|
September
It’s time to think about
next year and the annual
meeting in January.
According to the bylaws
of the organization the
following is the
procedure to either make
a bylaw proposal or what
to do if you want to run
for the board of
directors.
To make a
bylaw proposal:
If you
want to submit a By-Law
proposal go to Article X
of our Bylaws (on the
website) which reads:
A. Any
and all proposed
amendments shall be made
in writing and submitted
by postal mail
to
the state secretary at
the state post office
box address postmarked
no later than
October 1st.
To run
for the Board of
Directors:
If you
want to run for the
board of directors you
need to refer to Article
VII Section A.3 which
states
3. All
other members of the
organization wishing
their name to be placed
in nomination for
election
to the Board of
Directors, shall submit
their request for same,
by postal mail to the
state Secretary, at the
state post office box,
along with the written
endorsement of one other
member of the
organization postmarked
no later than October 1st
of the current year.
If you
decide to run for the
Board of Directors
please be aware that
there are expenses and
time involved. The board
does not get reimbursed
for their travel
expenses when they
attend a board meeting
unless mileage exceeds
300 miles one-way. There
are at least 4 board
meetings per year that
you would be required to
attend and you will also
be assigned to work on
committees and at state
events. I hope I haven’t
discouraged you please
remember the October 1st
deadline and that it has
to mailed through the
post office. I can not
accept emails or faxes.
State
Seminar
The State
Seminar will be January
14 – 16, 2011. It will
be held at the same
place (different name –
same hotel). To make a
reservation call
America’s Best Value
Inn. A preliminary flyer
will be in next month’s
newsletter. We’ll have
some special guest
speakers and some great
workshops, so make plans
to attend. The committee
has a lot of other great
ideas to report but I’ll
hold that for next
month’s issue.
Just want
to thank Vince for
helping me with some
computer problems. It is
really wonderful to have
an in-house tech
support. I also want to
thank him for helping me
get out the voters guide
to the membership.
If you
have any questions you
can email me at
pam@abatemichiganregion19.org
or call me at
248
685-9150.
Thanks
Pam |
|
August, 2010
I hope that everyone is
enjoying their summer. I
can’t believe that it is
already July. There is
not a lot to report this
month as July is rather
quiet. Next month we
will start with the
procedures for
submitting by-law
proposals and what to do
if you are thinking
about running for the
board of directors.
I hope that you are
helping out with the
primaries in your area.
I had my niece visiting
this past week and she
helped us put up yard
signs in our area. Her
parents are Democrats
and we were putting up
signs for a Republican
in our area. I did
explain to her that we
support those
politicians who support
our issues – not just
Republicans. When she
spoke to her parents
that evening she passed
the phone to me so that
I could tell them that
she helped put out
Republican signs. She
didn’t want to upset
them. (Her picture is
below – she is helping
Vince Consiglio with one
of the signs).
As usual if you have any
questions or concerns
give me a call. Enjoy
the summer and be safe.
Thanks
Pam
248 685-9150 |
|
Vince Fabis,
Joanne Fabis,
John MacDonell,
Victoria Smith,
Vince Piacenti,
Jerry Makkonen
and the
candidate Mike
Kowall |
Vince
Consiglio and
Vince Piacenti |
My niece and
Vince Consiglio |
|
July
The Freedom Rally was great this
year, even the weather turned
out to be quite nice. There were
a lot of candidates who spoke to
the crowds. There were even
Gubernatorial candidates there
and of course the media. We want
to thank everyone who took the
time to attend. Your presence
was very important. I also want
to thank Jomamma from Region 20
for helping Vince and I at the
information booth.
Just a reminder, the State
Seminar and Annual meeting will
be held Jan. 14 – 16, 2011. The
committee will be meeting
probably the end of August to
start discussing topics. I don’t
think that there will be any
major changes in how it will
run. The RCs wanted to know what
the criteria for judging the
Hospitality Contest will be. The
regions will be judged on three
things: 1) how the judges are
greeted 2) quality of the food
and 3) decorations.
The motorcycle raffle will be
held at the Sturgis Toy Run on
Saturday September 11th.
I had a nice talk with Hank
Stromeyer (RC – Region 12) and
his wife at the Fieldmeet. (by
the way, thanks for helping out
at Registration). Anyway Hank
would like to rope off an area
for ABATE members at this event.
He would like to get an idea of
how many people plan on
attending the event. Please give
him a call at
269 674-8740. It should be a
great event. If you want
additional information give him
a call.
The weather this past weekend at
the Fieldmeet was one of the
best in many years. There was NO
RAIN at all. Thanks to Randy
Wilson from Region 20 for the
great job he did. Attendance was
down a little but everyone who
was there had a great time. We
will have a list of volunteers
and the Treasurer will have a
breakdown of income and expenses
in next month’s issue. Vince and
I handled registration and we
wanted to give a special thanks
to Dave Bedell and Judy Clancey
for all their help and for
keeping us fed at registration.
We really appreciate all the
help they gave.
As usual, if you have any
questions feel free to call me.
Thanks
Pam
248 685-9150
June
It’s been a busy month. A lot of
the regions are sending in
memberships. Chuck Nichols from
region 5 (yes there are 2 Chuck
Nichols in the organization)
sent in almost 49 memberships in
one envelope. Bulldog from
Region 15 rejoined and sent in
several memberships with his.
Regions 13, 18 and 7 also kept
me busy. Thanks to all of the
membership officers in the state
who do a great job of signing up
new members. I want to also
mention the new RC in Region 2,
Ashley Erlichman who is doing a
great job of getting the region
running again. Speaking of RCs
please thank your RC for the job
he is doing. This position is
one of the hardest ones in the
organization. We really
appreciate anyone who takes on
the job.
You will notice that Kathy and
Terry Lotz are no longer on the
Board of Directors. We really
appreciate all the work they
have done for Awareness in the
past and are sorry that they
made the decision that they did.
Please thank Mike Poage for
stepping in to take this over.
Please offer him your
assistance.
I
hope to see you at the Freedom
Rally. Don’t forget that it’s on
June 9th (second
Wednesday) this year.
I
want to clarify the Life
Membership program for everyone
who is attending the Fieldmeet
this year. If you are a Life
Member you do not get into the
Fieldmeet for free. According to
the bylaws of the organization
those people who have been
awarded a Life Membership are
allowed into the state events
for free. There are only 9
people that this applies to and
their cards have
A-LIFE on them as the expiration
date. If you have any questions
concerning this or any other
matter feel free to call.
Enjoy the summer and ride safe
Pam
248 685-9150
Don’t forget to attend the
Freedom Rally on June 9th
this year. There has been some
confusion because normally we
have this during the first week.
So, remember this is on JUNE 9th
– which is the second Wednesday
in the month of June. The map of
downtown Lansing is in this
month’s edition. Please be sure
to park only in the spots that
are bagged and marked ABATE.
One of the regions requested
that we look into getting
plastic ID cards. I found a
company that provided a quote on
several options available. There
was one option that was possible
without having to tape the cards
into the envelope. It would have
been around 6 times as much per
card for the stock. Currently I
mail out a letter with contact
and meeting information on the
reverse side to the new members.
I mail out a separate note
thanking the renewals. If we
went with the different plastic
card we would be required to
order a minimum of 10,000 sheets
and they would not be able to
print the reverse side
information. That would mean
that I would have to print out
an additional sheet to give the
contact information to the new
members and use larger
envelopes. I would also have to
purchase a new printer as a
special printer is needed to
print on the plastic. Anyway, at
this time it was decided by the
board of directors to not make
any changes.
Don’t forget to get your
requests (see flyer) for
Fieldmeet Tickets in the mail
before June 1. I know that the
committee is busy working on the
details for this event. Please
thank Gerry Spomer and Randy
Wilson for the work they are
doing to make sure you have a
great time in June.
Thanks
Pam
248 685-9150
Downtown
Lansing
Parking available immediately
surrounding the Capitol
Building. Please park only in
the designated areas with a
plastic bag over the parking
meter.
APRIL
The list of Legislative
Supporters is included in this
month’s issue of the newsletter.
If you sign up you will receive
the patch shown with the list of
supporters and your name will be
included quarterly in the
newsletter. Thanks to everyone
who has contributed to this.
The Pizza and Pop luncheon at
the Capitol was well attended.
The following people were able
to attend:
Region 4 - Gary Slawter
Region 5 - Bob Rogers, Ed
Schuitman, Jule Gager, Jerry
Nichols, Sue Nichols, Robin
Simonelli, Geo Edlund Jr.,
Victor Olivieri
Region 6 - John Silk, Dave
Coggins
Region 7 - Butch Brown, Barb
Brown, Robin Woolford, Jim Polk
Region 8 – Mike Olinger
Region 9 – Herb Rials
Region 11 – Chris Rose
Region 13 – Jinx
Region 14 – Dave Pettit
Region 15 – Jim Rhoades, Fiz
Region 17 – Gerry Spomer
Region 19 – Vince Consiglio, Pam
Piacenti
Region 20 Terry Berger, Mark
Berger, Marte Merrell, Mike
Poage, Emie Goold, Jomama Bruce
Region 21 – Chuck Cross, Rusty
Bongard
Please thank the people from
your region who were able to
attend. It is very important
that the representatives and
senators meet people from their
region. Please try to make it
next year. By the way the pizza
is the best pizza I have ever
eaten. Thanks to Herb for again
arranging for the pizzas.
Don’t forget the Freedom Rally
on June 9th and the
Fieldmeet on Father’s Day
Weekend. Tickets are available
and the flyer is in this month’s
issue. The contract for the
State Seminar has been signed –
it will be the weekend of Jan.
14, 15 and 16, 2011 (same hotel
as before). Please keep the date
open and plan on attending.
If you have any questions about
memberships, procedures, Life
Memberships, etc. feel free to
call. Just a reminder if I don’t
get back to you either I
couldn’t understand your message
or phone number. Please try
again.
Pam
248 685-9150
The old printing company for the
newsletter unfortunately went
out of business (will the
economy ever improve?). Your
February newsletter was a little
late in being sent because of
this. There were a few bugs that
needed to be worked out this
month - so we’re sorry about the
delay. Hopefully everything will
go smoothly in the future.
It’s time to start thinking
about events coming up this
spring and summer. Yes, it will
eventually be riding season
again (yesterday we received 10
inches of snow – spring will be
really welcome). There are
several region events already
starting in April. The first
state event will be the Freedom
Rally – June 9th.
There is a flyer in the
newsletter. I am also sending a
flyer to all the new and
renewals I send out. Try to take
the time off work – it’s
important that we have a great
showing.
The change in the Life
Membership program did pass in
the January election. This
allows for an individual to
purchase a Life Membership for
$300. A couple can purchase life
memberships for $525 which is a
$75 savings. You do receive a
patch (shown elsewhere in the
newsletter) if you become a Life
Member (2 patches for a couple).
I do need to clarify that
becoming a Life Member does not
get you into state events for
free. The only people allowed in
for free are those individuals
who have been AWARDED a Life
Membership. There have only been
9 people given this award in the
prior 30+ years and their
membership cards have a special
notation on them. If you have
any questions give me a call.
I already had people signing up
for the Legislative Supporter
program for 2010. If you want to
be listed in the next newsletter
article you need to mail in your
information and check by March
10th which is when
I send in my articles to
Pietrina, our newsletter editor.
Don’t forget to get your tickets
to this years’ Fieldmeet in June
(June 17 – 20 over Father’s Day
Weekend). Please thank Randy
Wilson for volunteering to take
this on. I know he is already
busy getting things organized.
I’ll see you at the Freedom
Rally. Think Spring and ride
safe.
If you have any questions feel
free to call.
Pam
248 685-9150
The
new board of directors is listed on
the first page of the newsletter.
All the bylaw proposals passed and
you’ll find a copy of the new bylaws
in the newsletter.
I want to thank Tonya Franklin, Jo
Ellen Bruce and Chip Ashton for
helping pass out the ballots on
Sunday morning. I really appreciate
Tony and Linda Diaz, Harry and Karen
Brier, Chip and Sylvia Ashton, Randy
and Georgia Wilson, Frenchy Krolik,
Elvera Lantz and Dave Pettit for
their help in counting the ballots.
A special thanks to Abe Lawson for
becoming the Sgt.-At-Arms for the
election and making sure that
everything was done correctly.
Mike Poage was elected the State
Member of the Year and Wayne
Rogalski was awarded a Life
Membership. Congratulations to both
of these members. I have included
the list of Region Member of the
Year recipients and the sponsors in
this issue. I want to thank the
Honor Guard who opened our ceremony.
I haven’t had time to go through the
evaluations but I’ll report on that
to the instructors. Speaking of
instructors please thank the
following members who did a great
job presenting their information:
Vince Fabis, Terry and Kathy Lotz,
Bugs, Vince Piacenti, Jim Rhoades,
Vince Consiglio, Herb Rials, Larry
Katkowsky, Eric and Silla.
Unfortunately Jeff Henni was unable
to attend (they cancelled his
flights) but he sent his
presentation to us and Vince P and
Fiz were able to present his
information. The AMA presentation
from Imre Szauter was very well
received.
Overall the seminar went very well.
For the first time we received
congratulations on the food – so we
finally have a caterer who is worth
using again next year. Speaking of
next year, I want to warn everyone
that there will be changes next
year. I want to remind everyone that
this is a seminar and annual meeting
and not a party. The past two years
have presented challenges late at
night so we are re-evaluating how to
handle the evenings. I just wanted
you to be forewarned.
Anyway, if you forgot to turn in the
evaluation sheet but have some
suggestions please feel free to
email me.
Pam
If you have any questions call me at
248 685-9150
Email
pam@abatemichiganregion19.org
Secretary/Treasurer Article
According to the bylaws there is a
30 day waiting period to be eligible
to vote in the January election. So,
if you are the membership person for
your region or if you want to sign
someone up that application has to
be mailed to the PO Box 309 in
Milford by December 10th.
If you have a Dec09 expiration date
your renewal has to be received at
the PO Box by Jan. 4th.
On January the 5th I’ll
print out the membership list that
will be used at the election.
The following people are running for
the 2010 board of directors.
2010 Board of Directors
According to the bylaws of the
organization the officer positions
are carried over from the prior
year. Thus the following people are
automatically on the 2010 Board of
Directors
President
Vince Consiglio
Treasurer
Vince Piacenti
Vice President
Butch Brown
Operations
Gerry Spomer
Secretary
Pam Piacenti
Legislative
Jim Rhoades
At the meeting immediately following
the elections on January 10,
everyone elected to the board of
directors will be eligible to run
for any of the officer positions. If
more than one person runs for a
position the new board of directors
will vote and a selection will be
made.
The following people will be voted
on at the annual meeting on January
10th. They will be able
to put something in the December
newsletter explaining why you should
vote for them. They will also
campaign at the seminar. As in past
elections, the new person running
for the board has an * in front of
his name.
|
Eric Eads |
|
Patty Rahn
|
|
|
Larry “Katman”
Katkowsky |
|
Tom “Jinx” Rahn |
|
* Kathy Lotz |
|
Herb
Rials, Jr |
|
* Terry Lotz |
|
Gary
Slawter |
|
Mike Olinger |
|
Mimi
Spomer |
|
* Mike Poage |
|
Brian
Yinger |
|
Mike “Fiz” Przybylo |
|
|
In order to be elected to the board
of directors the candidate must
receive a simple majority (more than
50%) of the votes cast.
The following Life Membership award
and By-law proposals have been
approved by the board to be on the
ballot in January
Life Membership Award for
Wayne Rogalski was a Vice President
on the Board of Directors. He has
been
a motorcycle safety
instructor for 16 years and a
motorcycle safety mechanic for 27
years.
change Article IV. Membership
From
E. Life membership shall be 15 times
the annual membership dues of
a full paying member.
To
E.1 Life membership for a single
person shall be 15 times the annual
membership fee of a full paying
member
E.2 Life membership for a
couple living at the same address
shall be 15 times the annual
membership fee of a couple.
change Article VI Officers
From
E. Newsletter Editor
e. The Newsletter Editor shall be
required to attend at least 1
(one) Board Meeting per year.
To
E. Newsletter Editor
Eliminate section e (above wording)
from the bylaws
change section XI. Finance Section B
From
4.
Purchasing agent shall receive
compensation from ABATE of
Michigan equal to 10% of the gross
profits of ABATE products
sold.
To
4.
Purchasing agent shall receive
compensation from ABATE of Michigan
equal to 10% of the gross sales
of ABATE products sold.
If you have any questions on the
above or concerning the procedures
to be used please give me a call at
248 685-9150.
State
Seminar
We
are finalizing the agenda for the
seminar. But here is the preliminary
schedule.
8:30
AM Opening ceremony
9:00
AM Workshops on 1)First
Responders course, 2)the Awareness
Class and 3) a computer class on
ACCESS
10:00
AM Imre Szauter from the AMA
and Jeff Hennie from the MRF will
discuss motorcycle issues they are
handling in Washington DC
10:45
AM Panel discussion on
Getting Back to the Basics (Grass
roots, Importance of meeting our
representatives, etc.)
11:45
Lunch - Prayer for our
deceased members and a chance to
Meet the Candidates
1:15 Jeff Hennie from
MRF and Imre Szauter from AMA will
be on a panel where we will debate
distracted driver legislation and
noise issues
2:15
Workshops on 1)Legislative Update,
2)Excel/Power Point demonstration
and 3) Defective Roads and Defective
Products
3:30
Workshops on 1) Defensive
Driving, 2) Motorcycle Maintenance –
Emergency Repairs and 3) the ABATE
of Michigan Forum (how to access and
utilize)
The
MRF Assistant Reps meeting will be
at 4:30PM
The
Live Auction, announcement of the
Hospitality Contest Winner and the
Member of the Year Awards will be
given out in the Ballroom at 7:00PM
As
you can see there is a lot of great
information for you to take back to
your regions. We hope that you
attend as many of these workshops as
possible.
The
lunch will consist of Roast Turkey,
Country Style Roast Beef, Stuffing,
Mashed Potatoes with gravy, Buttered
corn, Green Beans Almondine and
Tossed Salad with dressing. All of
this for only $7.00. The
actual cost is much more than this
but that is why we have the
sponsorship program so that we can
present all of this information and
the lunch to you for a very nominal
amount.
The
rooms are going quickly so get your
room now. Enjoy the holidays and we
hope to see you in January.
Call
if you have any questions
Pam
248 685-9150
Secretary Article
I’m going to include the information
needed for the Annual Election again
in this month’s article. If you
attend the seminar please be sure to
talk to the candidates. This is your
organization and you should meet
those running for the board and ask
them questions.
The following people are running for
the 2010 board of directors.
2010 Board of Directors
According to the bylaws of the
organization the officer positions
are carried over from the prior
year. Thus the following people are
automatically on the 2010 Board of
Directors
President Vince
Consiglio
Treasurer Vince
Piacenti
Vice President
Butch Brown
Operations Gerry
Spomer
Secretary Pam
Piacenti Legislative Jim
Rhoades
At the meeting immediately following
the elections on January 10,
everyone elected to the board of
directors will be eligible to run
for any of the officer positions. If
more than one person runs for a
position the new board of directors
will vote and a selection will be
made.
The following people will be voted
on at the annual meeting on January
10th. As in past
elections, the new person running
for the board has an * in front of
his name.
|
Eric Eads |
|
Patty Rahn
|
|
|
Larry “Katman”
Katkowsky |
|
Tom “Jinx” Rahn |
|
* Kathy Lotz |
|
Herb
Rials, Jr |
|
* Terry Lotz |
|
Gary
Slawter |
|
Mike Olinger |
|
Mimi
Spomer |
|
* Mike Poage |
|
Brian
Yinger |
|
Mike “Fiz” Przybylo |
|
|
In
order to be elected to the board of
directors the candidate must receive
a simple majority (more than 50%) of
the votes cast.
The following Life Membership award
and By-law proposals have been
approved by the board to be on the
ballot in January.
Life Membership Award for
Wayne Rogalski was a Vice President
on the Board of Directors. He has
been
a motorcycle safety
instructor for 16 years and a
motorcycle safety mechanic for 27
years.
change Article IV. Membership
From E. Life membership shall
be 15 times the annual membership
dues of
a full paying
member.
To E.1 Life membership for
a single person shall be 15 times
the annual membership fee of a full
paying member
E.2 Life membership for a
couple living at the same address
shall be 15 times the annual
membership fee of a couple.
change Article VI Officers
From E. Newsletter Editor
e. The
Newsletter Editor shall be required
to attend at least 1
(one)
Board Meeting per year.
To E. Newsletter Editor
Eliminate
section e (above wording) from the
bylaw
change section XI. Finance Section B
From 4. Purchasing
agent shall receive compensation
from ABATE of
Michigan equal to 10% of the gross
profits of ABATE products
sold.
To 4. Purchasing
agent shall receive compensation
from ABATE of Michigan equal to 10%
of the gross sales of ABATE
products sold.
State
Seminar
If
you attend the seminar please be
sure to actually attend the
workshops and sessions. The
committee has worked very hard to
make sure everything goes well.
Speaking of the committee it is made
up of the following people :
Chairperson is Pam (so if you have
any complaints see me) the rest of
the committee is made up of Vince
Piacenti, Patty Rahn, Eric Eads,
Mike “Fiz” Przybylo, Jinx Rahn and
Bugs. Please thank them for their
contributions. Have a wonderful
Christmas and we’ll see you at the
Seminar.
Call
if you have any questions
Pam
248 685-9150
|
Region Members of the
year for 2009 ~
