Gov-Elect Tom Varner Addresses Vacancies

by Tom Varner, Governor-Elect

Now, we are all ready to start the new Kiwanis year. One of my goals is to equip all our 2010 - 2011 leaders with all the tools we have at our disposal. Imagine my surprise when I found that there are only ten of 21 Lieutenant Governors-Elect in place for this year. Why is this a problem? According to Kiwanis International, the Lieutenant Governor-Designate and Lieutenant Governor-Elect should have been elected before May 1, 2009. That means we are almost six months late in one-half the Divisions or the results of the election have not been reported to the district or to Kiwanis International.

Then I received a report on the President-elects for 2009 - 2010 and, you probably are ahead of me, only slightly more than one-half have been elected. The deadline for club officers was May 12, 2009.

I want to serve the District and to provide positive leadership to those who lead our clubs and the District officers who are the direct supervisors. We cannot give them the tools without knowing who they are.

Why do I write this in the Capital Builder? It is a growing problem in the District and the number of vacant positions increases every year. The problem belongs to every Kiwanis because you are not getting the best leadership, which is what you deserve and what you should expect. Kiwanis along with the world is changing and we all need to know what is new and what is available to help our clubs. The easiest way to get the correct and timely information is through our District Leadership Development Program.

The program is scheduled to begin for some Regions in three to four weeks and in all regions within two months. Do you want your leaders to have all the knowledge to help your clubs, to know the options for Kiwanis meetings are, to learn about service opportunities, to collaborate with other Kiwanis organizations, such as our Service Leadership Programs, and to be the best they can be to serve you? If so, ask what the status of your club and division officer is at this point of the year.