ELECT ARRL DIRECTOR ED WILSON

Thank you for being an ARRL member and supporting the organization and its many great initiatives to PROMOTE and PROTECT Amateur Radio, and to INSPIRE YOUTH.

Although I was not afforded the opportunity to receive his email directly, many of you forwarded my opponents email blast with questions and concerns about what he wrote. Great question!  As a NYC Police Detective, I set out to investigate the background and the facts behind his alleged reasons for running.

I want to say right up front: I take nothing away from him as a top contester and DXpedition participant.  But that alone does not qualify him to sit on a board of directors, and the background to his comments is cause for concern.  Let me address some of his points:

CONTESTED ELECTION

My opponent seems to think that just having an election in someway validates those who serve.  The key to service is volunteerism.  I volunteered to serve.  I was appointed after then Director Jairam resigned from the Board, and later Director Vizcarrondo resigned. Many positions within ARRL today, especially amongst the Section Managers, have been difficult to fill.  ARRL HQ has had to recruit volunteers to fill these vacancies.  The notion that in some way appointees to ARRL positions are ‘less than’ and must go through an election to be validated is disrespectful and it is this type of behavior that has caused fewer people to even want to volunteer.  Again, I volunteered to serve, continuing my lifelong commitment to public service, and it is my honor to work every day serving you, my fellow Hudson Division members.

TRANSPARENCY

Since joining the ARRL Board, I have been on the lookout for these rumored issues of transparency.  I find no substance behind this claim.  Allegations of secret committee meetings are non-sense.  Allegations of items being purposely hidden from members in board meeting minutes is also non-sense.  Most members don’t know that ARRL board and committee meetings are governed by a more than century old, but routinely updated, book called Robert’s Rules of Order.  Claims of transparency seek to challenge rules and procedures that are followed by organizations around the world!

The one thing that I did learn is that my opponent is the administrator of a Facebook group that is routinely used to attack ARRL governance, leadership, employees, and even other members!  He has publicly denied that he is in some way in charge of the group,  In a 2018 letter he filed with the ARRL Ethics Committee (found on his group’s website), his very first point, point 1a, is that he is “just a member” of the group.  

W2GD has recently become more forthcoming with  his level of  involvment with The MY ARRL VOICE franchise. My Statement is firmly based on the letter he wrote to the Ethics committe on October 16,2018 claiming no authoritive involvent with the group. On a recent Youtube video aired on October 2,2024,he claims to be one of the founding members of this organization. My statement is being clarified based on the contradicting information supplied by W2GD almost 6 years apart. Sorry for any confusion you the reader might have endured. 

He has been an organizer and recruiter from the group since its launch, and has been an administrator for years, using that account to make public posts without personal attribution.  Facebook began listing the admins, so it became easier for those to confirm that he’s an admin.  Where was the TRANSPARENCY?

He hides. While W2GD has a very respectable history of volunteerism to amateur radio dating back decades, My Statement was based solely on the fact that there has been no record of any appointments of him to any position within the field services bureau since at least 2007. This statment by no means takes away from the previous roles he may have held within the ARRL, and I commend him for his commitment to the past appointments. 

I volunteer. The work of being an association…a membership association…requires that we work together. Whether you’re volunteer on ARRL Board, or a volunteer with your local radio club, I believe we should all be working together to advance the very best for ARRL and amateur radio.

As many of you already know, if you have ANY questions or concerns, I am COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT.  In terms of what’s going on, my views, and even the way I vote.

ARRL GOVERNED BY BIG DONORS

I must admit, I’ve searched high and low for anything that has been discussed or written and there is nothing to substantiate this concern or claim.  The ARRL head of Development has indicated that our larger donors are generally engaged with their businesses and other pursuits, and he views this as a “baseless fear mongering”.  If you want to hear it directly from him, please call Kevin Beal at HQ to get your questions or concerns addressed.

I was also made aware that my opponent co-signed a letter to major donors back in January that made baseless claims and predictions including this alleged donor takeover.  It forced me to ask myself: Why would he do this?  The only conclusion I can come to is that he wants to get donors to stop supporting ARRL.  To stop supporting ARRL members like you and me.  And did you know that less than 50% of our revenue comes from dues?

The ARRL board already has a handful of Maxim Society donors, like the President and CEO, and many other donor levels within Diamond Club, which is how I have chosen to give in support of ARRL.

I should also point out that at the July board meeting, the directors UNANIMOUSLY approved the latest strategic plan. The plan states our shared values of ARRL including MEMBER CENTRIC. I would think if there were a planned takeover by donors, that would have been embedded in the plan.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY

This statement is a relic of days gone by.  As far as I can tell, this was used in the years before becoming a non-profit corporation when there was a constitution and seems to have been used as a marketing tool for members.

The ARRL of today states exactly what it is in the front of every QST magazine, as it has for years.  See page 14 of your QST.

OPEN BOARD MEETINGS

My opponent has not thought this concept through.  The organization has.  Did you know that every board meeting costs ARRL roughly $75,000?  Opening up the board meeting would cost more money. ARRL has considered this concept many times. Live streaming the meeting would destroy the ability of board members to debate, collaborate, and reach consensus openly on the issues before ARRL.  Turning such an expensive meeting into yet another episode on CSPAN where pontificating, grand standing, and bloviating become the norm, we will have destroyed the ability of volunteers to take chances in speaking their minds and replace it with empty rhetoric. Remember, the board room is filled with volunteers. The unintended consequences would replace the desired outcome.  Bad idea.

DUES INCREASE

My opponent has publicly stated ARRL has “a $37MM endowment”.  It does not.  He has also admitted he doesn’t see the problem.  The ARRL financials are published every year.  This includes the makeup of the monies that ARRL is the steward for.  Other peoples money.  For example, the Life Member reserve to cover paying off future years of membership and printed QST for those who became a Life Member.  Or the money that Ed and Rose Snyder gave to ARRL.  Over $250,000 dedicated to supporting Clubs and Schools.  ARRL has NO ability to spend those dollars on anything other than their intended purpose.

The research required for my opponent to understand the financial situation of ARRL is right before him in the annual reports and the board minutes.  That’s where I went to investigate his claims.  If you are so inclined, feel free to reach out to the ARRL Treasurer, John Saeger, WJ7S, who would be happy to take you through the numbers.  Organizations cannot survive taking only 2 modest increases in 22 years and survive.  Ask my neighbors here on Long Island at CQ Magazine.

ROLL CALL VOTES

My opponent’s point is moot.  ARRL is moving to electronic board voting in the meetings.  Every vote will be recorded and reported.  Also, because of this, the very moment someone calls for a roll call vote, the entire board votes in support.  No one wants to hide behind a vote.

In my opinion past roll call voting was used as a weapon for those who wanted to try to humiliate those voting against the motion maker.  Look at the board minutes of July 2022, as I did.  In the motions I see then Hudson Division Director Jairam’s JAIRAM-2 motion, but where is JAIRAM-1?  It was voted down by the board 13-2.  When she called for a roll call vote, which was underway, there was a request to pause the meeting so that she could withdraw the motion.  Even though it had been voted down.  Why?  The second on the motion was running for office and didn’t want to be singled out in the roll call vote.  So, it was withdrawn. removed based on a ruling from the E&E committee. 

The downside of weaponizing roll call votes.  And a vote for transparency!

THE FUTURE OF ARRL

There are those, like my opponent, who want to return to a simpler day and time.  ARRL has been trying to break the bonds of its board being viewed as a bunch of OLD WHITE MEN.  The OLD BOYS CLUB.  Getting you concerned or scared with fear, uncertainty, and doubt is not useful. 

ARRL is more than a century old.  ARRL has witnessed the ascent, peak, and demise of many amateur radio publications and businesses. But ARRL marches on, because innovation in amateur radio never stops. License upgrades are up! Many clubs in our division are thriving because they’re trying new things to recruit and develop new hams – and re-engage long time hams. I’ve been excited to meet you at many of them. I am committed to continue working hard on the Board to combat a hobby that will age out if we do nothing. We must inspire new entrants to amateur radio including students, thirty-somethings, and even retirees. Our new focus on engaging young people will get them into the areas of amateur radio that THEY love.  Not necessarily the aspects that other hams love.

From where I sit on the board:  THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT.  OPPORTUNITIES IN AMATEUR RADIO ARE THRIVING!  I need your support to continue building and growing ARRL and amateur radio at large.

As always, feel free to email or call.  And please vote for me, either electronically or with a paper ballot.

ELECT ARRL DIRECTOR ED WILSON 

Committees 

(ARISS) Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

(ECFSC) Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee

(A&F) Administration & Finance

Director Workbook Committee ad-hoc

Public Relations Committee

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Former Emergency Coordinator Town of Brookhaven ARES

Former Assistant Emergency Coordinator Town of Brookhaven ARES

Public Information Officer, NYC-Long Island Section 

Volunteer Examiner, ARRL VEC

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Current Club Affiliations 

Suffolk County Radio Club, Current VP

Tesla Science Center Radio Club, founding member 

Great South Bay Amateur radio club 

Radio Central ARC 

Warren County Amateur Radio Club

Ham Radio Village ARC 

Hudson Valley Digital Network 

Ulster & Northern Dutchess Readiness Group

Granite State Amateur Radio Association

BTG GMRS Group

Long Island CW Club

ARRL

ARRL Life Member

ARRL Diamond Club Member