The Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club has a nine-member Board of Directors. A notification was placed on the forum in November 2008, inviting members to volunteer to be candidates for the 2009 Board. The Club received 15 responses from very qualified members and in the end had 13 nominees when the election started. The nine board members listed on the left were chosen through an online voting process.  Once a board was elected, those members nominated themselves for Officer positions.

A short statement from each candidate is listed below as a means to introduce the membership to the 2009 Board.

Tim Steward - President

When I purchased my M in January 2004, one of the first things that I did was go online to look for a club where I can gain the knowledge I would need to do my own repairs. I certainly found what I was looking for and way more then I could have hoped for. While all the information that I found was at my fingertips was great, I found something much more valuable. I have found a 2nd family that I don’t know what I would do without today. The members of this club have become part of my family’s life. All three of my children call everyone in the club “The Car Friends”. All that being said, I feel that it is very important to give back. We get so much from this wonderful club, I want to show my appreciation by serving another term as a Board Member.

In my professional life I have spent 15 years in the food service industry. I have worked everything from fast food to fine dining which has given me a vast amount of experience in organization and dealing with people. One thing you learn in the food industry is that as much as you try you can never please every customer but you have to keep on plugging away. In 1999 I was offered a position outside of the food industry. Since I was looking for a change I jumped at the chance and picked up and moved from Chicago, IL to Baltimore MD. For the past 10 years I have held the position of Director of IT & Security and I have made use of all my experience in my position. While both of these industries are apples and oranges the skill set is the same. I have also brought a lot of my skills into what I have done for the club as your President. While there are always ups and downs all you can do is keep plugging away because in my mind tomorrow is another day and another chance to improve on yesterday.

I have spent the last 3 years on the Board of Directors, serving the 1st as Vice-President and the past two years I have had the honor of being your President. This past year we certainly have improved many aspects of the member experience, some of which are our changes in hosting provider. This eliminated the connectivity issue that we had. We revamped the 300M of the Month contest and renamed it Ride of the Month. This allows members that own other LH vehicles to participate. We updated our annual jacket offer with more varieties to choose from and for those that purchased a jacket received an additional year on their membership as thanks for purchasing the jacket. I also worked very hard on the new member notification process with regards to the various credentials used to access. Basically making it easier to understand. After making the change the amount of email I received dropped dramatically.

With regards to club meets we have won the “2008 Coolest Club Hangout” award at the All Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle PA. My wife Kelly and I have been organizing this meet for the past 4 years. The meets just keeps getting better each year.

I would like to thank you for your consideration. It has been an honor to serve you over the years and I hope that you allow me to continue to keep working at providing the best experience possible.

Tim Steward (Member #745)
(timbo)

Robert Day - Vice President

I would like to be considered for the Board of Directors in order to continue my contribution to “this thing of ours” for at least the next year. As secretary for 2008 I have learned a little more about what it means and takes to keep this club running and what it takes to maintain. I have the desire to see this club change and grow within the guidelines established by our founders. My devotion to my M speaks for itself as I have been honored numerous times for my efforts, and am just as committed to assisting in any way I can to maintain this great club.

I believe I can be an asset to the members, not only as a Director, but as a fellow enthusiast, and my mechanical background. Diesel Mechanic, Fire Apparatus Dealer Service Manager, and now Instructor and Assistant Director at a Diesel Mechanics training school, I can help other members maintain and enjoy their M’s as much as I do. I have also been quite active in club meets since 2004 and haven’t missed many since then.

I urge all members to review all the candidates, VOTE, and elect their board to keep this thing alive.

Robert Day (Member #437)
(FIREM)

Craig Campfield - Secretary

It all started back in 1980 when my Father bought a 1978 Dodge Lil' Red Express. From that point on I was and always will be a diehard Mopar Fan. I have owed 3 Ms in the last 8 years. A 2000 Stone White, 2002 Sapphire Blue Special, and my current 2002 Silver Special. Over the years I have done many Mods and repairs. Many of which I found out about through this Club of Ours. I have been a Member on and off for about 8 years. I am Charter Member #20 and I hope to be able to give back to the Club more than I have taken. I hope you "The Members" can give me the chance.

Craig Campfield (Member #20)
(300maximilien)

Paulette Parong-Waters - Treasurer

My name is Paulette Waters and I am member #4. Another year has passed and it’s once again time for Board Elections. Once again I toss my hat into the ring to be considered for a Board position. I am not a stranger to many having served on the Board since its inception. Being part of this Club has been an adventure which I hope to continue in the years to come.

For those that do not know me I have served on the Board as Treasurer for several years and have enjoyed the friendships I have made along the way. Although unable to attend many Club meets (since I and my husband Roger live on the West Coast) I am there in spirit. We have lived in the Las Vegas area for approximately 6 years and have enjoyed Banana Belt weather while the rest of the Eastern and Northwest Sectors have been cold most of this winter. Actually we did have a winter blast with several inches of snow in December (which is rare), and we missed due to the fact we were out of town (sigh). If anyone does venture to Nevada do call us so we can get together.

As Club Treasurer I have strived to make sure our finances are used in the best way to serve the Club, and making sure our reputation is upheld by paying our bills on time etc. If you decide to elect me once again to the Board I pledge to continue to work as hard as I can for all members and to support the other members on the Board.

Thank you for your consideration

Paulette Parong Waters (Member #4)
(p3waters)

Ken Eyler

I have been a member of this thing of ours since 2002. For the past five years, I have served on the Board of Directors, and had the privilege of serving as Vice President in 2004, as President in 2005 and 2006, and stepped back to a Director role in 2007. My reasons for wanting to serve have not changed. This club is part of my identity. I love the organization, the people, and have made great friends. It’s a lot of work being on this Board, but it is very rewarding. My wife and I each have an M that we love, and we plan to keep them for quite a while. It’s a great group of people here, which is the real reason I want to stay involved.

I have served on the Board for five years, and handled many aspects of club business. For two years as President, oversight of the entire Club was my responsibility and privilege, and though I stepped down for 2007, I still had the honor of working with the new President and doing what I could to help the Club. Over the years, I’ve also handled many details, including responding to many inquiries from members and the public. I currently handle renewal packets, and have done new member packets in the past. I’ve worked to arrange new Club merchandise, and currently handle shipping of some merchandise in addition to moderating the message board. My wife and I go to as many meets as we possibly can to get to know more of you and spend time with folks we’ve met before. I would love to see more meets, especially in the central and western part of the US, along with various other things.

Professionally, I am an active CPA by trade and work in a local CPA firm. I feel I would be an asset to the club as a Director because I love the Club, the car we represent, and the camaraderie - on-line or in person. I bring strong organizational and analytical skills to the table, coupled with a strong compassionate side for every living creature. I have very strong convictions that I live my life by. May God bless you all, and thank you for voting, no matter who you vote for.

Ken Eyler (Member #415)
(carfan77)

Roger Waters

Many of you already know me, but for those who don’t, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Roger Waters, and I am running for the position of Director of the Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club for 2009.

It would be difficult for me to imagine not being involved in the day-to-day operations of this terrific bunch of folks that we call the Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club. I have proudly been involved since day one of our existence. We have grown from nine 300M owners who met online on Edmunds Town Hall forum in the fall of 2000, to the worldwide community of 300M enthusiasts and owners that we now represent. I am extremely proud to have been a partner in the planning and founding of the Club, and even more proud of the way we have grown and prospered over the years. But, in order to continue to prosper, we need to find new ways to retain our members, and to bring in new members, and I will continue to search for new ways to accomplish that.

I am still a proud 300M owner, and I still have the passion and dedication to the Club and its terrific members that I have had since the beginning. I am currently responsible for filling member orders for embroidered logo shirts, baseball caps and shot glasses. When you place an order for these items on the website merchandise order page, I’m the guy who cheerfully packs and ships your order to you. I also (annually) order custom embroidered logo jackets for the members (nearly 85 jackets sold to satisfied members over 6 years). I also currently serve as the New Member Coordinator, and, as such, I create and ship New Member packets to all new Club members. So, you can see that I remain actively involved in several of the efforts that keep this Club running like a well oiled machine. If elected, I would be proud to serve as Director for another term.

I respectfully ask for your vote for the position of Director of the Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club for 2009.

Roger Waters (member #1)
(rogor2k)

John Benjamin

Now that I've completed 5 years of membership in this fine club and am now working on my 6th year, I feel I'm due to give back to the club and offer my service as a member of the board of directors.

I'd like to be a board member because I'd like to help to make "This Thing of Ours" the premier site for LH information and keep it as a club that people really enjoy visiting. I would be very proud to be a part of the decision making team that will direct this club into the future.

I believe I would be an asset to the club as a Director because I am dedicated to things I believe in and I believe in this club. There is not a day that goes by that I do not check out what’s been posted and offer my insights when I feel I have something of value to offer to the post. When called upon, I try to always provide my best in a timely manner. As some may already know, I have been a part of organizing the Indy Meet each year so I'm not averse to taking on tasks to make an event successful. My plan is to keep my M for as long as possible and I would like to help make sure the club survives as long as my M does. Thanks for your consideration. See you at the meets.

John Benjamin (Member #703)
(beespecial)

David Berg

I would appreciate an opportunity to continue as a Director for the 300M Enthusiasts Club as a way of giving back to this great organization and perhaps in some small way help it and all of its members to find even more value in their membership. I see the effort that previous directors and officers of this club have put forth and I consider it an honor to serve

I feel I am an asset to this club because I have developed an admiration for both the people here and the vehicles we're all so proud to own. I have an appreciation for the balance of performance, style, and luxury that the 300M offers, and the camaraderie and wisdom of the members of this club. I hope to see this club move forward in a positive direction, both with the long-time members and with the new influx of people just discovering the joys of ownership of the 300M. I see that this club is in a bit of a transition period as the 300M becomes more affordable, while many people who bought their cars new still find it a car that's well worth keeping. Lastly, I just want to say that I enjoy the friendship and respect that prevails on this forum and I hope to help foster that as we move forward

David Berg (Member #1175)
(velobard)

Tom Romans

My name is Tom Romans, I have been a member of this organization for 6 years now. My member number is 550. I joined in March of 2003 when I purchased my 1999 300M. I searched the Internet for a club for these cars, and I found the club by that search. I didn’t know it at the time, but I couldn’t have happened on a better group of people anywhere. I had been heavily involved in the Grand prix community previously (as that is what I owned a 1997 Grand Prix GT) I wanted to jump right in. After seeing how things went, and getting the lay of the land, I jumped into the Board of Directors election in 2004 when I was elected to my first term. Since then, I have been on the Board of Directors every year except for one. The past 2 years, I have held the office of Vice President. We have made serious strides this year in improving the experience for the membership. We have more work to do, but changing our hosting site, and starting on the site redesign have been high on the list of things to be done. We listen to what you (the membership) expects of us. We discuss these issues, and work on your behalf to make this club the best it can be. It is a team effort, the Board works together to make the club run smoothly. We have many charitable causes that we take up throughout the year. In 2008, we gave to the Christian Childrens Fund, the Jeff Panek Memorial Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project, and Tails of Hope. These are causes that are held near and dear to us. That is another aspect of our club that many people do not know.

All of these items come together on the Board of Directors. The reason I say these things is that it is important to have people on the Board that can take these ideas, and hold them close. All of the people that are running for the Board of Directors at the very least care enough about this club to give of themselves to help run this club, and carry on the traditions that Roger, and the other founding members held dear. For owners of these cars to get together, and share their common passion – the 300M!!

I have been honored to be part of this experience, and I only hope that I can continue to be an integral part of growing “this thing of ours” and helping out those that need it.

Tom Romans (Member #550)
(Shadowvox6)