Election Results

Some of you have asked about a breakdown of the recent election at the Club.  The results have been certified by the Election Committee.  Here they are.*

• Abdul-Hakim Shabazz - 216 total;  160 in person; 56 absentee.
• Joseph Ferrara -  211 total; 160 in person; 51 absentee.
• Bruce Stauffer - 187 total; 141 in person; 46 absentee.
• Tim Wilcox - 160 total; 101 in person; 59 absentee.
• David Ring - 159 total; 102 in person; 57 absentee.
• Dan Yates - 106 total; 57 in person; 49 absentee.

Once again, thanks for all your support.  We would not have been victorious without you.

*We are working to get an exact count on how many members voted.  By last estimate, slightly less than 300, about 21% of the membership, participated.

VICTORY!!!!

You won tonight!!!! If you are a member of the Columbia Club who believed that members should elect the Board, that there should be more accountability and transparency, and that membership has value, then you were the big winners!  We just filled in for you.

Thanks to you, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, Joe Ferrara and Joe Stauffer did a clean sweep, despite the best efforts of our detractors.  We appreciate all the support we received, not only from fellow club members and our spouses, but also members Sam Turpin and Larry Woods.  Their organizational skills kept us focused and on track and made our victory possible.

Celebrate today because tomorrow the work begins to restore the Club to what it once was.  We've taken it back and you made it possible.

Election Day!

JOIN THE REVOLUTION!!! VOTE TODAY FOR FERARRA, SHABAZZ, STAUFFER!!! 

TAKE BACK YOUR CLUB!!!

Less than 24 Hours to Go

In less than 24 hours, the voting will begin for the three vacancies for the Columbia Club Board of Directors.  Our team feels very encouraged by the support we are getting from the membership, including some members of the current Board who also think it's time for change.

However, we can't rest on laurels, we really need you to come out and vote tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

The maintainers of the status quo are really worried that we are shaking things up by calling for direct elections, accountability and transparency.

And they should be.

This is NOT THEIR CLUB, this is YOUR CLUB and you deserve have a Board that is not only willing to listen to the members, but value their opinions!

Thank you for your support and let's win this one for the Columbia Club!

Joe Ferarra
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
Bruce Stauffer

The Columbia Club & Membership Value

To Our Fellow Columbians,

One of the issues in this year’s election for the Columbia Club Board of Directors centers around “Membership Value.”  But what is Membership Value and why do we need it? Membership Value is hard to define, but easy to recognize. It’s an intangible, the basis of which is belonging and respect. Other connotations include “esteemed,” “worthwhile,” and   “important.”Membership Value is a necessity, because without it, we are not a club--we’re just a group of people who happen to frequent the same place for cocktails and dinner. Membership Value means:     

§  To know that you matter

§  Not just being heard, but being listened to

§  Having your opinions sought after, valued and respected

§  Being an integral part of your club (opposed to just being a member of a club)

If you feel membership Value  has diminished over the past few years we ask for you voter the Columbia Club Board of Directors on April 11^th.*

Thanks in advance for your support.

Best wishes,

Joe Ferrara        Abdul-Hakim Shabazz       Bruce Stauffer                        

Our Supporters

In case you were wondering, these are the fellow Columbians who are supporting our candidacies for the Board. We appreciate their authentic and genuine support.

Our supporters from Abdul-Hakim Shabazz

A Quick Thank You

As the campaign enters its final stretch, we wanted to take a few moments and thank all of you who have supported our candidacies and read this blog since we put it together.   Since its inception we have had nearly 1,800 page views, which is more than we have members at the Club.  

Our goal has been to share with you our vision and to make a promise that we will always put the Club and the membership’s interests before our own.  Also, there will never be any question about what we stand for, open elections, membership value and accountability and transparency.  

We will never fudge numbers to make things appear to be better than they are.  Nor will we ever mislead the members about how much support we have.  And we always hold the democratic process in high regard.   A cornerstone of our campaign has always been honesty and integrity.  We respect the Columbia Club and our fellow members too much to do otherwise.

So as we go forward, remember, we are not running to maintain the status quo, but to move the Club forward.   And together, we can make that happen.

Vote on April 11th for Joe Ferrara, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz and Bruce Stauffer.  And if you can’t vote in person, there’s always absentee.