Greetings Sierra Club members,
All members are encouraged to vote in our annual Executive Committee election. This year there are six candidates vying for five open seats on the nine-member Committee. The terms will be for two years, 2023 and 2024.
The candidates and their statements are below. Voting begins October 1 and closes at midnight October 31.
You must have your membership number to vote. All members will receive a postcard or email containing their membership number. If you do not receive a postcard or email by October 1, send an email to ronaldhaines@aol.com with your name and complete address.
Cast Your Vote Here
2022 CANDIDATES FOR LOXAHATCHEE GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Mary Cassell
I reside in Delray Beach, FL and was raised in Niagara Falls, NY, home of the infamous Love Canal, one of the country’s first “Superfund” toxic waste sites.
Hard to believe I’ve been a member of the Sierra Club-Loxahatchee Group for over 20 years. I currently serve on “ExCom” as Vice Chair and I am chair of the Elaine Usherson Scholarship committee.
I wish to continue serving on ExCom and assisting in various capacities. I enjoy doing a wide variety of things and look forward to exploring new ways of fundraising and outreach.
Gail Ladd
Growing up in New York State, walking in the woods, watching and feeding the birds, and helping my grandparents in their gardens were all part of my childhood. Later on, as an elementary school teacher in Florida, I emphasized the importance and care for the environment. One year, when I taught 4 year olds, I helped initiate above ground gardens. They loved the results of all their efforts. One remarked, “That was the best salad I ever ate!” Now that I am retired, I can be more active in the Sierra Club and have been attending PBC Commission meetings on behalf of the Club. I helped at PB State to hand out postcards for the Publix petition to eliminate plastic bags. I feel passionate about the issues that our Loxahatchee Club is involved in, especially single use plastics, and the Agriculture Reserve.
Gary Landau
I am running for my third term for the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee. I feel that volunteering for an environmental organization is a noble enterprise.
It is my strong belief that we are the stewards of the Earth not just for us but for future generations.
For the past several years I have co-chaired the Loxahatchee Group’s Political Committee. One of the most important things we as concerned citizens can do is to elect public officials who support our environmental views. Our committee’s goal is to give support to candidates who support the Sierra Club mission of supporting a healthy environment. After research and interviews we disseminate our endorsements to club members so people are knowledgeable when they go to the ballot box.
When it is not election season, we meet with elected officials to discuss legislation or potential legislation that is important to us.
Thank you.
André Rajoo
I have been a part of the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group since 2020. I have enjoyed volunteering with the political committee, where I have been a part of the candidate endorsement process. I have also designed the media used to advertise our endorsed candidates. I also have had the pleasure to be a part of the communications committee, where I have worked as a facebook administrator to improve our social media outreach. Today, our group's Facebook posts receive a total of 5,000 views from the public and recently we have reached over 1,000 followers. I also have completed multiple trainings on Sierra Club’s campfire website. I have enjoyed being on a team that works for the best interests of our local environment while supporting ways to mitigate climate change. I hope to assist our group even more by being a part of the Executive Committee, and I hope you will agree
Linda Smithe
Linda Smithe has been a long time Sierra Club Member, current Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee Chair, and servings on the Communication, Conservation, Equity/Inclusion/Justice, Political Committees.
Linda has a BS in Environmental Design and Master’s in Architecture. She kept busy for 35 years raising a family, working as an Architect, and a USGBC LEED AP BD&C Green Building consultant. She volunteered professionally as President, Secretary, and Education Chairman of the Palm Beach Construction Specification Institute, Education Chairman with the Palm Beach National Association of Women in Construction and evaluated applications for Green Schools Program for FAU Pine Jog.
Since retirement, Linda has been become more active volunteering. Focusing on Sierra Club, first working on committees then taking a more active leadership role. Coordinating meetings, agendas, minutes, and general organization. She writes letters to the editor, and elected officials. She speaks at local governmental meetings and meets with elected officials.
Richard Stowe
I have been a Sierra Club member since 2006; served as chair of Lake Worth City Tree Board from 2013 to 2019; organized six Lake Worth Festival of Trees (2014 - 2019), co-founded Dark Sky Lake Worth, an International Dark-Sky Association chapter and was recipient of IDA’s Dark Sky Defender Award in 2016. I worked with Sierra Club activist Diana Umpierre.
Before moving to Florida I was active in California and Connecticut, working to increase use of passenger rail and integrating bicycles on trains to improve “last mile” access. Subsequently, Amtrak increased bicycle access on its trains and Connecticut installed bicycle parking on its Metro-North New Haven Line M-8 fleet.
I’m passionate about increasing native plant open spaces and landscapes and reintroducing refillable glass bottles to reduce plastic and mitigating Climate Warming impacts. For these reasons, I offer to serve on the Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee