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2008 Election Candidate Forum:
The Candidates
Barbara Frank's responses to the 16 questions of the candidate forum:
Candidate responses were limited to 150 words per question.
1: What leadership positions have you held in the Sierra Club and what have you accomplished in those positions?
In my 40 years of environmental activism I have been engaged at the local, chapter, regional and national levels. Accomplishments included work on all the environmental landmark legislation in the 1970's—including Clean Air, Clean Water, Endangered Species, and NEPA. Some memorable work includes designation of St. Croix River as a Scenic and Wild River, working on protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, numerous Mississippi River issues, helping stop a sulfide mine in northern Wisconsin, helping stop the Coal Rush as a Midwest Regional Conservation Comm. Chair, helping start up a very successful regional land trust, and helping elect good candidates to state, local, and national positions.
I have also been a mentor to many younger members in the Club , and have made a long term commitment to my group, chapter, and the national organization including my current service on the Board of Directors.
2: What, if any, endorsements have you received from Club chapters or leaders?
Sierra Club President Robbie Cox
Board members Marilyn Wall, Ellen Pillard, Rafael Reyes
National Political Chair Jonathan Ela
Past President and current Board member Lisa Renstrom
Sierra Student Coalition
Director Allison Chin
John Muir Chapter
3: The Board of Directors has appointed the Organizational Change Steering Committee to come up with recommendations for making changes to the organizational structure of the Club. The OCSC has come up with a draft proposal called Project Renewal which will be acted on at the February Board meeting. Please present your thoughts on Project Renewal and, in particular, whether you, given the opportunity, would vote in favor of the OCSC's current recommendations.
I basically support Project Renewal as currently envisioned. There will be changes, including most recently dropping appointed CCL members . That could have had benefits, but the OCSC, responding to vigorous objections, chose to drop it. Another issue is the volunteer/staff pairings for certain national committees. Actually, that is already happening in some entities. These pairs would function as managers/coordinators and are certainly not to be construed as any kind of “staff takeover”. The OCSC made a clear goal to enhance our grassroots, and maintain issues experts and committees. We need more volunteers, better volunteer support , and improved communications throughout the Club. I think we can vote on the proposal at the Feb. BOD mtg. but I would recommend a lengthy (year perhaps) rollout period. If my fellow Board members choose to delay a vote, I would go along with that, though it’s not my preference.
4: What special abilities would you bring to Sierra Club leadership?
I have staying power. I am a team player. I do my homework. I like to think outside the box. I like looking at the big picture. I am a consensus builder. My preferred role is as a “ servant leader”, with the work being what drives me. Receiving a Special Service Award from the National Sierra Club , being honored by my Chapter, being named Wisconsin's Conservationist of the Year, along with numerous other awards attest to my leadership qualities and capabilities.
5: What do you view as the most important responsibilities of a Sierra Club Director?
Look at the big picture; maintain and ensure the financial viability of the organization; hire and oversee the Executive Director.
6: Having prioritized energy and climate work with the Smart Energy Solutions conservation initiative, what do you see as the most important things that the Sierra Club must do to respond to the urgent threat of climate change and win victories on this issue in the coming years?
The most urgent thing the Club can do is increase visibility of the issue with our own members and with the public. We need to be more aggressive and cutting edge in our approach. This not a time for baby steps.
7: Many people feel that the environment is not an important factor in deciding federal elections. Why do you think this is, and what strategies should the Club pursue for electing pro-environment candidates to office?
For many people environmental concerns are important, but for many they are secondary to jobs, taxes, health care, etc. Candidates perceive this and have barely addressed it this election year. Commentators/Pundits have not helped. Tim Russert (Meet the Press) in 827 questions had zero questions about Global Warming and only 12 related at all to the issue; Wolf Blitzer on CNN out of 402 questions had only 2 about Global Warming, George Stephanopoulos, out of 767 had none on Global Warming and only 5 related questions. Fox News and CBS commentators similarly ignored the issue. We've got to push to raise the issue. It's too huge to ignore or allow to be ignored. The Club needs to think about bigger splashier responses. We get a lot of media hits, but maybe it's time to ratchet up. We should urge Al Gore to engage on this.
8: The environment is sometimes an important factor in deciding local and state elections. What strategies should the club pursue for electing pro-environment candidates to local and state offices?
Organize, organize. Get the issues out. Be media savvy. Local issues resonate. Use them.
9: What do you feel is the image of environmentalists in general and of the Sierra Club in particular, and how would you change or reinforce that image?
Environmentalists are still often viewed as ideologues, purists, dreamers, wackos, alarmists. I think that's getting better as health concerns grow, global warming threatens, and conservation/environment becomes more a mainstream issue again. The Club continues to enjoy a good public image. Credible, fairly mainstream, public watchdog, etc.
10: What do you see as the role of outings in the Club, both National outings (including international) and those organized by chapters and groups? What changes would you like to see in these programs?
Outings, local and national, need to continue as part of the Club's mission. We need to expose and involve an increasingly disengaged public in the natural world. We evolved in a natural environment and cannot thrive without some physical and emotional contact with it. Richard Louv's book Last Child In the Woods should be required reading for everyone. Conservation and recreation should be integral parts of every Club outing. Internat'l travel requiring long flights is neither green nor sustainable and the question should be raised: is it an appropriate Club offering?
11: The Club is structured with a Board of Directors, governance committees, Council of Club Leaders, chapters, groups, and sections as the prominent entities. If you could change this structure or how it functions, how would you change it?
I would love to see trust and accountability built into our organization. We have many wonderful, dedicated, passionate members who see only their particular niche, mission, whatever. We truly need to be connected, and we need to operate in the spirit of “One Club”. Structurally, Project Renewal may make improvements but we need to change some of our culture as well, moving to a more open, inclusive, dynamic organization, operating with trust and accountability. That's harder than changing the structure, and it's more important.
12: What, if any, are the key differences between 21st century grassroots organizing and 20th century grassroots organizing, and how might the Sierra Club change in response?
In the 21st Century electronic technology will change how we operate, barring catastrophic social and economic disruptions. Organizing, however it's done, will still continue to be one person reaching out to another. And at the risk of sounding like a luddite, I have to express concern about our technology—the proliferation of towers and electromagnetic wave exposures, the throwaway aspects of it—with limited recycling and very harmful exposures to poor people who do the dismantling and reclamation in distant communities, and for many the isolation from Nature and human society in the pursuit of technological connnections. If sustainability is our goal we need to do this better.
13: What new technologies, and what new organizational processes should the Club adopt to improve the connection between National operations and grassroots leadership?
I find this difficult to know how to respond. I still think newsletters, conference calls, e-mails are not a bad way to go. Of course, who knows what new technology awaits. But see #12 above. The regional staff is also an excellent resource and mediator between national and chapters and groups. The regional volunteer organizations (RCCs) were another important link between chapters, and between national and chaptersandI think the RCC concept should be looked at again.
14: What are some measures the Club should take to improve leadership development? What other grassroots capacity-building actions, if any, would you recommend?
I think the Club's Leadership Development Program is excellent and I feel that will be a very effective way to develop strong teams and volunteer leaders, both critical elements in the Club and absolutely essential to doing good work. More help from the national organization such as specially tailored training might be beneficial. Delivery could be via regional teams of staff and volunteers.
15: The Sierra Club has limited resources. Where is it most important for the Club to focus its volunteer and financial resources over the next four years?
I believe Global Warming must be our strong and primary focus and that can be appropriately linked to our traditional conservation work. That's where we need to
invest our dollars. In the face of limited resources we need to be more resourceful and creative in our fund raising and resource allocation.
16: The club is undertaking work to bring more youth and diverse cultures into our membership and leadership. What specific strategies would you suggest?
It is critical that the Club expand its base to include other supportive groups. That means being more open and inclusive, more willing to do things in new and different ways, more accepting of people who look, think, and act differently than we do. Stepping our of our comfort zone will be necessary, and it can be invigorating and energizing as well. Focusing on our agreements and similarities rather than our differences is key. We need to seek common cause. Cultivating partners and alliances is valuable and necessary. There is synergy in that.
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