And it is a reasonably frightening thing for me.  I have been a speaker and volunteer with PASS for quite a few years now (giving a sessions with Paul Nielsen, one by myself and a panel discussion this year,) and I am a big fan of the organization in many ways. I will admit that part of why I am running is some of the things I am dissatisfied with. Why frightening? Because I hate to lose? Partially.

One of the good and bad parts of PASS’ method of choosing board members is that there is minimal campaigning and no speeches.  I will have a name badge ribbon and my picture on a board somewhere with my bio. To me this is a bit of a disservice to the voter, but it does cut down on the mouths trying to attach themselves to your posterior at the conference, so it is generally a good thing. It does limit just how much you can know about the candidates, and I would prefer not to get elected just because you know my name, or because I have a yellow background behind my picture and you happen to like yellow. (It isn’t like this is a paying job or anything, in which case I would care a tiny amount less :)

Frankly, I just hope that if you are planning on voting that you will take a minute or two and ask the candidates why they are running.  For me it is simple. Two things lacking at PASS for me are Openness and agility. I want PASS to become more open to letting it’s members know where and what they are getting for their membership dollar. (Ignoring maniacal micro-managers,) the more eyes you have on you , the less likely you are to do something bad.  Of course there is a balance, and numbers out of context often seem far worse than they are.

Agility is probably the biggest thing I care about. I want to see PASS grow and be able to adjust to the newest and latest trends in computing and particularly social interaction. They are doing some good stuff in the new website, and more is planned (part of it stuff that I have been involved with and have been trying to get for a long time, hence my trouble with agility.) Slow processes are fine for the government, but we are a technology organization. Things change fast, people live fast, and we communicate with people all of the time.  Every year I say “I wish the conference wasn’t the only time I interacted with many of these people”.

I am not stupid or a liar, so I can’t say that I can make a different immediately or even ever. If I get elected, I will try my darndest to do what I can to make PASS better.  And if you feel like voting for these folks instead (in the same order they were in the email sent to me from the committee):

• Andy Warren
• Douglas McDowell
• Lynda Rab
• Pat Write
• Thomas LaRock

Please do.  Unfortunately you can only pick three people from this group. Each of them would do a great job (I won’t make the phony sounding “as good as me” or “better than me” comment since I have already used an election cliché by telling you I might never make a difference but I will try, and to say my opponents are a “good choice.