.  Currently, less than a quarter of us are full time members, and as we know, more members means more influence in amateur related matters, whether it be legislation, operating activity, or development of the hobby.  As Section Manager, I will appoint a Membership Committee and Membership Chairman to make this a reality.


As your Section Manager, I will listen to your concerns, and make sure they are received and understood in Newington.  In my career at the 9-1-1 Center, I had to listen to what people were saying and what they were not saying, and make a sound decision on a preliminary course of action; it was often, literally, a matter of life or death.  I will bring that ability and my people skills to the Section Manager position, and I will be consistent in my application of them.  You can bank on it.


Maine has not had a Section Manager election in more than 10 years, and I am happy to have caused that to change.  Now I hope to complete the change, to be your Section Manager, and to stop doing business as usual.  The time for talk is over; it is now time for action.  I would appreciate your vote.