Questions for the nominees for the bod ???????

[lastchancefarm]

I for one only know these people by name and nothing else.

I dont know how many nominees are members of the board, but i would like to hear input to help me decide who to vote for. so like to know what your qualafications are, so in future people who would like to run would know what the board was looking for. RESUME !!!!!!!!!!!

How are you going to advertise for the assoc. ( where , why ) ?

What are you going to do to help the AOT's ? Make it more affordable? have more classes offered ? Make us a champship show?

Keep program? How would you spend the money. The money is from ky people, should it not be payed back to the breeder and owners of Ky . breed horses..

How would you help all these 2 nad 3 day shows keep operating?

These are just a few questions!!!!

Thanks for all the responsesin advance .

julia patton

[canter]

Hi Julia,

You raise some good points for the BOD nominees. The ASHA has a new forum that I believe would be just the right place for you to post your questions as these would go directly to the ASHA. This forum, from what I understand has been created for questions directly related to the ASHA. Perhaps you can request the biographies of each nominee and their stance on your questions.

The new forum is located at: http://groups.google.com/group/AmericanSaddlebreds

You don't have to be a member of the ASHA, but you do have to register to post a topic online. Registration is free.

I hope this helps you. I will post this on trot.me.org as well in case others have not yet been to the site here.

Thank you,
canter

[tommygrl]

From this discussion, would an Admin. develop a set of questions for those BOD nominees to answer? I don't even know them by name, much less by reputation or their philosophies.
In some communities, the League of Women Voters publish answers to certain questions of each candidate. We could really use something like that now.

[canter]

According to the ASHA, below is what is stated. If you have questions for the candidates and where they stand on your issues, I would suggest you submit SPECIFIC questions to the ASHA's forum and maybe they can be answered prior to your vote.

I don't think it is the Admins responsibility to ask questions for YOU!!! I, personally would NEVER ask anyone to take their time to ask questions for ME on how to vote on anything!!! I would do it myself as I do voting in my own precinct. Once again, the forum for the ASHA is: http://groups.google.com/group/AmericanSaddlebreds. You don't have to be a member to use this forum. Registration is free to post on their forum.

Your questions cannot be answered here unless the nominees choose to answer themselves if they wish (most do not even know of this website). Suggestion to all: I would be specific in just what you wish to have answered and not be vague as what I have seen so far.

Admins are not designated as The League of Women Voters and there is no such thing with the ASHA.


"In February 2008, six directors are to be elected for terms ending in 2011 from these eight candidates: Phyllis Brookshire (North Carolina); Victoria Gillenwater (Tennessee); Carl Holden (Kentucky); Tim Lockard (Iowa); Margaret McNeese (Texas); Barbara Molland (California); Paul Treiber (Wisconsin); and Art Zubrod (Kentucky). Write-in votes for others are also accepted.

Four of the candidates on the slate (Gillenwater, Lockard, Treiber and Zubrod) are incumbent directors eligible for another term. The other four are also widely experienced and knowledgeable friends of the American Saddlebred. All meet the requirements in the Association’s bylaws for service as a director and were selected in an arduous process by the Nominating Committee from over 150 members who were considered in a series of detailed meetings.

Ballots (including biographical information on the candidates) will be mailed in early January and must be returned by eligible voting members of the Association on or before Friday, February 1, 2008. The successful candidates are then announced at the Association’s convention and annual meeting, to be held from Thursday, February 14 through Saturday, February 16, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington, Kentucky.

“The entire group of potential candidates was exceptionally well-qualified,” said Alan F. Balch, Executive Secretary of the ASHA, “and successive Nominating Committees over several years have refined the process to be certain that nominees on the ballot meet the detailed requirements in the bylaws. Except where we’re notified otherwise by those whose names are submitted by the membership for consideration, all names considered are forwarded each year to the next Nominating Committee so we can continue to expand the list of those who are available for this demanding volunteer service.”"

[nicole_wettstein]

Julia -

I was wondering if you had posted your questions on the Google.groups. I looked for the thread and didn't see it.

Thanks.

[lastchancefarm]

No I had not. I have never been to other groups. I was really hoping they would start posting if they really care about improving the breed, so other could also make the right choice.

So please if any of you know these people please have them read and post. I would love to get to know these people.

julia

[tommygrl]

Oh well, seemed like a good idea to have the same objective questions asked of each candidate, answered in an open forum of some sort, to get their specific opinion, rather than just comments about them, or even some campaigning. Already suggested that on the ASHA members' section.
OK, got the "Bad-Idea-Spanking"

[attafox]

I looked at the ASHA forum and can't find your questions tommygrl - could you provide a link?

[VLayne]

Julia, you are assuming all of those nominees are here on trot! That's a big leap of an assumption. I know a few are... but they rarely visit, and their lack of an answer to your post on trot in no way reflects a lack of caring about the breed.

If YOU care, you will draft a letter and mail it personally to each candidate (their info can be found in the membership directory) or even give them a call. You cannot reasonably expect them to come here just to answer a post they don't even know exists. (If I sit at my desk and yell questions to George Bush, should I expect a phone call from him?)

It has also been suggested you go to the actual ASHA site and post your questions, because an employee of ASHA may be able to forward them on to the candidates. You have not done this yet - why not? If you're intent on getting answers, you have to be proactive about it, not expect others to do the work for you.

You have some good questions, but without some legwork on YOUR part they will not be answered.

[tommygrl]

Where is an ASHA forum?
I suggested expanded questions beyond a curriculum vitae on the ASHA members feedback section, got a reply from Mr. Balch.
At first thought, my initial questions were: Most important function of the Assoc., Most important new activities in the future, ASB involvement...keep at home? or out of state trainer? How long. What is a priority activity to advance the breed and increase activities with the ASB.
I'm sure those can be written better. Anyway, the idea to have expanded information about the candidates somewhere is out there now.

[magic]

http://groups.google.com/group/AmericanSaddlebreds

[redwingfarm]

Go to the ASHA website and click on Governance-which will take you to a link to the article in the bylaws concerning Election of Directors. There is a lengthy list of items that the Nominating must consider for each potential candidate. The candidates on the slate this year offer a great geographic balance and they all have had a long history with the American Saddlebred Horse in many different areas.

Someone keeps mentioning KEEP (Kentucky Horse Breeders Incentive Fund)-this does not fall under the direction of the AHSA Board of Directors. If you want answers on that prize money program-I believe Melissa Moore is President of the Kentucky based Charter Club that is making the decisions on how that money will be awarded. There are very specific guidelines from the state of Kentucky about who is to get this money-and I am sure Melissa could answer any questions.

Judy Werner

[Lucky]

I have just come from the ASHA google group, and unless I missed something, there are only 4-5 posts. While the bylaws are helpful in understanding the BOD nomination and election process, it would be very helpful to have some more detailed information on those nominated candidates. I have read that ballots will come out in January. A bio on each candidate, sooner rather than later would be great.

I did go back, joined the ASHA forum, and made my request to the moderator. Oh, I was the 37th member to join!

[canter]

Hi Lucky, I tried to answer your committee question on the 'soon to be gone' site. In reference to your question about the ASHA's google website, it is very new. If you go back and look at the news items, I believe this site was announced at the end of October and was in a testing phase in mid October. This is probably why there are not a lot of members as of yet. There was also a post on the 'soon to be gone' site regarding the ASHA website. Alan Balch commented on its purpose there. I believe is was under General Forums.

[lastchancefarm]

I did post the same thing on the google site 3 days ago but before it is posted it has to go through the mods.

I am still waiting.

julia

[Lucky]

Canter, Thanks for the update. I asked my question on the google site, got a response from Alan, but it was not the answer to my question. Anyway, he did email me just now that he thought it would be okay to put candidate bios on the website, but the candidates would have to approve. It's a start!!!

[canter]

Has anyone trotted over to the ASHA Google website? It seems as though your inquiries have received some attention!

[nicole_wettstein]

Just for clarification:

KEEP & KY Horse Breeders Incentive are two completely separate entities.

KEEP is the Kentucky Equine Educational Program. This private 501-c3 organization is NOT affiliated with the Kentucky government at this time. Their goal is to educate people about the impact of the equine industry in Kentucky. They helped lobby the Kentucky government to CREATE the Kentucky Horse Breeders Incentive Fund.

Kentucky Horse Breeders Incentive Fund IS a program of the state of Kentucky. Monies are derived from a portion of the state sales tax on stud fees. Each of the two years this program has been in effect (2006 & 2007) $1 Million was divided between all non-racing breeds. The Ky Horse Racing Authority, under direction of the state of Kentucky, is in charged of distributing monies. In 2006, the recently founded KY Saddlebred Owners and Breeders Association received $120,919. In 2007, $146,381 was given. The current contact person is Misdee Wrigley Miller, also the current 1st Vice President of ASHA BOD and very successful client of world renowned Kalarama Farm, Joan Hamliton in Springfield, Ky.