Editing Election-20071020

This election is for the WPLUG board for 2007-2008.  Votes may be cast by mail or in person at the [[Meeting-20071020|October 20, 2007 business meeting]].  Ballots will be counted and results announced at this meeting, so your vote must be received before then to count.

The ballot for this election is available [[Media:2007_10_WPLUG_Ballot.pdf|here]].  Detailed instructions for voting are on the [http://www.wplug.org/vote/ main WPLUG site].

Those who were nominated at the September meeting and have agreed to be candidates are (in alphabetical order):
* [[User:Bethlynn|Beth Lynn Eicher]]
* [[User:Michael.Hansell|Michael Hansell]] (withdrawn)
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]]
* [[User:curlynoodle|David Kraus]]
* [[User:Tdr|Ted Rodgers]]
* [[User:Bseklecki|Brian Seklecki]]
* [[User:Mhs|Michael Semcheski]]

= Ask the Candidates =

There will be a special ask the candidates session in the WPLUG [[IRC]] channel (irc.freenode.net, channel #wplug) on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 from 8-9pm EDT.  We encourage all members to attend and ask questions of the candidates.

[[Media:Electionschatlog.txt|Click here to download the chatlog]]

= Candidate Statements =

Responses from candidates will be posted here in the order in which they were received.

== Mike Semcheski ==
'''Received September 19th, 2007 @ 9:43am'''

I would like to see WPLUG continue to reach out to members of the
Pittsburgh area Linux community. I am pleased with the board's one,
three, and five year goals.

I run into people frequently that use and love Linux. They don't
necessarily want to join WPLUG, but I want them to know it exists. I
would also like to see more about companies and organizations in the
area that use Linux.

Members need to contribute to WPLUG for it to reach its potential.
I've been a member of WPLUG for about 2 years.  I am the moderator of
the wplug-plan list, and I am working on the Internet committee to
stabilize and improve WPLUG's online presence.

== David Kraus ==
'''Posted October 17, 2007 @ 4:15p'''

Dave Kraus here, candidate for WPLUG board.  I have been a casual Linux user since 2000 though I still consider myself a newbie.  My involvement within WPLUG began in 2005 mostly lurking on the mailing lists.  In 2006 I opted to become a proper member and participate in meetings and other events.  I have learned a great deal and had fun along the way.

My goal as a WPLUG board member is to help the organization grow and prosper.  Easier said than done, I agree.  However, some efforts I intend to champion to accomplish the goal include: seeking new membership and speaking interest outside the areas of IT and CompSci, building relationships with other local technology groups, and collaborating on "low-tech" social events.

On the business side of things, I plan to help improve WPLUG communications and logistics; seeking new venues and hosts for meetings and events.

I am looking forward to contributing to WPLUG and making it an even better resource for our community.

== Vance Kochenderfer ==
'''[[User:Vance|Vance]] 18:55, 17 October 2007 (EDT)'''

My position is much the same this year as it [http://www.nyx.net/~vkochend/wplug-election-2006.html was last year]: I believe the two most important areas for WPLUG to work on are connecting with outsiders and strengthening the way WPLUG runs.

We have had some successes with outreach in the past year, notably participating in the Pittsburgh Technology Council's Summer Slam, inviting the Pittsburgh Coding Dojo to meet during installfests, and distributing software and leaflets for [[SoftwareFreedomDay|Software Freedom Day]].  I intend to pursue these and other relationships with organizations and the public to better increase WPLUG's visibility in the Pittsburgh area.

While we have had some great volunteers step up in the past year, I'd still like to see broader involvement.  I hope that if you vote for me (or even if you don't!), you also plan to volunteer to help WPLUG run.  Whether you plan events and speakers with the Program Committee, handle our online presence on the [[Internet_Committee|Internet Committee]], or help us connect with others on the [[PRCommittee|Public Relations Committee]], '''you''' are the key to making WPLUG better.  As a Board member I'd do all I can to see that these committees get everything they need to function effectively.