2016-05-15 Election

The election will take place electronically using OpaVote, and you will receive an individual voting email to your registered email address.

The nomination window is now closed.

There are three open trustee slots, and the following members have put themselves forward to be trustees.

We will start the election on the 15th May this year and it will run for 7 days. All members, no matter how remote, will be able to vote. You will receive an email to your registered email address.

Our returning officer for this election is Nick Baumer, who will set up and handle the OPA vote system for the election.

Photo	Nominee
Adam Froggatt	I’ve been a member of Nottinghack for over 3 years now, and a Trustee for the last nine months. In that time I’ve made a lot of things, seen some awesome stuff, helped out with cool projects, and met a lot of amazing people, all thanks to this crazy place we call our Hackspace. We’ve become the largest Hackspace in the UK, pulled our team system together, improved and cared for the space, and over the recent months quite literally demolished walls that were in our way. Continuing to be a Trustee would mean I can keep putting time into the Hackspace most of all. Currently I’m responsible for our Comms, Fundraising, Membership and Laser Maintainer teams, and also involved with Events, Craft, Snackspace and the Materials shop for the laser and 3D printer. It’s a deep belief of mine that the key purpose of a Trustee is to make it so everyone is empowered to do things, whether it’s their own projects, teaching soldering to kids at our events, getting a new skill at a workshop, or improving the hackspace itself. For newer members it’s highly likely I’ve given you a tour or set up your card on your first visit, and for those who’ve been here a little longer I may have inducted you on the lasercutter too. More recently I’ve rewritten and edited our members guide to bring it up to date, as well as working with the Membership and Comms teams on how to attract more people to Nottinghack, and improve our tours and interactions with the public at large. For me, being a Trustee means I can continue to be deeply involved with our expansion and improvement; we’re already the biggest and (in my opinion) best Hackspace in the country, and Nottinghack is where I felt most at home when I first moved to Nottingham. The last nine months have been incredible, and I’d like to keep on giving my time to Nottinghack for the next couple of years as well.
Daniel Evans-Pughe	I would like to become a Hackspace trustee because I would really like to give back more to such a great organisation which has helped me tremendously over the years. I would like to have some influence in the decision making and setting strategies for the space with a keen focus to push for a ceramics workshop with the extension downstairs. I recently emailed the board offering suggestions on how a proposed space could run as well as offering my time and expertise to get it off the ground and run workshops, firings, cleaning etc. I was recommended to apply as a trustee. As well as being a Ceramicist I also have skills in Sculpting, metal fabrication using M.I.G welding and Brazing, basic Photoshop, rhino and solid works knowledge as well as laster cutting. I would like to give up some time each week to teach and exchange skills, help people with projects and help with managing the space.
Kate Bolin	I’ve been a member since 2010, I was a trustee from 2012-2014, and I’ve more than likely introduced you to the space, since I’m one of the main tour guides for the Membership team. I also produce the monthly newsletter that goes out, do some work with the Craft team, and help out with Events when needed. I’m known for being someone who can get stuff done, and I try my darnedest to make the Hackspace as inclusive as possible. This might mean I make some people angry, but that’s just the way it is.
Kirsty Lockhart	I have been a part of the Nottinghack community for 2 years now, and have watched it change and grow massively in this time. I’m really excited to be a part of Hackspace 2.5, and thought it was time to throw my hat into the ring and really get stuck in. Whilst I am not currently a member of the Events Team, I am one of the founding members of the team and have represented Nottinghack at many events now, including Newcastle and Derby Maker Faires, Women In Technology, Nottingham Light Night; and will continue to do so at future events. I am also a member of the Craft Team, spearheading a project to completely redesign the craft room to improve usability and storage with one other member. This was unfortunately shelved due to the downstairs expansion, but we will soon be picking the project back up as the craft room will be moved as part of the expansion plans.
Michael Erskine	As one of the earliest members and one of the first trustees I've continually been involved in the running of the Hackspace. As trustee again I would be able to make that presence more visible and give our members something to laugh at. I'm a maker and a doer: the person behind wildly successful projects like Skateboard Banjo, MAME Arcade Cabinet, BMO, etc. (see my project list at https://wiki.nottinghack.org.uk/wiki/User:Msemtd) "Uw verbeterde toekomst begin hier!" - did you know that the Dutch work for "easy" is "makkelijk" (direct translation: makeable)?
Russell Houghton	Me as Trustee? For the majority of my life I had been trying to create an equivalent to our Nottinghack for my own use. My delight at discovering what likeminded people had achieved with Nottinghack was inspiring, and fully worthy of switching my efforts towards helping make Nottinghack better. When I first visited Nottinghack the metalwork area was a single bench with a vice and a couple of old welders underneath, and a belief that no one joins Nottinghack for the metalworking. I have helped change that into becoming an integral resource that I hope people are inspired to use. I would love to help develop a jewellery and silversmithing resource in Hackspace. I would love to help develop clay and pottery capabilities. There are plans that within Hackspace 2.5 we will gain a kiln, I am keen to see that is capable of multiple uses, obviously firing clay but also as a heat treatment capability for metal, an enamel kiln for jewellery and for glass crafting. I'm directly responsible for bringing to the hackspace the TIG welder, the polishing/grinder,the linisher, as well as lots of smaller hands tools. I have championed the purchase of the big and baby Startrite bandsaws. I helped set up, and help to maintain the Myford Lathe, the Bridgeport Mill, the welding equipment, the donkey saw. Also assisting with transportation when needed. I have a belief in having tools fit for purpose, generally choosing solid old tools over modern flimsy thin folded steel versions that aren't particularly safe and don't last. Currently I am part of the tools, metalwork and resources teams, and actively help maintain and repair the tools we have. With regard to tool use I have a strong belief in self certification together with providing help and assistance when asked for. I regularly teach people the delights of how to weld. I do still consider the whole of the Hackspace to be work in progress and will continue to help the push to expand and improve its capabilities. I recently contacted the councillors for the St Anne's ward with a view to getting better disabled access around the hackspace like drop curbs, and hope to negotiate a beneficial height adjustment to the pavement outside our new entrance. This is ongoing but they do seem amiable to incorporating this into their plans for the area. I am a member of the organising committee for Nottingham Green Festival, and am no stranger to working with others to achieve goals. I am also comfortable with dealing with conflict resolution should that need arise. I believe I can be more effective in helping the hackspace to progress and develop by becoming a trustee. J Russell Houghton BSc. in Engineering Product Design.
Toby Jackson	My name is Toby, and I've been a member of the hackspace for about three years now. In that time I've made some awesome stuff, some awesome friends and maybe one or two enemies. I've also done my fair share of whinging, complaining and general curmudgeonly twining. I figure that it's time I stepped up to the plate and actually helped to try and sort out some of the various dog poops that litter the path to hackspace happiness, rather than smearing them out and hoping no-one notices... I don't intend to take over in a bloodless coup, leaving a trail of destruction in my wake. Nothing could be further from my intentions. However if such a thing should happen to occur, I promise to be a benevolent Supreme Leader, or at least a comedically incompetent one. More seriously I would like to ensure that communication within the hackspace, particularly with the trustees, is as transparent and simple as possible, allowing as many members as possible to know what is going on at all levels of hackspace organisation. On the flip side, I would like to work to ensure that things that should remain confidential do so, and that members can feel free to come to the trustees in complete confidence should they be concerned about any aspect of the running of the place. So, Vote for me for a vanishingly small chance of a revolution that spills onto the street and makes it into future generations' GCSE syllabi and a significant chance of me pestering people until policies and procedures are a little bit better than they are at the moment. Probably.