NOT Published in the April 2019 issue of “Die Porsche Kassette”

Ⓒ2019 Technolab / PedrosGarage.com

For more information on Gold Coast Region PCA and more, please visit my website:  

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Happy Porsche'ing,

Note:

The Editor of Die Porsche Kassette deemed this Article too harsh and therefore not published in the April, 2019 issue.

I guess ist’s not very politically correct, but that’s why it was written as an Opinion Editorial and not an Article. (... and this version is really toned down!)

On this occasion I’ll stray from my normal Tech Article or even from my occasional Porsche-related story to touch on something that’s very close to my heart.


Many of us recently watched the State of the Union Address where the division between the two sides of the aisle couldn’t be more marked.

We have also been privy to the obstructionism between the two sides where each will do and say whatever they want to derail the other, no matter how outlandish, without any measure or decorum.

And all of this bickering only takes each side farther out to its extreme and “We the People”, in the end, will certainly lose out.


Even though I have been diligently writing my monthly tech articles which get published here in Die Porsche Kassette, I have purposely stayed away from the Club’s activities (except for the Club Race at Sebring) for the last 2 years.  I had been actively and directly involved in the Club’s directive as a member of the Board of Directors and/or as a Committee Member for over a dozen years.

On December 2016 I attended my last Board Meeting where I resigned as a Director even though I still had one more year to serve.  I did this in protest to the way the Club had been illegally “taken over” in the prior elections of 2015.

That was my mistake, because I’ve come to realize that the only way to affect change is to be involved.


Earlier this month I was invited back to attend the monthly meeting by the new Board of Directors.  This was my first BoD meeting in 26 months and I was anxiously looking forward to integrate again and to volunteer for the betterment of the Club.  But, as I sat there, without speaking a word, I saw exactly the same bickering and obstructionism by the two sides as we all have watched lately from the swamp of Washington, DC.


It was very sad to see my beloved Gold Coast Region PCA (GCRPCA) going this route.


You could feel the tension in the boardroom and you could sense that there was no “bipartisanship” or intent to try to work together.  I sensed actual anger/hatred towards some on the new Directors/Officers.


There was even a motion, which was approved, to create a committee to change the By-Laws of our Club.  I know that in these new times there are things that become obsolete and need to be modernized, as the we did several years ago by allowing the members to vote online for the yearly elections, instead of strictly via mailed-in paper ballot, but I’m not too sure that this is the right time to mess with the By-Laws.  If it comes to that, you, the members will have to approve or reject the proposal(s) with your vote.  I urge each and every one of you to carefully study the suggested changes and make sure that those changes, whatever they may be, are in the best interest of the Club.  Do some research, ask other members, get informed then have your say with your vote.


Part of the reason, I believe, that the Club is in this disarray is because the majority of the membership hasn’t been actively involved.

GCRPCA has 2,900 members of which 1,900 are primary and 1,000 are associate and we are still growing by 30 - 35 new members every month.

Unfortunately, we only have 300 “active” members. By that I mean that only about 300 members attend the Club’s different events which are organized throughout the year and even less members vote in our yearly elections.

Every member, whether primary or associate, has a vote that counts which should be exercised!


Please get involved.  Attend the events which are spread out throughout the year, whether sporting or social.  Get to know other members and invite them to participate as well.

Every member in good standing also has the right to attend the Board of Directors meetings every month to see first hand how the Club is being run.

We need new blood.  We need new people with fresh ideas.

Please volunteer in any of the many areas where help is needed.

Remember that each and every one of us involved in GCRPCA is a volunteer!

Let’s make sure that we make the Club better and better for our own enjoyment.


The views and opinions expressed in this article are my own and don’t necessarily reflect the position of GCRPCA, its Board of Directors, or any other member in particular.