 Board Candidate: Everett E. Fruehling
"Why am I running for the Cascade Bicycle Club Board?" The answer is simple, "I have a passion for cycling and I want to contribute to the community." A good answer, but why does that make me a good choice to serve on the Board?
Passion means I love cycling; all aspects of it, including the business, racing, recreation, commuting, for fun, for exercise, as an excellent means of transportation, and a political force for positive change in the transportation policies for our region and the nation. With this passion I will work to shape the direction and policies of the CBC.
I joined the CBC in 1988, and have been a continuous member since 1997. In that time the CBC expanded from a few thousand to more than 14,000 members. This growth is phenomenal but not without growing pains. A large membership, however, provides the CBC with financial and political clout that can be instruments for promoting the interests of all cyclists.
One challenge facing the CBC is working with and coordinating the different interests of its membership. If elected I will work hard to build consensus as the Board charts a course forward. This means listening to the membership I serve and working with my fellow Board members in developing a clear and cohesive mission statement with set objectives and milestones for reaching them. The process requires healthy debate and flexibility, but at the end of the day, the Board, the staff, and the membership need to work together to reach those goals.
I hope one of those goals will be to change the general public perception about cycling and cyclists. We are a diverse group of people of all ages, races, socio-economic and political backgrounds. Cyclists are not just people on fancy bikes wearing Lycra (guilty as charged!) or red-light running rebels, but also people committed to making a difference by choosing not to drive or to drive a car less often. Cycling is not "alternative" transportation - a challenge to acceptable norms. Instead, cycling should be viewed as a real transportation alternative - another way for people to get from one point to another with equal access to the roads.
Please vote for me; I am excited to serve and will bring a fresh and thoughtful perspective to the Board!
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