The times, they are a changin'

I've come to the realization that we can't stop progress, we can only delay it. I had resisted becoming entangled in the campaigning for CSI office that we're being bombarded with. But I finally decided that if I wanted the position, I was going to have to fight for it.

Long before the election began, someone pointed out my opponent's Web site. It quickly became apparent that if I wanted to stay in the race, I would need to get to work. Work is something I certainly don't shy away from. And as the veteran of four of my own political campaigns, and volunteering to help countless other colleagues, if I lose it isn't because I don't know how to win.

I know that this may seem distasteful to some of our long time members. That isn't the way it's done. However, the world is flattening and CSI is subject to that equalization as well. After all, aren't we all about communication? What's really wrong with taking our case to the members directly?

I suspect younger members are accustomed to the marketing efforts from every direction. It's part of the current culture. But those of us who have been around CSI for a while, haven't seen this before. In any case, I hope you find my message unobtrusive and easy to read. I tried to make it easy to opt out and let others help me make my case. I also made sure I respected the privacy of those who did not want to be communicated with in the first place. And I made absolutely certain that not a penny of CSI funds were spent at any level to communicate my message to the members.

I had a conversation with another board member a few days ago and noted that this new enthusiasm for just another election, could have the effect of revitalizing CSI. After all, who wants to belong to an organization no one is willing to duke it out to serve? Doesn't it inspire you that there are candidates for national office in your CSI that want to serve you so badly they invest their own blood, sweat, and tears to do so?

The point is to drive traffic to the CSI election site and remind members to look at the candidate statements, and finally to vote. If your upset with this tactic, please let me know, and please opt out on the link provided in my communication. At some point in the future, we're going to have to establish some ground rules. But as one of my colleagues pointed out recently, right now it's the Wild West.

In closing, let me just say that my primary goal here is to be elected, but a secondary side effect is that we could just have an election that has a reasonable turnout. We see way too much apathy in our political contests. My hope is that if you took the trouble to click through to this blog or to view my profile, then you will care enough about CSI to research the candidates and cast your vote. If that happens, we all win. See you soon.