Meet the 2023 Candidates -Portland Bicycling Club

Meet the 2023 Candidates

 

PRESIDENT (Vote for one)

Hi, my name is Mark Barnes. I am running for president. I recently retired and have enjoyed getting back to my passion of bike riding. I would like to transition this passion for riding into helping others get excited about biking.

My background includes being the Columbia Gorge Kiteboarding Association President for  ✎  six years. During that time, I took the club from several dozen members to several thousand. I met with the Ports of Hood River, Port of Stevenson, and Port of Cascade Locks. I was able to explain how we were bringing money into the communities and get their support. We arranged many coordinated beach cleanups, some of which were sponsored by the Ports.

I have been a member of the Portland Bicycling Club since 2021. I was asked to be on the board as member at large. During my first year, I tried to spread the word and encourage bicyclists to become members.

I am running for president as I want to see more awareness of who we are and increase membership. I would do this through more social media exposure, stickers, and T-shirts for club members, and also word of mouth. I am always happy to chat with folks as I am on bike rides. I have enjoyed the new friends I have made and the safety of riding as a group. I like to share the benefits of club riding and encourage others to join. I would support more involvement in the community, using some of our donations for bike racks and other items that will have our club’s name on them. I would also encourage more exposure of our Pioneer Century®, including a tiered registration fee with a discount for earlier riders.

I thank you for your support.

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VICE PRESIDENT (Vote for one)

I’m Ann Morrow. I’m running for vice president. I’ve served on the board much of the time since about 1993 including as president for three years, member at large, recording secretary, and frequently as vice president. I was editor of the Quick Releases for 11 years, co-coordinator of the Pioneer Century® for several years,  ✎  coordinator of STP finish line for a few years, and I’ve led a lot of rides. When Doug firmly asserted he would not be president again, I assured him that I could stay on as VP to assist a new president. Not that the new prez will need my help, but I can be here, with some experience, to help keep the wheels on if necessary.

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TREASURER (Vote for one)

Hi, my name is Corey Eng, and I am asking you to re-elect me for the 2023 one-year term as treasurer. I have held this office since 2018. In addition to the regular duties of treasurer, one of my major accomplishments has been the time-consuming, confusing, laborious task of renewing PBC’s two registered trademarks,  ✎  PIONEER CENTURY® and TAKE LIFE BY THE HANDLEBARS®, for another 10 years. I also served as the Pioneer volunteer coordinator and the STP volunteer coordinator in 2022.

I intend 2023 to be my last year as treasurer and hope someone expresses interest in the job so I can mentor a serious, potential candidate. As history has shown, stability is certainly a major asset, along with a basic understanding of accounting and the use of various software packages (Quick Books and Excel are currently used).

Here is a history of past treasurers (note prior to 1989 elections were in July, with the exceptions of early resignations): Jim Endy 1971-72; Carol Lewis 1972-74; Virginia Clarke 1974-75; Dave Siegel 1975-77; Phil Crary 1977-79; Scott McDuffie 1979-86; Corey Eng 1986-89; Jerry Shields 1990-Jun’94; Bob Tinsley Jul’94-1999; Steve Baltazar 2000-06; Leo Tsou 2007-10; Bill Hamilton 2011-15; Larry Lewis 2016; Jeremy Wilson 2017; and Corey Eng 2018-present.

Thank you for your support.

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MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY (Vote for one)

My name is Christi Horton, and I am running for membership secretary. I have served in this role since mid-2020. The membership secretary keeps track of our membership statistics, makes sure that all new memberships and renewals are properly recorded in our systems, sends out new membership  ✎  cards, and troubleshoots any issues that arise. It has been reassuring to watch the club’s membership return to its pre-Covid levels, and I hope that we will be able to continue growing in 2023. I would be happy to serve again, though willing to step aside if anyone else would like to serve the club in this capacity.

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RECORDING SECRETARY (Vote for one)

Greetings, everyone! My name is Kathleen Hellem, and I’m running for recording secretary. I’ve much enjoyed serving the club in this capacity over the last couple of years. I love to write. It is an important job to record and interpret the meeting minutes and to receive feedback from the board and members. It’s a collaborative effort for  ✎  all, and it helps me personally to continue to improve my writing and communication skills. One of my goals in 2023 is to resume Portland Sunday Parkways. This is a fantastic opportunity to promote Portland Bicycling Club with hopes of attracting like-minded individuals to ride bicycles with our amazing club.

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ROAD CAPTAIN (Vote for one)

Hello. Todd McCollum here, one of your current two road captains. I’ve enjoyed serving this past year and am glad to do so again in 2023. My goals? To continue to post your rides to the ride calendar promptly and accurately. To work with ride leaders and potential ride leaders in developing enjoyable rides and routes.

 

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MEMBER AT LARGE (Vote for three: Two full-year terms and one to replace resigning member at large Mark Barnes for the remainder of his term)

I’m Dave McQuery, and I have had the privilege of being a member at large for the last year, and I am seeking re-election. I have enjoyed the past year and believe I have made positive contributions to the club and to cycling in the Portland area. In particular, I have established personal relationships with people in  ✎  the bicycle division of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) as well as with The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, or BTA).

My contacts with PBOT have resulted in clearing of bike lanes on Capitol Highway and Beaverton-Hillsdale and the previous year removing blackberry overgrowth on Marine Drive. I look forward to doing some guided tours with PBOT around Portland and learning more about how the bike lane infrastructure is planned and executed.

I have, along with others on the board, contributed articles to the club’s monthly newsletter, the Quick Releases.

I have been an active member of the club for just over twenty years, riding about 3,000-5,000 miles per year. I enjoy touring, having led the Jim O’Horo Memorial Columbia Gorge Explorer loaded tour for several years, as well as doing several solo and small group tours. Last year I had over 4,000 club miles and more than 6,000 overall.

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This was my second consecutive year as president of the Portland Bicycling Club. Now, I’m running for member at large, and Doug Myers is my name. My reasons for becoming president were to resume club activities, regain membership, and protect our club’s finances during and after the Covid pandemic. In 2022, I led  ✎  the drive to reactivate the club banquet and the Pioneer Century®. Now that we’re back to a more normal status, I feel that it would be healthy to have a new president with fresh ideas and a different perspective: I’m a firm believer in the benefits of term limitation. I am planning to run for a member-at-large position for 2023 to help during the transition of leadership.

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Mike Heffernan. Information not received.

 

 

 

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Hi, my name is Richard Higgins. I’m running for member at large. During my ten years of membership in PBC, I have led rides, worked the mayhem of the Sunday STP finish line, regularly waved my personalized route sign at the Pioneer Century®, and always welcomed new riders to rides. PBC is 100% dependent on  ✎  volunteerism, so I believe everyone should be willing to serve in supporting our club. I have the time and desire to support my club and its members. My goals for serving are to continue to promote PBC during our rides and special events. I look forward to the opportunity of perpetuating the best that PBC can offer to cycling, new riders, regular riders, occasional riders, our charities, new leadership, and the OGs of PBC (OG = someone who is an original and especially one that is highly respected). Let’s enjoy our love for cycling.

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