2016 Annual Business Meeting

WCC’s Annual Business Meeting will start at 9:30 am on Saturday, September 17 at the Montrose Pavilion. The business meeting is just one part of the 2016 WCC Annual Conference, but it’s an important one. While you need to register to attend the rest of the Annual Conference, there is no charge for WCC members to attend just the business meeting.

To set the stage for the business meeting, there are a couple of important things you can give some thought to:

1. Submit resolutions for consideration and debate at the annual Business Meeting. Resolutions need to be submitted to the WCC office (PO Box 1931, Grand Junction 81502 (or brenda(at)wccongress.org) by August 17 so they can be published here and in the next issue of our newsletter. If you questions about format, previous resolutions or anything else, give our office a call at (970) 256-7650.
2. Nominate a volunteer to receive the annual Chuck & Betsy Worley Award. Nominations should be submitted to brenda(at)wccongress.org by August 17, and include a statement of the nominee’s involvement in and contributions to WCC and its community groups (500 words max)  Click here for a complete description of the nomination process, including a list of previous honorees.
3. Nominate a member (or yourself!) for WCC President or Treasurer. Each of these officers will be elected for a two-year term during the Business Meeting. If you would like to make a nomination for one of these positions, please contact current WCC President Rein van West at (970) 626-9702 by September 2. While anyone may be nominated, the WCC Board’s Nominations Committee also offers the following two candidates:

Steve Allerton, Candidate for President

I’ve been asked to share a vision and a brief snippet of who I am and what experiences I’ve had that would possibly allow me to serve as President of the Board of Directors of Western Colorado Congress.

Honestly, this is relatively new territory for me. Given that, since joining the Mesa County Board two years ago, and the WCC Board as Secretary in January, I’ve spent a great deal of time researching Boards of Directors; what makes a good one? What roles do the member’s play? Decision making? How to run an effective meeting and so on.

Then I came across an article called “The Servant as Leader” first published in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf. It dawned on me that much of what he has to say is what WCC is all about, and it is specifically why I participate. His notion of the development of “servant leaders” is what allows WCC to stand out from the rest. A focus on training citizens to become leaders I believe is the most difficult, but ultimately the most rewarding work an organization can do.

Which brings me to the word “serve” and what it means to be a “servant-leader”. Greenleaf writes, “(the servant leader) manifests itself in the care taken to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.” He goes on to say that a servant-as-leader must constantly ask, how can I use myself to serve best?

I fully recognize the time and commitment required of the President (and Secretary for that matter). However, for me, WCC is not about a position on the Board of Directors. It is about, and only about, the 1000 or so members that work and live each day across the Western Slope wanting the best for their families and communities. I admire WCC’s organizers greatly as I believe they ask themselves this question in some form or another on a regular basis.

Throughout my career in Human Services (12.5 years) and an educator (25 years) I have found myself in various positions of leadership. I’ve mentored both beginning and experienced teachers, organized and facilitated school-wide learning opportunities, and trained Foster Parents to work with challenging youth.

My goal (without realizing it perhaps) during all of those times was to create learning experiences that empowered those in the room to grow and become confident servant leaders in their own right.

Now, as a grandfather of three with another on the way, my gaze turns toward their future. What can I do myself to make sure that their highest priority needs are being met? I’ve committed to being part of Western Colorado Congress. Regardless of the role I play, or position I hold, I believe in WCC’s mission and look forward to the future.

Dudley Case, Candidate for Treasurer

Since retiring to Ouray County in 2009, I have become very active in local affairs.  I have served as treasurer, secretary and board member for a number of organizations including Top of the Pines, The Ridge HOA, the Ouray County Road Committee, the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, Second Chance Humane Society and the Ridgway-Ouray Community Council.  I also served on several other non-profit boards in Illinois, where my wife, Sharon, and I lived before moving to Colorado.

I have gotten “my hands dirty” working on WCC’s Uranium Committee, doing river water sampling and water quality testing for River Watch (part of the Colorado Parks & Wildlife), volunteering at the Ouray County Historical Society, and for five years stewarding the Redcloud Peak Natural Area and the Fairview North and South Natural Areas in Montrose.  I am also a semi-professional photographer and owner of San Juan Mountains Photography.

I have a BA in Political Science and a minor in Geology from Case Western Reserve University, a JD from Northern Illinois University, an LLM in Taxation from Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Law and a major in accounting from North Central College in Naperville Illinois.  My professional experience includes 28 years as an attorney with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Internal Revenue Service’s Examination Division.  So I know my way around spreadsheets.

On a more personal note, I support WCC’s endeavors to create healthy, sustainable communities, social and economic justice, environmental stewardship and a truly democratic society.

I will try very hard to help WCC avoid and resolve any organizational challenges that it may face in the coming years through my roles as Treasurer and Board member so that WCC can maximize its potential.  And I will also try to foster an even closer working relationship between WCC’s members, groups and the communities that it serves.