Washington’s largest bicycle advocacy groups have seen some changes in recent months. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington has hired Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board chair Blake Trask as its new Statewide Policy Director:
Currently the chair of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, Blake looks forward to turning his transportation focus statewide with his new position. He is excited to draw upon the knowledge and background of the Bicycle Alliance’s Legislative and Statewide Issues Committee and lobbyist Michael Temple on 2012 priorities.
“I’m especially interested in the 20 mile-per-hour bill (HB 1217) and HB 1700, which relates to the design standards as a complement to Complete Streets and better bicycle/pedestrian design,” said Blake. “They tie into my interest in broadening the toolboxes of individual municipalities to make safer streets for all roadway users,” he added.
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As the father of a 9-month-old daughter, Blake feels even more inspired to promote safe and accessible transportation options for all Washingtonians. The Bicycle Alliance’s work to implement Safe Routes to School statewide and promote active transportation are priorities for him. Blake believes there are opportunities to improve urban and rural cycling, and to strengthen the link between cycling and economic development. He’s excited to be a part of making these opportunities a reality.
We look forward to Blake pushing to make important changes for bicycle safety in our state.
Meanwhile, Cascade Bicycle Club has proposed changes to its club bylaws. These issues arose last year when many members revolted against the club’s board, most of which later resigned.
In order to ensure that your club remains strong, Cascade’s Board of Directors is in the process of revising the club’s bylaws. The bylaws were written for a much smaller club in an age before the internet; procedures that worked then, like bringing the membership together in a room to conduct club business, no longer make sense.
The board is proposing bylaw revisions in three areas:
1) The process for director recall;
2) The terms of board-appointed interim directors; and
3) The quorum required for the board to conduct club business.
You can read the full text of the proposed changes here. Members will be asked to vote on these proposed changes during the October 2011 election; they will appear collectively on the ballot along with this year’s candidates for the board of directors. Ratifying the proposed changes will require a two-thirds majority vote.
Comments
2 responses to “Bicycle Alliance hires Policy Director, Cascade proposes bylaw revisions”
Even once the old Board was forced to resign and new elections were scheduled, rescued Cascade management resisted holding elections in a way that would even pass muster in a third-world nation. The candidate forum was held the evening mail-in ballots were due. The internet and Cascade’s own forums were not used to facilitate dialog between members and candidates, even after much cajoling to do so. Two candidates names were left out of the Courier voter guide. As such, only 400 people even bothered to vote. They were handed a chance for reform and democratic principles and turned away once their own asses were secured. This was a real eye-opener.
Cascade is a regional organization devoted to the promotion of bicycling as a lifestyle choice, and they do a fine job. But it seems to me that the cyclists in this city have need of a more focused group, one devoted to working with the city when possible and confronting the city when necessary for making the streets safe for our use day and night. The mission statement of the Boston Cyclist Union might be a model for a Seattle chapter.
http://bostoncyclistsunion.org/about_us/our-mission/
Is this notion lunacy, or reasonable?