The Pacifica Foundation is conducting its 2004 General Membership Election this summer and fall, and the nomination period opens July 25. We encourage active members of our community to run for positions on the Local Station Board. You can read more about the elections at http://www.wbai.org/elections

In November, members of each Pacifica Foundation Station will elect 9 listener-members to the Local Station Board, and 3 staff-members to the Local Station Board. Once elected, Local Station Board Members will choose among themselves the members of the Pacifica National Board.

Members of the Local Station Board are responsible for all aspects of the governance of the radio station, from programming to budgets. The Local Station Board reviews the job performance of the General Manager and Program Director of the Radio Stations, and participates in the Hiring Process when these positions come open. Most importantly, the Local Station Board has the mandate to actively reach out to underrepresented communities to help the station serve a diversity of all races, creeds, colors and nations, classes, genders and sexual orientations, and ages. The local station board is directed also to help build collaborative relations with organizations working for similar purposes.

Local Station Board Members elected in November of this year will serve for three years, from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007.

To run for a position on the Local Station Board, you must be a member in good standing of the Pacifica Foundation by August 31, 2004. You can become a member either by donating $25 or more to the Foundation, or by volunteering three hours of your time to the Foundation.

If you are interested in running for the Local Station Board, you can request a Nomination Packet from your local Pacifica Radio Station on July 25, 2004, and for two months thereafter. The Nomination Packet informs you of what you need to do in order to qualify for the ballot. Please call Teri Graham, Local Election Supervisor at WBAI, at 212-209-2976 or email elections@wbai.org with your complete contact information to get your packet. The nomination period for this election closes on September 25, 2004.

We especially encourage people of color, women, sexual minorities, members of the Disabled community, working class people, and people of diverse ages and occupations to run for Local Station Board.