CYC Home
September, 2009
By Harry Brown
Chairman, CYC Nominating Committee
The CYC nominating committee is pleased to announce that our slate of candidates for election at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 10 is complete. Several months ago Bruce Sherman reached out and aked if I would take on this task. To be honest although I've attended almost every AGM since joining the club 8 years ago and was a member of the committee last year I don't think I fully appreciated what was involved in this job.
CYC is known for delivering a high level one-design and PHRF racing experience. Our sailors compete in state of the art dinghies, long sailed one-design classes and large keel boats. CYC members can boast of having several of the most active one design fleets in the nation. We offer weekly racing on fresh and salt water venues and have some of the most outstanding scenery in the world. All of this means the leadership of our club must be responsive to wide range of needs and exciting opportunities for growth.
Following my initial discussions with Bruce I set as my goal to nominate a slate of candidates that represented the widest spectrum of our members' participation in CYC. Following many phone calls, a message on the CYC website and contact with fleet captains, several people were nominated by a variety of members. Those members were informed of their nominations and asked is they would agree to be candidates to fill the positions that are now up for election at the November 10th meeting.
With the assistance of Eric Sanderson, John Rahn and feedback from many members of the club we are submitting an outstanding slate of candidates who are representative of our sailing community.
Candidate for Commodore, John Rahn, has been a member of CYC since 1995 and is currently the vice commodore. He owned and raced the Olson 30 Aliens Ate My Buick from 1995 - 2004 and served as national measurer and PNW class president for the Olson 30 fleet. He recently purchased and currently races a J/24, Rubber Ducky. Since 2004, he has also owned and raced his 505, Ardent.
John is professor of music composition and theory at the University of Washington and president of Perspectives of New Music, Inc., a small non-profit scholarly publishing company. He lives in Seattle's Greenlake Neighborhood with his wife of 43 years, Suzanne, a professor of English at Pacific Lutheran University.
Candidate for Vice Commodore, Wayne Balsiger, has been a member of CYC since 1981 and was commodore in 1991; Wayne has agreed to step forward once again to bring his experience in support of CYC. He currently races his Thistle, Rainbow and serves a USYRU judge at local events. Wayne ran the highly successful Heart of CYC fundraising campaign and is retired from PACCAR.
Candidate for Rear Commodore, Ken Johnson, has been a member of CYC since 1978. Ken Johnson is seeking a second term as rear commodore, due to the demands of his job at Cray Inc. An attorney, Ken is a long-time member of the Seattle San Juan 24 Fleet and currently owns and races Grauer Geist. He has been active in the club for many years, including assembling nominees for CYC's annual awards for review by the board.
Candidate for Secretary, Lydia Volberding, has been a member of CYC since 2007. Lydia bought an Olson 30 and became involved with the Tacoma Women's Sailing Association. She has participated in two Vic-Maui's, the Van Isle 360, two Bayview Mackinac races, three Newport to Ensenada races, several Swiftures and a number of ocean deliveries. Lydia is actively involved with the Seattle J24 fleet, skippering her boat q. When she is not sailing her own boat, Lydia can be found aboard the J109 Tantivy.
Candidate for Treasurer, Remmert Wolters, has been a member of CYC since 2003. Remmert is seeking to continue in his role of treasurer for an additional year. Remmert is an active member of the J24 fleet having made the transition from many years at the helm of his San Juan 24. As a board member he's worked to enhance members CYC Lake sailing experience by taking the lead on events such as the Lake Sailors Appreciation Night this past summer.
Candidate for Fleet Captain Race, Jerry Diercks, has been a CYC member since 2005. Jerry is seeking to continue on in the position for an additional year. Jerry races his J105 Delirium when he isn't working on keeping our CYC race committee equipment in excellent condition.
Candidate for Fleet Capt. Cruise, Bill Mains, has been a CYC member since 2001. Bill leads our cruising fleet in his F27 Troika and is running for a second term as fleet captain cruise. He is a retired U.S. State Department employee and has a doctorate in literature. Thirty years ago, Bill purchased and commissioned YC V and YC VI, the committee boats still in use by the club today.
Candidate for Director, two-year position, James Frazier, has been a CYC member since 2007. Jim is a native Washingtonian who began racing on Lake Washington out of the Leschi Clubhouse in 1974 at the age of 11. Since that time, he has owned, raced and cruised actively on various boats, most recently his self-restored Thunderbird Valkyrie. Jim is the current President of Thunderbird Fleet 2 and has made it his mission to stay true to the original design criteria of the T-bird, which is to be an affordable racing and cruising vessel.
Candidate for Director, two-year position, Darrin Towe, has been a member of CYC since 2002. Darrin has years of experience coordinating racing events like SOCKS and Grand Prix. He is the owner of a new Thistle and Melges 32. He learned from crewing for past commodores how important strong leadership is for CYC. Darrin is committed to supporting the continued growth of CYC and excellence in racing.
Candidate for Director, two-year position, Kathryn Meyer, has been a member of CYC since 2004. Kathryn, a Moore 24 and Tasar owner and the owner of KAM Gear. She can also be found at the helm of the J24 J-Netically Altered. Kathryn is a true competitor in business and on the water. Her connections to a broad range of sailors make her a great addition to the board.
Candidate for Director, one-year position, Michael Cenname, has been a member of CYC since 2004. Michael currently races a Laser and is seeking to continue in his role on the board for an additional year. Michael has taken the lead on developing CYC's youth program and planning sailing events with Sail Sandpoint that bring entire families together to enjoy ailing.
According the bylaws other nominations for other candidates can be submitted by members. Please refer to Article XIII, Section 2.
I want to thank all those who submitted names for nomination along with the members who have assisted in this process.