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Trust Board Election. Questions for Doug Gillard.

Doug3101

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
249
Morning all,
As you are all probably aware by now, I have put myself forward as a candidate for the upcoming election.
I'm more than happy to answer questions from Exeweber's be you a Trust member or not.
As I said on a different thread, I'm not a regular visitor to Exeweb but I intend to log on each evening and answer any questions put to me in full.
The only question that I have been asked, on a Club related FB page, is "Where would you like to see the club in 5-10 years time" I will post my answer to that specific question on this thread later (after I have 'anonymised' it) to save it being asked again.
Fire away!

Doug
 

Red Bill

Active member
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
2,876
Hi Doug, I'll repeat the question you that I put to Nick and Paul on the other election thread, these being the issues of most interest and importance to me:

When I stood last year my concerns were about accountability, openness, member engagement/communication and increasing the democratisation of the trust. Obviously all of those things mean different things to different people, so could you give us your views on those issues and what if re-elected you would do to further those aims please.
 

Doug3101

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
249
Hi Byll, hope you are well. Thanks for your question, as mentioned in the opening post, I'll give you a full answer when I get in from work.
 

Legohead

Banned
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
6,762
I don't have a specific question Doug. Red Bill has highlighted a few points i would be interested in hearing your views on definitely however i just wanted to say that any posts on here are welcome as there are some of us who don't or point blank refuse to use platforms such as facebook / twitter etc and as a consequence may be missing out on very informative and enlightening posts by you and others in connection with the football club.
 

budegrecian

Active member
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
3,162
Well done Doug, for enabling this exchange.
Ok, a couple of questions for you (& the other candidates if they're so minded to respond:

1. At various times in the past, very articulate & professionally well qualified posters have offered their services to the club, free of charge, at a time when these very services were required, only to be knocked back or ignored by the club board. What are your views on utilising the wide range of abilities available to the club & how would you ensure that these opportunities are maximised & not ignored by the board.

2. Over the last few years the sale of players (Ampedu included based on an assumed £2m?) will have generated between £6-7m. To date, windfall income appears to have been wisely spent. But assuming the academy continues to bring through players that have a good saleable valuable, & we continue to find ourselves in this unusual position,what mechanism would you like to see put in place to ensure that future transfer income is well invested in the future of the club.

Thanks in anticipation of your response.
 

Doug3101

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
249
Hi Doug, I'll repeat the question you that I put to Nick and Paul on the other election thread, these being the issues of most interest and importance to me:

When I stood last year my concerns were about accountability, openness, member engagement/communication and increasing the democratisation of the trust. Obviously all of those things mean different things to different people, so could you give us your views on those issues and what if re-elected you would do to further those aims please.
I feel that in this day and age, accountability is very important and I would also suggest that responsibility should go hand in hand with it.

I find it odd that after a couple of years attending Part A meetings and after being on the OWG for Ten Months, no one has ever asked me what I do for a living. For the record, I work for a company that manufactures Therapeutic Furniture and Learning Aids for children with disabilities and learning difficulties. I don’t work on the shop floor; I’m on the shipping/logistics side, so when some of the other guys see a gas strut for a changing bench or some felt or beads for a sensory board, I see a name, a person and it makes me take a moral responsibility for every last one of them because any mistakes or any delays mean that a kid’s life will be a little bit harder for a little bit longer, not gonna happen on my watch. That is the kind of moral responsibility and duty that I want to take with me if I make it on to the TB.

That said, I think that all trustees should be accountable on an individual and a collective level. The Trust has to submit reports to the AGM annually so why not Trustees? I would be more than happy to (and if elected I may do anyway) submit a report on what I have done in the past year, my achievements at both Trustee and sub group level and my attendance record for meetings and other Trust/club based events. Potential trustees have to submit a manifesto for the electorate’s scrutiny, it should be a matter of common decency and good manners to inform the people who voted for you (and the ones who didn’t) if you are good to your word.

On the Subject of engagement and communication, one of my manifesto pledges was to engage with supporters ‘face to face’ and ask how we can be better owners. I stand by this. The Communications group are doing great work in updating the website and creating platforms to help people engage further and I salute them all. The attendance numbers for the forums are picking up. In this electronic age, there are still some people who prefer a good old fashioned chat who may not be inclined to attend a forum but want to express their views in a more relaxed atmosphere they should not be ignored or excluded. I’m fairly lucky on this front, my mother lives in Honiton, I pass through Newton Abbot because I work near there and I live in Torbay (and I pop up to Exeter now and again!) I think it would be a fantastic idea to have a trustee meeting fans (as I have said before, be they trust members or not) in a more relaxed environment and listen to their ideas and opinions and follow things up. Granted, you won’t be able to keep everyone happy but sometimes that little bit of human interaction makes a world of difference.
 

Hants_red

Admin
Staff member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
62,064
Location
League 1
How do you think the Trust should be involved in the appointment of a team manager, and indeed should the Trust be able to ask for a manager's dismissal?
 

Pete Martin (CTID)

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
Apr 1, 2004
Messages
11,384
Location
Here and there
Well done Doug, for enabling this exchange.
Ok, a couple of questions for you (& the other candidates if they're so minded to respond
Not trying to invade Doug's territory here, but just to say that I have set up my own thread now BG and answered your question on there.
 

Doug3101

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
249
Not trying to invade Doug's territory here, but just to say that I have set up my own thread now BG and answered your question on there.
No invasion whatsoever Pete. We are all campaigning to help achieve a common goal. I think it's been mentioned on a few forums and pages that 4 from 5 is brutal but it is what it is.
 

edindevon

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
1,452
Location
Together We Are Stronger.
Doug, would you support The Trust asking the club to sign up to the Living Wage?
 
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