2009 Board Candidate Statements

Statements of Candidates for the CMCM Board of Directors (2009 election)

Statement of Bruce Bagnoli

Why do you want to serve on the CMCM Board of Directors?

This organization is just beginning to flower, and I want to see it reach its full potential. I believe that my unique background, combined with my commitment to public access as a vital instrument of free speech, will enable me to serve the organization well. It is very satisfying to see the progress that we’ve made over the past two years. There is so much more that we can accomplish, and I want to be part of that effort.

What relevant experience do you bring to this board position?

As a volunteer producer and crew member on public access productions for over 15 years in Marin, I bring a wide variety of organizational skills, media skills, and knowledge of the details of the Marin Comcast Cable Franchise, and public access issues. I am a founding member of CMCM. I served on the Marin Telecommunications Agency Media Access Advisory Committee (MAAC) as Chair for many years, helping to shape the cable franchise access provisions. I also served as a key member of the team negotiating the contract between the MTA and CMCM that set CMCM as the manager of the three public channels and provided the seed money to start the organization.

I have served on the CMCM Board of Directors as Board Chair since 2007. As a business person with a background in technology and experience in budgeting, planning, and project management, I am experienced in working with a wide variety of people, and I enjoy the diversity in our Marin community. My education includes journalism, photojournalism, television production, computer science, and business. I have also worked for non-profits in the past as a manager, so I know something about the legal framework and typical dynamics of non-profit organizations. I have over 20 years of experience working for colleges and ,universities and have been a resident of Marin County since the 1970s.

What is your vision for CMCM and how will you achieve it?

The Community Media Center of Marin is providing our community with public access, government access and educational cable channels, as well as education in media literacy, production skills, and the means to produce video programming. CMCM can bring to our community programs that express ideas and tell stories, and that illuminate issues, educate, and share vital cultural activities including music, poetry, theater, and the arts: everything that makes Marin such a great place to be.. CMCM can help Marin residents to understand the issues of the day and bring the workings of our government into view.

I hope that by providing these services and encouraging a strong volunteer core producer group, we can build an organization that will enjoy the support of the community. My vision includes developing a viable fiscal model for the organization, blending membership, fee-for-service, grants, and cable franchise funding to ensure the health of the organization. I hope to see CMCM build its web presence along with encouraging community video and radio.

Part of my role has been to help share our vision with the various elected officials who serve on the Marin Telecommunications Board, bringing community feedback to the group and finding opportunities for CMCM to build relationships with the surrounding institutions and organizations in Marin. I hope to continue helping voices to be heard that wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach the community.

During the formation of CMCM, I’ve donated hundreds of hours secure funding and to help establish the facility that now houses the organization, I have served on the committee that selected the Executive Director, and I have worked to develop policies that will provide the framework within which the CMCM organization will continue to grow and flourish.

Statement of Jim Geraghty

1.) Why do you want to serve on the CMCM board of directors?

The CMCM creates an opportunity for Marin residents and organizations to communicate with the larger Marin Community and I feel that is very important. The use of video provided over public access channels and the internet are tools that should be available to everyone with a desire and CMCM is providing those services while keeping an eye on new media usage and opportunities for the community. I intend to be a voice on the board that stands for inclusion and keeping CMCM at the cutting edge of media usage for Marin. I have served on the CMCM board since its inception and was elected by the board to serve as the secretary, the current position I hold as a board member.

2.) What relevant experience do you bring to this board position?

I bring two years experience of serving on the CMCM board. During that time we oversaw the transition of Public Access from Comcast to CMCM and the building out of our new Facilities at 819 A St. in San Rafael. I also serve on the Sustainable San Rafael board, working on education and city sustainability projects. As a co-chair of the Immigrant Rights Coalition I work with memebrs of our community in building bridges and understanding between differnt groups and organizations. We facilitate meetings surrounding immigrant issues and advocate for immigrant rights and are currently working on a film documentary "Why They Come", telling the individual stories of Marin residents and why they came to America and more specifically Marin. The diversity and outreach of these boards has given me insight into community needs that help me as a CMCM board member reach out and encourage their stories to be told.

3.) What is your vision for CMCM and how will you achieve it.

I envision the CMCM as a vital tool to educate Marin residents and organizations about media opportunities. By maintaining our Public Access cable channel and expanding to include both an Education and Government channel CMCM enables more people to participate in an important community dialogue. I also envision expansion of media classes and venues to include website development, use of social media tools, internet radio and other new tools as they develop. I will work to maintain CMCM at the cutting edge of digital media through board policy and supporting our staff to be the best media innovators in the area.