Buick Club of America 2019 BOD Elections Forthcoming

Discussion in 'News and Announcements' started by Roadmaster49, Jan 29, 2019.

  1. Roadmaster49

    Roadmaster49 Well-Known Member

    I understand the muscle Buick crowd is split on clubs that they belong to and many may not belong to any enthusiast club but the Buick Club of America (BCA) is approaching a critical election with candidate bios due by February 15 and candidates placed in the April club magazine 'The Bugle' for voting.

    If you know someone who would make a great bridge candidate that will consider running let's encourage them. The BCA is in a bad tough position wherein for years some folks with power have stealthily created a focus on one day a year and one way of thinking to the detriment of overall camaraderie and experience.

    I'm choosing my words carefully because I think some of these folks are good people anyway, and it's just an honest difference of opinion. One of our own here is a BOD member and doing a great job.

    I believe that if the ONE side wrangles control of the BCA then the demoralizing focus of the club will drive even more members away and the club will continue a downward spiral. OR if there are enough like minded folks on the BOD listening to the members and potential members, then it can maintain and grow with focus on get togethers and an awesome 'Super Bowl' of a BCA National Meet.

    Consider running, consider VOTING. Thanks

    Bryan Jake Moran
    BCA 28571
     
    Brad Conley likes this.
  2. Roadmaster49

    Roadmaster49 Well-Known Member

    By the way, I have owned Buicks from the 1920's to the 1990's. My footer shows the non muscle modern Buicks I own. I have owned a 66 GS, a 72 GS350 4 speed convertible, a 1988 LeSabre T Type among others.
     
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  3. Duane

    Duane Member

    Bryan,
    You do understand that many of us have been fighting this battle for over 20 years and basically have not gotten anywhere with our efforts. That even includes being personally grilled by the powers that be, during the 1999 Columbus event. Many of us, like myself, have simply given up and dropped our memberships.

    I wish you well with your efforts, but have no more time for this.
    Duane Heckman
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2019
  4. Briz

    Briz Founders Club Member

    BCA is making a token effort by offering a modified class. However when I entered ,our cars were positioned about as far away from the "Correct" cars as possible. To the point of being clear on the opposite side of the main show area. They had a completely different criteria for judging as well. I feel much more needs to be done to welcome new and younger minded members.
     
  5. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    To echo what Briz said, I poked around on the BCA forum shortly after getting a membership due to the BPG rollover. I found I didn't really fit in with any of their tastes or ideologies. But whatever, it's a Buick club so I'm apt to support it.

    I then ran into a few long-standing and involved BCA members at a sizable somewhat local show not long ago and struck up a conversation. I brought up the BPG being integrated as an area for the modified or more performance oriented cars and it solicited some healthy eye rolls. They then proceeded to stand there and berate my car (one of only 2 other Buicks at the show, one being a "correct" GS, the other a GN) while standing right next to me. I'm not talking about picking it apart (and there is plenty to pick apart, I know), they straight bashed it with some pretty harsh comments (I believe "garbage" and "abomination" were used if I recall correctly). I promptly removed my bca membership decal, trashed my renewal as soon as it arrived, and decided I wanted no part of it.

    The warmest, most welcoming group of car guys I've ever met have been Buick guys, being it this forum, or my time with the BPG or at an event like BG. That's not apparently the mindset of the BCA, and there's no way I will be supporting them until drastic changes are made. Sure, voting is a way to do that, but unless I can vote without handing them one red cent, I'm out.
     
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  6. Duane

    Duane Member

    I brought the X-Camino to the 1999 Columbus event. Not only is it a modified car, but it was done in such a way as to look like it could have been made by the factory back in the day. The BCA powers to be, absolutely hated it, because it was not a pre-war Buick, it was a modified car, and it was a modified car of one of those loud and obnoxious GS cars. The only official that liked it was the head judge of the event. He thought it was great.

    Later, at another BCA show in Richmond, a bunch of Buick Executives came over to check out the car and they loved it. One of them jokingly said, "I never remember making one of these." They went on to explain they were building luxury cars back then and would never have thought to make a "truck", but they liked the idea.

    It's a shame that many of the BCA members are so close minded that they cannot appreciate a car that is not stock. Especially when the Management of Buick did.

    My thoughts of the BCA are this, it's their club. If they want to keep the club as it is, and not bring in new members with GS's and GN/Turbo cars, that's fine. If they want to continue to loose membership, that's fine too. It's totally up to them.

    This is what I told them in 1999, but I will admit I did not phrase it as nicely as I am doing now.
    Duane Heckman
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2019
  7. Brad Conley

    Brad Conley RIP Staff Member

    I remember that Duane. You really blew their hair back that day.
     
  8. Duane

    Duane Member

    Yeah well you would have thought the shock treatment would have woken them up a bit, but no, they just put their heads back in the sand.
    Duane
     
  9. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru

    I think you will see a massive change In the BCA now that the former BCA office managers have “retired”, They will take a semi truck full of political garbage with them. Good riddance.
     
  10. Duane

    Duane Member

    Keith,
    I don't see how that is going to change the attitudes of the membership one bit. The differences between the BCA and the BPG were night and day. We were an inclusive organization, where we tried to welcome everyone, they are exclusive.............and maybe we didn't last too long, but ya know what, it was worth it.

    That's what needs to change, the idea that we are the red headed stepchildren in their eyes, and are treated accordingly.
    Duane
     
  11. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru

    Not sure it's the attitude overall of the membership but was more those that ran the BCA, for the last couple decades the BCA was run by a few, even with new board members there was an inner core that worked to get what they wanted. The BCA office was a huge force in what I like to refer to as the BCA mafia. That group has fallen apart and with the retirement of the office managers there is a good chance now for change and the real voices of the BCA to be heard. In other words, BCA members BE HEARD don't sit on your asses and let others decide what you want, let them know. Now is the time.

    Don't feel bad Duane, we Reatta owners are red headed step children in all Buick groups
     
  12. Duane

    Duane Member

    Keith,
    I sure hope you are right, but at this point there are many of us out there that are in the "we will see how everything develops first before sticking our toe in again" group. I think the organization needs to prove itself first before many of us will even consider going back.

    I mean think about it Sid Meyer and Belva have done an absolute ton of work for the club for years, and I think he has run twice and not gotten in, then there was Sean Ryder that could not get in. There are only so many times you can drive into a brick wall, before you decide to go around it.
    Duane
     
    1972 Stage 1 likes this.
  13. SpecialWagon65

    SpecialWagon65 Ted Nagel

    I'm a BCA member - for the magazine mostly! Pete Phillips does and outstanding job on that publication and is a fan of all of the years of Buick.
    Ted
     
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  14. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru


    It all comes down to VERY FEW vote for the election of officers and it's always the same old ones that vote and of course they are the ones that vote in the candidates with like thoughts. If you want change you have to get behind a candidate as a group. With the number of members on this board that are also BCA members there is no reason that someone from this group couldn't run and get in with the backing of people in this group. Voting is that poor that a surge for a candidate could certainly get them in. Change never happens by sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it.
     
  15. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru

    Pete put out a fantastic publication
     
  16. Duane

    Duane Member

    "Change never happens by sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it."

    That is a standard answer and is true, but I never got into the political aspects of the various clubs. I helped out with the show stuff where I could, and that was that.

    Maybe it is finally time to get some change out of the club, but it sure has had a horrible track record up to now.
    Duane
     
  17. Briz

    Briz Founders Club Member

    I vote every year and cast mine for the persons most like minded.
     
  18. Brad Conley

    Brad Conley RIP Staff Member

    And the only ones close to like minded are Alan and Roberta.
     
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  19. Roadmaster49

    Roadmaster49 Well-Known Member

    Thank you for all of the comments. I am banned on the AACA website for political muckraking and don't want to go into it here. Keith knows most of it. I am always happy to share comments in PM's. I reached out to a couple of folks on here to try and get them to run - but was unsuccessful. It would involve heading into a buzz storm but unless the peddle is kept to the metal, the old guard will regain control of the board, end the audit and it will be business as usual.

    Keith is correct about the retirement of the BCA office managers. They will however, remain power brokers behind the scenes. How do I know this? They are still office managers for the Cadillac LaSalle Club and The Packard Club. They resigned as office managers of the BCA for "health reasons". That health may have had something to do with the upcoming audit results.

    I will likely be running for the BOD. I did 5 years ago and got beat fair and square mostly because of what Keith noted as the typical low turn out. This favors voting blocs in the club. And previously they had the BCA Office actively calling members to sway votes for certain candidates. My bio was "very Irish" as well and Pete Phillips said it was a "breathe of fresh air" but I lost.

    I was just hoping one of the BCA members on the forum here would also run. I appreciate we all have time constraints, I'm very busy too. If I lose, I will likely drop out. Not as sour grapes, but because I am active in the local and national Cadillac Club and the local group here in central Iowa is extremely friendly and we don't shame anyone with any era of car. I am NOT one of those that believes in belonging to the BCA only to get a good magazine. I read the Bugle, sure, but after the month I seldom go back and read old Bugles. One of my proposals will be going from 12 issues to 11 issues and another proposal will be a non judged fun National meet once every 5 years.

    The big hubbub in the club now other than mismanagement of funds is 'park by year'. I will push for park by year as well, which would place a modified Buick of a particular year with a restored original. NOT to be moved on show day. Although the movement for Park by Year is from the Pre War Guys, I assure you everyone in that group is 100 percent OK with a highly modified Buick between their cars, if the old guard would allow. In fact one of the Pre War Guys Larry Schramm is a former Buick employee active in the Reatta program, which I embrace of course, and so although he choses to own and advocate for pre war Buicks he is an all years guy for sure.

    As they say in Chicago, vote early and vote often.
     
    Nailhead likes this.
  20. RACEBUICKS

    RACEBUICKS Midwest Buick Mafia

    I was in the BCA for only 2 years. I sent in several articles and got nothing published. I even sent in stuff on the Fred Catlin restoration and got nothing. Not an email acknowledgment that I had even gotten the stuff to them. After trying for 2 years I was out. ...permanently. Ill stick to the GSCA till the bitter end.
     
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