Skwerly for President - My Thread :)

Alright folks, I’ve accepted a nomination for Chapter President. I wouldn’t say I’m running, per se, but since I was nominated, I’ll do my best to shed some light on what I’d like to see.

More official events. I like SoCalFest and GoatFest as much as the next Jeep enthusiast, but two events per year for a club this size might be too little. Maybe not, but I’ve always sort of thought so. Throughout my years as a member, I have been on tons of individual runs, as well, and they are a lot of fun. I’m a night owl and prefer the afternoon runs, but I have made it to my share of morning stuff, as well.

More meet and greets. I have set up quite a few local meet and greets here in Yucaipa, and sometimes we get a lot of folks and sometimes we don’t, but people always show. Of course, I don’t have to set them up here in town, but it’s pretty easy for me that way. I can set them up for Redlands, SB, Foncracka, wherever. Just let me know and I can try and get things going.

I did NOT make it out to Goatfest this year, and I wasn’t happy about it, one single bit. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m all about a good time in the desert. I just had to miss this one because, admittedly, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. I was really, really looking forward to going. Such is life, I guess. Next time.

A little about me:

I’ve been a member for what – five years now? – and I love the club. It has literally allowed me to meet most of my current friends, and I’ve learned so much through being a member that it’s ridiculous. I have had some awesome experiences with the club, and I’m rarely in any disputes or arguments. I’m loud around the campfires, I drive my rig hard, and I have a general love of life that keeps me going strong.

I’m 36 years old, and work as a professional freelance writer and author for various platforms and companies. I really enjoy my job, and I’m grateful every day to be able to do something so cool. I own my own home in Yucaipa and I love, love to off-road my Jeep, which is the usual lifted/locked/winched variety. Nothing special, but it trails like a goat.

I would love to be able to help out more with events such as SoCalFest, which is my favorite gathering of the year. Beer and friends are everywhere, stories are told, trails are run, campfires are made and desecrated. I love every second of it.

I have been to a few AAT meetings and greatly believe in keeping the trail systems open, clean, and safe. Well, as safe as they can be . I do not drink and drive on the trail, I do not litter, and I know how to work my rig. I also know most of the legal and illegal wheeling spots locally so if you are wondering, ask me; chances are I’ll be able to tell you.

I figured I’d answer Josh’s questions in the other candidate thread as directly as I know how, so here goes:


1. Why do you feel you are qualified for the Chapter BOD positions?

I’m qualified because I know and understand this club. I have also been an administrator on a gaming site for years, so I know how to keep an even and steady hand when working out problems or planning things. No, a gaming site isn’t a Jeep club, but they have more in common than you might think. The principles of being fair, polite, knowledgeable, and trustworthy all come into play in either arena. Not only have I been a member of for five years or so, but also a somewhat high-profile member: most everyone knows me because I attend a LOT of events and functions. Also, I’m loud as a jet engine after a few beers.

2. What changes would you commit to and deliver on to improve the chapter?

Well, as I said earlier, I’d like at least ONE more official chapter event of some sort. I’d like more involvement from the members, and I’d like more knowledge passed around freely. There are definitely right and wrong ways to do things, and I happen to know most all of them, at least when it comes to Jeeps or wheeling. I try to keep to the right ways. All in all, I feel the club is run spectacularly, and I would be honored to give a helping hand wherever it was needed.

3. What do you like/dislike about the chapter?

The SoCal chapter has always been known for being brutally active. Some other chapters go days and days without a single post, much less an event. We here have wheeling trips quite often, a lot of board interaction and a lot of cool members, as long as their screen name isn’t Casual.

As to what I dislike? Honestly, not much. There are a few high-and-mighty voices in here that get annoying from time to time but again, the bigger the chapter, the more chances there are for the know-it-alls to surface. It’s no big deal. They are on every forum, no matter what the subject matter. I would say my biggest dislike is that we only have two official events every year. Yea, more events will be harder on the pocketbook, but think about how much more fun!

4. What do you feel are the biggest issues with the chapter and what plan do you have to address them?

Really, there aren’t many, and that’s a large part of the reason why I’d like on board. This chapter is pretty professional, by and large, and it has a great cross-section of members, both regular and BOD. I would like to see more red-letter members, and I would like to see WHY the ones who are black-letters don’t want to pay for a membership. Reasons are important to me. I would be willing to bet I could up membership by quite a bit. Noticeably.

5. Do you have time to commit to the position?

Yes. I work for myself and as such, can take days off almost whenever I want. Sure, I have deadlines and I have to be places at certain times, but if planned correctly I can get stuff done. The largest problem for me, as it is for most of us, is the money to make it to events. Jeeps aren’t exactly 50MPG vehicles, and camping gets expensive. Still, I make it to a very large percentage of club activities, and plan to do so in the future, as well. I may not always be in my rig, but I’m there.

Also, I already work on the web, and so I have access to for almost 100% of my work day. As such, I can be a presence.

Anyhow, this thread is more of a ramble, as it turns out, but I realize there are a lot of new users to the club who may not be familiar with me, and so I thought I’d get general stuff out of the way first.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in this thread; I definitely have answers.

I am LEEP and I approve this message.

Derek, What is your plan to gain more red letter members or more so to get black letter members who were once red to re-up ?

How many meet and greets in a general area would you like to see as a whole ?

Where and what time of year would you like the 3rd socal event to happen ?

How would you moderate the forum from inflamitory or derogatory remarks from one member to another, or keep the peace ?

Those are just a few questions for now. I know that I am a black letter member (former red letter for very specific reasons), but knowing the answers from all the candidates could convince me to go red again.

Thanks
Leep

Great speech.I agree with a lot of what you have to say.Goodluck sir.

Dennis, thanks so much for your questions. For those who may not know, Dennis (Leep) is a super cool, friendly guy who is great to interact with... until he doesn’t like you. Then, hell’s hounds couldn’t change his mind. Haha, all kidding aside, he’s a cool person and dad who does not have time for BS. I can relate. Well, not to being cool or being a dad, but having no time for BS. :cheers:

Derek, What is your plan to gain more red letter members or more so to get black letter members who were once red to re-up?

Well, it’s like I said: Everyone has a reason or reasons for not joining. I will not believe for a second that the fee is the culprit; every single one of us has blown $40 on something they didn’t need at some point, and the membership is less than that. Getting to the heart of WHY they wish not to join is extremely important to me. Maybe a member doesn’t have a Jeep yet and is just sniffing around. That’s fine, but if he or she finds that they do indeed get a Jeep and are involved in both the forum and/or activities, I’d like to see them go red. It really does help everyone.

And, for those of you out there who do not join because of other reasons, such as personal conflicts with certain people on the board, or anger at a certain issue well, you can bet I’ll help to work those problems out, if I at all can. I’m very easy-going and I have kind of a “sixth sense” when it comes to drama issues and how to solve them. I’ve always been good in that arena, and I’d like to extend that help to .

How many meet and greets in a general area would you like to see as a whole ?

Well, I don’t have a specific number in mind, and the San Diego area seems to have quite a few. I want more locally here (I.E., High Desert, maybe Palm Springs, etcetera.) so that we see familiar faces when we hit the trail. If I had a nickel for every new member who didn’t say anything on a three-hour trail ride because he didn’t know anyone, I could probably buy myself a twelver of the good stuff. Familiarity is important, especially in a club like this which holds many face-to-face wheeling events. Believe it or not, folks LIKE to meet people. We should do it more often.

Where and what time of year would you like the 3rd socal event to happen ?

I’m thinking summertime. It’s really nice in Big Bear in the summer months, and we could have an event that’s maybe cheaper than SoCalFest, such as yellow post camping or something. That way, those of us who are more “economically challenged” might have a better chance of making the event. Also, it leaves more cash for ammo for those of us who shoot.

But really, I think a summer event of SOME sort would be really cool. Maybe camping at Silverwood or Big Bear or somewhere similar. Anywhere that it isn’t 110º out. I’m just shooting around ideas, but I’m always very open to input either way.

Also, I realize that campgrounds and the like are very crowded during the summer, so again, I’m open to suggestions. Maybe it’ll work, maybe not, but I think it might be worth a shot.

How would you moderate the forum from inflamitory or derogatory remarks from one member to another, or keep the peace ?

Ah! This one is a biggie for me. I’m a very active and long-time forum user, and I know the signs to look for. I’m actually a moderator on another forum, and I do a very good job because I LOVE when folks get along, and I hate when they are unhappy and/or trolling or just being a general ass. I won’t put up with it. Being fair and friendly doesn’t always mean being nice. Those who break the rules will definitely hear from me, as often as necessary, in order for them to abide. This isn’t a concentration camp but at the same time, it isn’t a free-for-all. I like shenanigans, but this forum isn’t the place for bashing. At all.

And, as I mentioned, I know a large portion of the members personally, which will make moderating easier, I believe. I’m not just some screen name telling someone to stop acting up; I’m a trusted friend and member, trying to dissolve conflict. It makes a big difference, in my opinion.

Trail Ready said:

Great speech.I agree with a lot of what you have to say.Goodluck sir.

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Thank you so much!

On another note, I’d like to see all red-letter members carrying business cards. It was a business card that initially got ME into the club, and it’s been quite a ride. I would be willing to donate personally to the cause.

See a Jeep in a parking lot without a sticker? Chuck a card on it! Know someone thinking about getting a Cherokee, but isn’t sure where to start? Hand them a card. As they say, any press is good press, right? We need to get word out that we exist, so that Cherokee owners know there is a place for them in the world.

Damn if I didn't already vote for myself I would have voted fer u GO SKWERLY!!

Skwerly said:

On another note, I’d like to see all red-letter members carrying business cards. It was a business card that initially got ME into the club, and it’s been quite a ride. I would be willing to donate personally to the cause.

See a Jeep in a parking lot without a sticker? Chuck a card on it! Know someone thinking about getting a Cherokee, but isn’t sure where to start? Hand them a card. As they say, any press is good press, right? We need to get word out that we exist, so that Cherokee owners know there is a place for them in the world.

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x2, x2, and x2!

What about ladies, D-rek?

Aww, thanks, guys!

Thanks Derek.

As expected, you have written up a great intro to those who don't know you.

From the point of view of someone whos still got a lot to learn and is very willing,I would like to see more organized wrenching partys because the best way to learn is hands on experiance and just picking the more experianced members brains a bit.Any plans or ideas on how to go about that?

Hmm, that IS a good point. This chapter has quite a few of them already, but it might be cool to make something official, almost like a class of sorts. I’ve helped lift quite a few Jeeps, and had help when lifting mine or doing other big work. That is definitely something to consider. Heck, I need to replace the bushings in my front end pretty bad, I could make something of a party of it.

I am always willing to learn as are a lot of our newer members.(food for thought)

You bet, as was I, long ago. Now, if it's been done on a Jeep, other than gears or tranny rebuilds, I've done it. There really isn't anything hard about them until you start messing with the STUPID CPS things, and other modules, or vacuum leaks -- what a nightmare.

Skwerly said:

Thank you so much!

On another note, I’d like to see all red-letter members carrying business cards. It was a business card that initially got ME into the club, and it’s been quite a ride. I would be willing to donate personally to the cause.

See a Jeep in a parking lot without a sticker? Chuck a card on it! Know someone thinking about getting a Cherokee, but isn’t sure where to start? Hand them a card. As they say, any press is good press, right? We need to get word out that we exist, so that Cherokee owners know there is a place for them in the world.

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I agree. I probably wouldn't be a member if i wouldnt have gotten a card from Grimm at Cleghorn

Wow great speech man. I being a black lettered member may be able to help with the whole red letter switch up. I'll be honest it's not the 40 dollars. I blow that on dumber things. I'm not really familiar with computers. Not having a paypal and experience with online transactions I tend to get a little gun-shy. I can pretty much navigate through this site and that's about it. He'll I barely figured out how to use the search function. As far as people not wanting to join because of a conflict with another member, that's kinda chicken shit. There are more friendly cool people here than assholes. It should rule out that issue. As far as I can tell you seem to be perfect for the job. Good luck man.

I agree! Of course, we can help you get a membership if need be. I realize not everyone has a PayPal account. I'd be thrilled to see some love for the club. You should have been here about four years ago; this places was ROCKING. :rock:

bails85 said:

Wow great speech man. I being a black lettered member may be able to help with the whole red letter switch up. I'll be honest it's not the 40 dollars. I blow that on dumber things. I'm not really familiar with computers. Not having a paypal and experience with online transactions I tend to get a little gun-shy. I can pretty much navigate through this site and that's about it. He'll I barely figured out how to use the search function. As far as people not wanting to join because of a conflict with another member, that's kinda chicken shit. There are more friendly cool people here than assholes. It should rule out that issue. As far as I can tell you seem to be perfect for the job. Good luck man.

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You just have to get me a check and you will be red

Fair enough.

Derek, a couple more questions.

I know that we are an AAT affiliated club. What is the trail that we are in charge of and where is it located ?

How often would you like to see members on that trail to ensure it is clean and safe ?

I also would encourage everyone to ask all the candidates questions about naxja and this community. Not only for getting to know them better but to fully understand their position on what you are asking them.