Representation

One of the major points of contention within GOWT over the past year (and probably longer) is how the Executive Committee can adequately represent all areas of GOWT when the majority of the leadership is from one area. How can a person from Memphis "represent" the geocaching interests of a member who lives in Dyersburg or Jackson?

Do any of the people who ask that question also ask how reviewers from Nashville can represent the entire state of Tennessee much less the states that they serve as backup reviewers for?

The answer is: No. Most people assume that the reviewers serve the entire territory they were chosen to serve with no particular bias towards any one area. Most paying members of Groundspeak have absolutely no say in the choice of people who serve as volunteer reviewers for their area. They do have a means of complaining if they feel a reviewer isn't doing their job properly, but they are not consulted in the choice of who is picked to be a volunteer reviewer.


Voting for representatives in this area has proven to be problematic. Since the membership of GOWT is not evenly distributed across GOWT territory, most of our representation would either come from Memphis or Jackson. In the past, there has been no really helpful way to determine from potential candidates who would actually be a good leader. It is also a problem that many people who would make good leaders do not wish to run. Many of the candidates who won election to the Executive Committee this past year won based on popularity. Popularity is not a reliable indicator of leadership ability. In the case of GOWT, leadership is not so much about making decisions that affect geocaching policy in West Tennessee as it is about responsible people performing the day-to-day tasks that keep an organization running smoothly. There are some important decisions to be made and most of those require input or feedback from the membership. Examples of these kinds of decisions are: the design of a club geocoin or where we might hold the annual GOWT CITO event.

The mission of GOWT is not driven by the individual caching philosophies of those selected to lead. GOWT's mission is to embrace geocaching in all of its forms while encouraging its members to geocache responsibly. GOWT has always sought to provide its members with information about geocaching in all areas of West Tennessee and will hopefully continue to do so. GOWT has always welcomed input from all of its members.

It should not be an issue where the leadership is from as much as does the leadership have the ability to fulfill GOWT's mission. True representation comes when all members are able to provide constructive input to the leadership regarding GOWT and its mission.