BIOS For PRESIDENT Terry Abbott Greetings to members of RSSC, old and new. My name is Terry Abbott and I am once again running for the office of President. Even though I have served on the Executive Board for going on 11 years I can t take for granted that all of the members know me. We have seen tremendous growth in the club over the last several years and we have doubled in size from around 2500 to almost 6000 members in the last 5 years. That is incredible growth by any standard. It is fantastic to see so many people using our range and getting involved in the shooting sports. That kind of growth also brings up some problems. We have 15 Division Directors on the Board who represent 15 different shooting disciplines. We see ever increasing numbers of the general public using both the public rifle/pistol range and the shotgun range. Hunter safety instructors use our facility to certify hundreds of students each year. Commercial firearms instructors and several law enforcement groups utilize our ranges for training and certification. In short, RSSC is a very busy place. It is a constant challenge to maintain and continue to improve our facilities so that we all can enjoy our sport. Since I was first elected President we have constructed a maintenance building, training center and the new outdoor education and air gun building. The public range has been expanded from 36 to 48 benches and a new range office was built. The shotgun range and club house were built. Every one of the competition ranges has had major improvements completed. All of this takes a lot of time, effort and money. I have worked with our Board of Directors team to obtain grants through Friends of NRA and the Arizona Game & Fish in excess of $300,000 to help pay for range improvements. I have worked with the Division Directors to make range improvements that make sense and are of high quality, so they will last for many years. I have worked hard to establish good relationships with FNRA, the Game and Fish Department, Tonto National Forest and other community organizations so that we can help each other obtain our common goals. In spite of all the improvements we have made there is still much more to be done. I enjoy the challenge of continuing to make RSSC one of the best shooting facilities in the country. I am asking for your vote and support so that I can continue to help build a positive future for RSSC.
BIOS For VICE PRESIDENT Jeff Kelley My name is Jeff Kelly and I am currently the Treasurer at Rio Salado Sportsman's Club and wish to continue supporting the Range by running for the office of Vice President. I am a Arizona Native, and started shooting at Rio Salado in the NRA safety course as a junior. I have been a member of RSSC almost 20 years and currently am the Belt Fed Match director in the Full Auto Division. I participate in many of the shooting divisions at RSSC including 3 gun, Pistol, sporting clays, high power, 22 pistol and Full Auto. My board involvement has been assisting the new multi purpose building, and moving the division financials to an all digital and audible accounting system. My day job has been with Honeywell Aerospace for 26 years working on Military and Commercial Propulsion systems. I would appreciate your consideration for the privilege to continue to serve RSSC BIOS For SECRETARY Bruce Bilton During 2016, I have enjoyed serving as a member of the Executive Board in the position of Secretary. I have spent 40 years working in real estate accounting and finance, semiretiring a couple of years ago. I have been a member of the club since 2009, shooting primarily in the Practacal Pistol division and have recently enjoyed beginning shooting sporting clays. My belief is that Rio Salado Sportsmans club is the best shooting facility in Arizona. We work for the members with the goal of making everyone's shooting experiences SAFE, rewarding and enjoyable. Thank you
BIOS For TREASURER Ed Roberts I am currently Vice President and previously have served as Treasurer for more than 8 years. I have also been a coach with the Junior Division for more than 10 years. It would be my pleasure to continue and welcome your vote. BIOS For EXECUTIVE OFFICER John Brakeman As an NRA Life Member who has 20 years experience planning, procuring and constructing commercial and public facilities, I believe that I have the background to be an effective Executive Officer for the Rio Salado Sportsman s Club Board of Directors. I ve volunteered at NRA EVC events, am a member of the NRA 2 nd Amendment Task Force and actively lobby for better firearm rights protection locally and nationally. I ve always been a strong advocate of the duty for all citizens to actively learn and train with firearms. RSSC has been a part of my family for years and I hope to be able to give back to the organization by serving on the Board in 2016. I d be honored to be able to work as Executive Officer for RSSC Executive Board in 2017 on phase two of the new building, the new five year plan and additional range improvements. Please accept this letter as my submittal as candidate for 2016 Executive Officer. Kind regards.
BIOS For CHIEF INSTRUCTOR Debbie Keehart Relationships. That is what makes us successful. As a longtime member of the shooting community, Rio Salado Sportsman s Club, and especially as Chief Instructor for the last two years; I have gotten to know many of our instructors who use this facility. A big part of my job is to match students with the appropriate instructor. Knowing the teaching styles of our instructors and types of classes they are best at helps me match the student to the right class. I have been shooting competitively for over 23 years and teaching for 11. I ve learned from and taught some of my fellow Rio instructors. This past year I met with new instructors to share the safety rules we specifically need to be aware of at this range. My passion is to increase the female membership. I m proud to say we have increased the number of our ladies classes to help accommodate the numbers. Remember guys, if the ladies are involved, the more they will allow you to come out and play! We will continue to offer the Desert Flower Ladies Day each year. My plan for the next couple of years is to introduce a similar program for men AND women. An inexpensive introductory event to teach men and women the best and safest way to handle and shoot firearms. Our junior population is growing also! We have great junior programs with long guns. What we are weak in is pistol classes. I am continuing with the development of such classes (this has been more difficult than you would think). But, the demand is there and I am determine to get the classes perfected and offered on a regular basis. These Jr handgun classes will include parent/guardian involvement. It is important for the parents to learn alongside the child so they can help continue their education properly. Any position I hold (paid or volunteer) is important. I want to make it the best that I can. My club and fellow membership mean a great deal to me so I am dedicated to all 4 terms if you will have me. It s not just something new to do.i want the position as Chief Instructor grow in value each year. I ask for your vote once again so I may continue to develop these relationships & classes and most importantly spread the education of firearm safety! I sincerely thank you for your consideration and support. BIOS For CHIEF INSTRUCTOR continued
BIOS For CHIEF INSTRUCTOR continued Matt Misino Hello, my name is Matt Misino and I am running for RSSC Chief Instructor. I am a retired law enforcement officer with 23 years of service in AZ. Of those years, I ve spent over 18 as a Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor (including pistol, shotgun and patrol rifle), FATS (firearm training simulator) use of force instructor, along with other areas of instruction. I was a patrol Sgt. for 14 years and have spent a great deal of my career teaching and mentoring. I have an extensive resume of Instructor Level classes and I thoroughly enjoy teaching. My wife Stacy and I have been members here at Rio for several years and have been active in the Practical Pistol and TNS divisions. We enjoy the club and have made great friends here. I would like to bring regular New Gun Owner / New Shooter classes to the Rio calendar as well as other training in various disciplines and at all levels. I am hoping to continue with my love of teaching and training by serving as the club s Chief Instructor and I am humbly asking for your vote.
OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 2015 PROCEDURES FOR JANUARY 2017 ELECTION OF CLUB OFFICERS 1. Proxies will not be used in this election. 2. Voting will be by mail, as well as ballots put in the Ballot Boxes located at the Main Range and the Activity Center. Ballots and copies of Candidate Biographies may be obtained from the Main Range or Activity Center, or downloaded from the Rio Salado Sportsman's Club website. Ballots and Candidate Biographies will be sent in the Ricochet to those who do not have E-Mail. There will be NO nominations from the floor on Election Day, January 14, 2017. Write-in candidates will be accepted on the ballots. Only ballots of members with a valid membership as of the election will be counted. 3. All members must mail their votes to the Club by January 3rd. A locked Ballot Box will be placed only at the Main Range and the Activity Center by November 1, 2016. The Range Manager will be responsible for the Ballot Boxes, but will not have a key to the locks. The Range Manager will brief the Range staff on election procedures and accepting ballots. 4. A Ballot Box will also be available at the range for members to deposit their ballots no later than 2 P.M. of Election Day. 5. Members who join or renew at the range on or before Saturday, January 14, 2017, will be given a ballot. They can complete the ballot and deposit it in the Ballot Box no later than 2:00 p.m. on Election Day. 6. The Junior Division Director will be responsible for counting the votes. The Membership Chairman will provide a list of members to the Junior Division Director to verify ballots. The Junior Division Director will announce the results at the annual meeting. 7. The Range Manager will retain custody of the ballots in case of a recount. At such a time as determined by the Board of Directors the ballots may be destroyed.
PRESIDENT: Terry Abbott Official Ballot Rio Salado Sportsman s Club, Inc. EXECUTIVE BOARD OF OFFICERS Annual Election January 14, 2017 PLEASE CHECK ONE FOR EACH OFFICE JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER 2014 VICE-PRESIDENT: Jeff Kelley SECRETARY Bruce Bilton TREASURER Ed Roberts EXECUTIVE OFFICER John Brakeman CHIEF INSTRUCTOR Debbie Keehart Matt Misino -- (PLEASE NOTE: Your printed name, signature and Member number is MANDATORY for your ballot to be valid.) / Print Member s Name Membership Number Member s Signature Please sign, enclose (BALLOT ONLY) in an envelope, and mail to: RSSC BALLOT, 3960 N Usery Pass Rd, Mesa AZ 85207-9702 Postmarked NLT 12/31/16 OR you may drop at any time in the LOCK BOX at the Range until 2:00 pm 01/14/2017