Thursday, October 13, 2005

Kris Carlstedt

This year's election marks the first time that I am seeking a position on the Board of Directors. I began umpiring for NBUA during the 1999 season also umpired four seasons with the Whatcom County Umpires   Association. I have also officiated basketball with the Pacific Northwest Basketball Officials Association for the past three seasons.

I graduated from Western Washington University in 2002 with a combined degree in economics and accounting. Currently, I work as a Revenue Agent for the Internal Revenue Service, auditing small business and self-employed taxpayers. I have a passed the CPA examination and I am working on completing the requirements to obtain my license as a Certified Public Accountant.

There are several reasons why I have decided to run for the board. First, I am concerned about the multiple resignations from the board in the past year and also of allegations of misconduct of board members. Second, I feel that I have the necessary leadership, analytical and interpersonal skills to be a productive contributor to the board and better our group as a whole. My experiences as an auditor have provide me with countless opportunities to evaluate businesses and work with the executives of those businesses. This experience will be beneficial to me if I am elected.

I thank the current members for their hard work in the past year. However, there is always room for improvement and different opinions. The following are some ideas that I think will continue to improve our association:

• A mandatory process for replacing board members before the expiration of their terms.   The process that was used in filing Ken Sack's vacated position earlier this year was very successful. I believe this process or one similar should be required for all future vacancies that arise by resignation.

• Rotation of board member positions within the board. I think it serves the association best if board members are rotated between positions after an elapsed period of time such as consecutive years or terms. This will allow for board members to use their talents in difference ways, create ideas and balance power within the board.

• Outsourcing our accounting to a CPA.  The treasurer's job should be focused on the financial management of the association and not on daily bookkeeping. We currently hire a CPA to prepare our tax return and it would be an easy transition to have him do our bookkeeping as well.

• Creation of an ethics and grievance committee. This committee would be responsible for disciplinary investigations and making recommendations to the board.  It would consist of both board and non-board members.

• Changes to the training program. I feel that the goals of the training program should be re-evaluated and program should be restructured to be more productive for everyone.   Quality of should take precedent over quantity. The training should be something members want to attend to get better, rather than have to attend because the Association makes it mandatory.

If you have any questions or concerns which you would like discuss, please call me and I will be happy to discuss them with you.

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