Topic: ARRL Candidates for New England Division Director.

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NOTE:  Normally NEAR-Fest doesn?t get involved in A R R L partisan politics as we have no affiliation with the organization whatsoever.  However, as a service to the A R R L members in the New England Division, we are holding a ?Town Meeting? forum to which all three candidates have been invited to make a brief statememt and answer questions from the audiences.  Additionally the three have been offered table space inside the commercial building where they can meet voters, answer questions and pass out campaign literature.

Each candidate has the opportunity to submit a campaign statement and we will carry all three.  They are presented in alphabetical order.  NEAR-Fest does not endorse any candidate. If you are interested in hearing what they have to say you should attend the above-mentioned Candidates Town Meeting that will be held Friday October 15th at 1:00PM IN THE ARTS AND CRAFTS BUILDING.  This is located across the road from the Administration Bldg,  it is the same building but top level where the volunteer exams are held.

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Candidate - New England Division Director

Web Site https://neqp.org/k1ki/

Hi, I?m Tom Frenaye from West Suffield CT (near Springfield MA) and I?m running for election as New England Division Director of the ARRL.  I?ve served as ARRL Director in the past and am currently elected as an ARRL Director Emeritus.

I?ve been licensed since I was 14 years old, thanks to a middle school science teacher.  Amateur Radio has been part of my life ever since!   I?m particularly interested and involved in on-the-air activities.  In high school I focused on DXing and county hunting and worked more than 1500 US counties.   A friend and I started the California QSO Party in the early 1970s. 

After graduate school I took a once in a lifetime job as a communications specialist and spent a year in Palmer Station, Antarctica, also operating as KC4AAC.   Following that, I took the job of contest program manager at ARRL in Newington CT.  During that time, I learned about packet radio, which led to an understanding of computer networks, and a career in information technology at a Hartford-area insurance company where I developed large corporate databases for end user access, managed the new information center and the network control operations.

I volunteered as ARRL Director and Vice President until 2018, and also as ARRL Foundation president for ten years.   I?ve also served on several of my town?s boards and commissions, including finance, technology, capital projects, and the planning and zoning commission.  I?ve also served as mayor (First Selectman).   I believe every ham should look for the opportunity to get involved in their town?s government in some way.

In the 1990?s I started a New England effort to get new hams on the air called the Get On The Air Program.   It focused on reaching out to new hams and helping them to get started in ham radio by connecting them to local ham radio clubs.  This program was then adopted by the ARRL as a major addition to Field Day ? the Get On The Air (GOTA) station which is great for new hams to experience getting on-the-air.

In 2002 I started the New England QSO Party as a way to help encourage on-the-air activity.  Over the last twenty years it has grown to more than 100,000 QSOs made in a weekend and 1100 logs received.

When the World Radiosport Team Championships were held in the Boston area in 2014, I was part of the team that managed the event.  My assignment was to find 50+ locations for teams to operate from, and to build the several hundred volunteers for site management.   I?ve also served as President of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club ? two different times.  I especially like to operate CW and on 160 meters, and really enjoy building antennas.   I?m looking forward to the improving propagation on the 15 and 10m bands!

ARRL is at a crossroads and has faltered during the last several years.  There have been five different CEOs in the last five years, many of the key staff members have retired or left the organization.  The ARRL Board has also had a difficult time with inexperience and failure to apply good management to the organization.

I?m running for Director because I?m critical of the way things have been managed by HQ and the Board.  I believe that the right decision is not just to criticize but to step forward and be part of the solution to improve the organization.

The ARRL needs to have a current strategic plan and must focus on improving the League?s relationship with both the FCC and members of Congress.   Amateur radio needs to continue to adapt to the changing technological world, FCC rules need to be modernized. 

Hams need relief from the condominium and homeowner association rules that limit or prohibit reasonable antennas.   During the last three years, no progress has been made on that relief, and actually, the effort has ground to a stop.

The Technician license needs to be modernized so digital modes can be used on HF band segments, not just CW. 

We have to find a way to limit the serious problem with consumer electronic equipment RF interference, and the explosion in noisy solar energy installations.  This will require action by the ARRL, Congress and the FCC, because the current rules are incapable of addressing the RF pollution, and enforcement is nearly non-existent.

ARRL conflict of interest rules for elected officials are not sufficient to deal with many current situations, and I will work to strengthen them.

I?d appreciate your vote in the upcoming ARRL Director election.  Ballots will be mailed out from Newington by October 1st.

If you have any questions at all, please give me a call at 860-597-4539 or email to frenaye@pcnet.com or K1KI@arrl.net

Thanks and 73!     

 TOM

[W1RC]

Why I Seek Re-election
by
Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
 
Web site: https://www.hams4newengland.org/
 
Promises?
 
Candidates make big promises, whether practical or not. But here are some things I talked about when I first agreed to run, and what happened.
 
? ARPA. I worked to stop ?The Amateur Radio Parity Act.? As written, it would do more harm than good. It would have made an HOA stealth antenna a violation of federal law ? not just a contract violation. It might only permit a 440 MHz whip. The earlier Board refused dialog with those of us that ?knew something about something.? Fortunately for all of us, we killed the bill.
 
A Replacement. I co-authored a replacement for that ?Parity Act.? It took hundreds of hours. Many prior board members then had no real insight into the matter.  While Covid delayed us 18 months, keep your eyes open. Something should appear soon. Can you help get support from a U.S. Representative, or Senator?
 
? Transparency. Last time I wrote ?we should embrace more transparency.? I released the Board?s Standing Orders, previously secret, now reorganized by subject, instead in chronological order. See https://nediv.arrl.org/, or drop me a note.
 
? Legal Restructuring. I was appointed to the Committee to update our legal structure. There are only two lawyers elected to the 15-member voting Board ? I am one of them. Our League is foremost a technical and service organization, but a firm grip on the massive, serious legal issues is required to assure our future.
 
? Fixing Management of the ARRL Endowment. For 40+ years, the ARRL endowment, ~$40 million, was run by one man. That had to change. On my motion, the Board agreed (1) we should create an Investment Management Committee, (2) bring in professionals, and (3) take on more reasonable risk, yielding more money over time to fund mission-critical projects.
 
? The New CEO. I worked hard to replace the former CEO and was named by the President to the Search Committee. We found a qualified CEO, marketing-oriented, devoted to ham radio, who will work on converting more licensees into members. Our committee allowed the Board to choose among the top five CEO candidates, after in-person interviews with dozens of others. Last time, no choices were presented to the Board - unfathomable. Our new process ended that.
 
? Voted to Executive Committee. Twice the Board selected me for the Executive Committee, which runs things between meetings. I?m proud other directors asked me to represent them.
 
? Lobbied in Washington, DC. I represented ARRL on Capitol Hill and at the FCC. A member of the Bar in DC, I was a law clerk (legal advisor) to the Chairman of the FTC. I know something about how Washington works. I also created the ARRL?s DC Lunch Bunch, inviting hams from NTIA, FEMA, FCC, DHS, and communications law firms.
 
? Life Long Learning. This summer, I recorded a six-part video series for the ARRL web site on how to get a permit for your antenna. See https://www.gotostage.com/channel/d8ea15d6ea99464e8ec08c33d7e1e3e5/recording/989509baacfc4ff3b14d38c915d9e17e/watch?source=CHANNEL
 
? Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur. This summer I published the Third Edition of my book, now available from ARRL. http://www.arrl.org/shop/Antenna-Zoning-for-the-Radio-Amateur-1458/
 
Other. We have many challenges, including membership, promoting new hams and STEM education. We advance such things through our Learning Network, Teachers Institute, and our significant youth scholarship program.  Preserving our spectrum is also mission critical. A rising RFI noise floor is also a serious problem. There is no one answer to all of these issues. But mentoring youth is not the answer to more transparent Board rules or governing documents.
 
I don?t want our League to fall back into its old ways of governance ? by popularity and personality ? rather than professional competence. 
 
Elections Rules. Elections have been considered ?personnel matters? and discussed behind closed doors. Candidates have been improperly disqualified. Sometimes it has been impossible to learn the real reasons. Should candidates be disqualified for reasons we may never know? Or should voters decide?
 
Your Vote. This is a contested election. Friends will vote for friends.  We understand that - just like in a radio club election. But the ARRL is not just a bigger radio club. Board leadership requires technical and professional skills, combined with experience, to benefit our membership.
 
Write me at Fred@antennazoning.com. For my biography, see https://www.antennazoning.com/biography/
 
The previous Director held office just short of forever (over 20 years). I promise you I won?t stay for 20 years. Please vote for Fred Hopengarten, K1VR.
 
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[W1RC]

I Need Your Help To Become ARRL New England Division Director

Web site:  www.elect.ab1oc.org.

Nashua Area Radio Society Members:
Ham Bootcamp Participants and License Class Grads:

I believe that Amateur Radio and the ARRL are at a crossroads. Issues such as the need to bring new people of all ages into Amateur Radio and get them active have become urgent. We also need to do a much better job at building public awareness and support for Amateur Radio as a means to protect our rights as hams and our spectrum.

As President of the Nashua Area Radio Society, I have very much enjoyed devoting a great deal of my time and effort, along with other members of the Nashua Area Radio Society, to help many of you get licensed and become active in Amateur Radio. I also believe that providing training and mentoring for all hams is an essential role that clubs need to take on to help people to enjoy and benefit from Amateur Radio in the fullest possible way. I believe that this work is very important to the future of Amateur Radio and the ARRL.

I am currently running to become the next ARRL New England Division Director. I am seeking this role to enable me to serve as a leader in setting the future direction of the ARRL and Amateur Radio. I am also running, in part, so that I can focus the League and New England Clubs and ARRL members on important work to bring new people into Amateur Radio, to help them become active hams, and to help all hams develop their skills and enjoy Amateur Radio.

I need your help and your support if I am to become your Director and take on this mission. If you are an ARRL member, you will receive your ballot to vote for New England Division Director on or shortly after this Friday, October 1st. Ballots are due back to ARRL HQ by November 19th. The last Director election was decided by only a few votes so your vote is very important.

I hope that you will support me with your vote. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, I can be reached at ab1oc@arrl.net. You can learn more about my plans as Director at elect.ab1oc.org.

Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
President, Nashua Area Radio Society
One Director Can Make A Difference