• Nomination Statement
• Candidate Questionnaire

I am Howard Beeman. I live one hour away off Interstate 80 in Yolo County. I'm running for the Pacifica Board because I want to continue the goal of getting my radio station back!

Three years ago you sent me to the KPFA Board. I promised that I would work hard to get our station back into Sacramento. Many people have worked together to buy and cite two translators - one on Mt. Diablo and one in Auburn. This will bring the signal to parts of Sacramento, but not everywhere. More work needs to be done to cover all the Sacramento listening area. I wish to continue to pursue this goal.

In my 3-year term, I have established a good relationship with most other board members, and want to continue to work toward a process that moves the station forward-rather than being immobilized by internal strife.

I want to continue on the Board to push for KPFA's presence at more community events-so that people understand that we stand in solidarity with their organization, ideals and efforts. To gain more community support, we must intensify our outreach efforts.

I am a farmer and the only rural representative on the board-with a focus on food and agriculture.

I am all these things that farmers are: resourceful, hard working, innovative, and good at follow through.

I hope you will vote for me so that I can continue to work with others on the Board to strengthen KPFA, in order to bring peace and justice to our communities, our country, and the world.

1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?

Three years ago you sent me to the KPFA Board. I promised that I would work hard to get our station back into Sacramento. Many people have worked together to buy and cite two translators - one on Mt. Diablo and one in Auburn. This will bring the signal to parts of Sacramento, but not everywhere. More work needs to be done to cover all the Sacramento listening area. I wish to continue to pursue this goal.

In my 3-year term, I have established a good relationship with most other board members, and want to continue to work toward a process that moves the station forward-rather than being immobilized by internal strife.

I want to continue on the Board to push for KPFA's presence at more community events-so that people understand that we stand in solidarity with their organization, ideals and efforts. To gain more community support, we must intensify our outreach efforts.

2. How do you envision the station board working with Pacifica, the station and the community?

I have been on the board for three years working with three different boards and I feel that we have failed in all three boards to make KPFA better and stronger.

We hired a flawed General Manager.

We have not moved our meetings to different locations to make it easier for listeners to participate.

We remain as two factions, continually losing our ability to function as a board and the ability to put out the many fires that continue to plague KPFA.

Even though I am on a slate for this election, I don't believe that slates are helpful in solving this problem.

I hope that you voters look at all the candidates for who we are and what we offer to make a better board. I hope that you disregard the slate and vote the person rather than some specific agenda. I believe that is what will help us to operate with less animosity.

3. How could the station better serve its listeners?

Board members need to be active listeners and invite member feedback. For example:

Board members need to be out at all station-sponsored events. My pet project is that Board members who attend events be positioned around the event, prominently identified with hats or shirts, so that members can find them and speak with them about station matters.

Also our meeting locations need to rotate around our signal area-to make it easier to public input. This will also make the board more accessible-and hopefully-more responsive to member concerns and ideas.

4. Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in underrepresented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience.

This is what the diversity committee is all about.

And that brings us to another problem in that the Board does not have reports of the committees as part of its meetings. We as Board members should be "out and about" to have a presence in the communities KPFA serves.

5. What source of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel KPFA should solicit?

I'm against taking other sources of funding. I think that is a slippery slope toward sell out. Even stepping our little toe in that direction would be a mistake. As a farmer, I am very critical and outraged by the corporate ads on NPR. Archer Daniels flat out lies about their relationship with farmers and nature-it's all (pardon the pun) bulls-it.

6. Please state briefly the skills and experiences you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board.

A. I am a good listener

B. I am all these things that farmers are: resourceful, hard working, innovative and good at follow through.

C. I am the only rural representative in the Board-with a focus on food and agriculture

D. I was the Democratic candidate for Congress in my area in 2002, and have always been active in politics since I returned from Vietnam in 1969. I have worked in campaigns for Fred Harris, Tom Hayden, and Victor Morales (in Texas).

7. Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to job or family concerns or inadequate transportation?

No, I do not.

8. On which Local Station Boards are you interested in serving? If you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve?

I have an interest in being on the station manager hiring committee (I am currently an alternate). I am also on the outreach, finance ad technology committees.