From the Commodore: September 2010

As we enter the month of September I am aware that this is the number one month for the likelihood of a hurricane coming ashore in Florida.  By now, all of us at the Squadron will have done our part in making all of the boats on both shore and in the water safe and well prepared for the big blow.  A few years ago the Board of Directors at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron adopted a hurricane action plan that is currently in place.    For many years now we have “dodged a bullet” and have seen them pass to the north or south of us, but we have avoided a direct hit.  The key to the survival of our facility may be in implementing the steps in the plan prior to an anticipated hit and to the remedial work after a storm has passed.  All members should take the time to review with staff some of the steps we will need to take if a storm is headed our way.  Volunteers will be needed.

When I was a kid I was always aware of the new fall season which usually foretold big changes.  Back to school after the long summer off always led to new teachers, new classmates, and new learning experiences and were all laid out ahead in the anticipation of a new school year.  And as an adult, I always get a sense of a “new year” entering the fall, which I know, is really just the back half of the current year.

And the election season at the Squadron begins anew with the fall season.  It will soon be time for a new, fresh Board.  Here, you will see the slate of candidates chosen by the Nominating Committee.  Lou Magliano chaired this committee this year and the members of the Squadron owe Lou and his committee members our thanks for doing this work this summer.

In addition to the slate that the Nominating Committee selected, there are two additional candidates who are running:  Incumbent Vice Commodore John Huber (who was not nominated by the committee) has qualified for the election by having his name posted at the Squadron and receiving more than the minimum number of signatures to secure a position on the ballot.  And member Barry Milbourn is running for Rear Commodore.  Some of you may remember, Barry ran for this position last year too.

There are ample opportunities for additional members to step forward and run for board positions this coming year.  If you feel you want to contribute to your Squadron as a volunteer board member, throw your hat in the ring and run.  Qualification for a ballot position is simple and straightforward.  You can refer to your Bylaws publication or you can contact the Election Judge, Nana Bosma, whose column and contact information you will find here.

And staying with the “new” theme, the September Burgee issue is the first that has been edited solely by our new “editors in partnership” team, Jen and Mo Tamman.   David Jennings and I had a good and we think, productive meeting with Jennifer last week as the torch was finally passed by our former and longtime Burgee editor Lindsay Kreinen.  We are expecting some great things from Jen and Mo as both of them have years in the newspaper business with Jen at the Sarasota Herald Tribune and Mo at the Wall Street Journal.  So thanks to both Jen and Mo and we look forward to a new look in the Burgee and some innovative ideas to follow.

And it is the season of the new lease here at the Squadron.  As you by now know, our current lease expires in November of this year.  David Jennings and I have continued to dialogue with the mayor and city commissioners and have had a number of meetings with city staff members.  It seems that our idea of “dripping our message” on the City Commission at their meetings has been working.  Members seem well informed about our lease expiration and about our proposal for a new long term lease.  On Friday David and I met with Marlon Brown and Mary Tucker at the city.  We were invited in to present our terms for a new lease.  We expect to have a response from them shortly.  We’ll keep you posted.

Last month, we had two speakers at the Monday August 16 City Commission session speak on behalf of the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.  Luffing Lassie Linda Schwartz and member and racer Bill Johnsen spoke during the opening minutes of the evening session.  Both did a super job of conveying who we are and what we do as well as where we want to go in the future.  And both ended their remarks with an invitation to the members to visit us and see the Squadron in action during our 64^th annual Labor Day Regatta on September 3-5.

There were about 30 Squadron members in the gallery during these presentations and I think the Commission is well aware that we have the ability to pack the halls with members if we ultimately need to.  But at the moment, groups of 2-3 dozen attending in support of one or two speakers at each session seem to be effective in the “message drip”.

The next scheduled Commission meeting is on Tuesday September 7 at 6pm.  If you are available to attend, please come and show your support for your Squadron.  We expect to have two short presentations scheduled.  Twenty to thirty in the gallery will be ideal.

In the meantime, please try to find time to write a letter to the mayor and the commissioners.  Their names and addresses/email address are noted below.  Let’s really crank the message machine up over the next sixty days as we get closer to our lease renewal date.

As a final comment and in the spirit of “new”, I would like to propose a little something for the next Commodore.  It has been four years now that I have served the Squadron.  I was first elected in November of 2005 and served in 2006 and 2007.  I got a year off for good behavior.  And I was elected again for the 2009 session and re-elected for the 2010 session.  It has been a good and I’d like to think productive time during an important period of the Squadron’s history.  If you come to the General Membership meeting and election on November 21, I’ll take a stab at reviewing some of the history of accomplishments at the Squadron during this period.   I’ll try to be brief.

For the most part, a board position is a thankless job, and the satisfaction in serving is in the knowledge that a board member is trying to leave the club better than he or she found it at the beginning of service.  No comps, no free beer at the bar and not even a free spot at the docks once in a while after staying over the three night limit.  And so I’d like to propose at our next board meeting a little “something” for our future Commodores.  Yes, I know we are the “anti-yacht club”, but a little tradition isn’t always bad and I think we need to begin a new tradition.  Yacht clubs have been doing it for years, which doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad idea.

I’d like to see the Board adopt a rule that will permit the Commodore to have a reserved parking place with a nice sign indicating that it is the Commodore’s parking spot!  There it is. I’ve said it.  Lets’ show the next guy a little respect and honor his or her service.

And I’d like it to go into effect the day after the November general election so that the next Commodore and all future Commodores can enjoy this very small, but pretty nice little perk.  It is a small thing but sometimes small appreciations can go a long way to telegraph the gratitude and appreciation towards a board member.  I hope you will support this move and will also appreciate that it is not for me, but for all future Commodores.

And so I look forward to all of the new changes at the Squadron that I expect in the coming months.  And I am equally looking forward to the final three monthly board meetings that I’ll preside over.  And Secretary David Jennings who is running unopposed at this point for Commodore is gearing up for his position as Commodore.  I expect he will make one of our best Commodore’s ever and I can’t recall any incoming Commodore who was more prepared for the post than David is.

And so while the cooler weather and fair winds return this fall, I’ll be looking forward to all of this free time I’ll have as a “Past Commodore” and can’t wait to find time to go sailing.  And I hope that you too, will find time to go sailing this fall.

If you wish to make your voice heard, I strongly encourage you to write a letter or send an email to the Mayor and City Commissioners in support of moving forward to instruct the City to begin to draw up a long term lease renewal for a minimum of thirty years and for a rate of $1.00 which is in line with other City leases with other not for profit groups in Sarasota and with the lease terms of the Davis Island Sailing Center in Tampa.

Your voice matters and your views count.  Make your views known.

AND PLAN TO ATTEND THE CITY COMMISSION MEETING ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7 AT 6 PM!

Mayor Kelly M. Kirschner
District Three
1565 1st Street, Room 101
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 954-4115
Email: [email protected]

Vice-Mayor Fredd “Glossie” Atkins
District One
1565 1st Street, Room 101
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 954-4115
Email: [email protected]

Commissioner Richard Clapp
District Two
1565 1st Street, Room 101
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 954-4115
Email: [email protected]

Commissioner Suzanne Atwell
At-Large
1565 1st Street, Room 101
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 954-4115
Email: [email protected]

Commissioner Terry Turner
At-Large
1565 1st Street, Room 101
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 954-4115
Email: [email protected]