Bob, lets see if we can spell it out for you. The present election system is stacked heavily in favor of the incumbent. He is automatically on the ballot, no nomination is required. The only way he can be kept off the ballot is by a 3/4 vote of the EC and that just will not happen. I'll leave it to others to speculate on the reason.

1) The incumbent has 36 issues of Model Aviation in which to campaign and extol his good deeds,

2) The incumbent has a travel allowance that enables him to visit many events and clubs through the term of his office.

3) The present voting system can be manipulated by adding a 3rd candidates to any ballot where there might be a question of being able to win a majority.

This was done in the last two elections for District V. Neither of the "spoiler" candidates had the slightest interest in being elected as VP. Zero campaigning = zero interest.

It might be an education just to see how the voting has gone in D-V for the past 10 years or so.

2001
Jim McNeill 2065
Manny Sousa 804 (Glowing write-up in MA and club awarded club of the month)
Tony Stillman 1985 (Fired as frequency coordinator for running against McNeill)
Total 4854
Note: 10,000 ballots sent to wrong address and were destroyed in Muncie

1998
Jim McNeill 1,819
Jim Weems 343 (Later made AVP by McNeill)
Norm Deputy 754 (Club threatened with event to compete with his Perry show)
Total 2,993

1995
Jim McNeill 1640
Others 49
Invalid 288
Total 1977

1992
Jim McNeill 1905
Jerry Festa 1234
Write-in candidates 7
Total 3146

1989
Jim McNeill 1,476
Russell Timmons, Jr 715
Write-in candidates 3
Total 2,194

You can see McNeill's base has eroded and in 2001 he won only by a very slim plurality. Things are getting tighter - what rabbits will he pull out of his political hat to relieve the pressure? Or will he begin to listen and clean up his act?

If the members don't see a pattern here and get on the band wagon and become informed they will have to live with the embarrassment . . . Ask yourself why the incumbent, in spite of the obvious advantage he has, is steadily losing ground to the point of where he had less than 43% of the vote in the last election - we have to ask ourselves why. Why after 27 years on the EC is his power beginning to crumble? Maybe some people are reading the AMA EC meeting minutes and the failed motions put forth by Mr. McNeill, maybe some are noting the time spent in visits to their events, maybe some are noticing the lack of any participation by his appointed AVPs in the business of the District, maybe they are embarrassed by the sophomoric content of his District Column and web page, maybe they are waking up at last and will demand a change.

Wake up district V, out time is at hand in 2004.

Red Scholefield
AMA 951
Leader Member
District V - lets bring it back to life.