President’s Message: June 2024 What Are You Doing This Summer – Add JAG To Your List!

by Bob Duthaler

Summer, a time to relax, get away and just spend my days doing nothing and sipping on an ice-cold drink by a lake, pool or ocean. Nay! Who am I kidding? It is never like that for me or the television industry. Well, for JAG, it never stops either. JAG Executive Board and committees continue throughout the summer. In fact, some of these committees are gearing up strong right now. So I thought I would share a few Summer checklist Items:

1. Conference Committee just finished up reviewing the 2024 Conference. They’re getting ready to close the books on this year’s event and open the books on 2025. If you have any interest in being part of the committee or want more information, reach out to me. I would be delighted to have you as a committee member. Having more people involved, gives us  stronger and more diverse ideas and the ability to reach a larger group. Email me at bduthaler@jagonline.org .

• JAG Awards Committee is coming off a fantastic 2024 awards season. This committee is also getting ready to close the books on the 2024 awards season and gear up for the 2025 awards season. The committee is always looking for new members, ideas to increase station involvement and thoughts on updating any awards categories. Please reach out the committee’s current chair George Fairfield at gfairfield@piscatawaynj.org to find out  how you can join this committee.

• Membership Committee is working hard recruiting new members, getting old members back in the fold and looking for creative new ways to bring in new members and groups interested into our organization. The committee is always looking for members to reach out to surrounding towns and organizations and get them involved with JAG. Now is also a good time to check your current status of JAG Membership and make sure your dues are paid up. Questions on payment can be made to JAG Treasurer Linda Besink @ lbesink@gmail.com or membership questions or to join the committee please reach out to Stephanie Gibbons, Membership Chair, at sgibbons@jagonline.org .

• Legislative Committee is extremely busy now and these next few months. There is a lot of things happening on the Federal Level that will work its way down to both the state and local levels and can have a severe impact on PEG access, franchise fees, local authority on rights-of-way, closed captioning and ADA compliance. Now, more than ever is a great time to get involved in this committee because your station’s very existence is at stake! Look for committee updates in both this newsletter and the special legislative newsletter, upcoming email calls to action and more. Please reach out to Chair of the Legislative Committee David Garb at DAVEGARB@paps.net .

• Production Committee is getting back on track and gearing up to create a new JAG video for, legislative outreach, membership updates and the League of Municipalities, along with several other projects. Also if you have programs for JAG’s YouTube and Streaming Channel, please reach out to the committee as well. If you feel you are creative, love to edit or shoot then reach out to Rick Gearhart, Production Committee Chair at frederickgearhart@gmail.com . This committee is always looking for new and creative people – remember, many hand help to lighten the load for all!

• External Relations Committee is always active throughout the year. But as General Membership meetings take July and August off, this committee is gearing up to make sure future meetings have great speakers and vendors on hand to give more diversity and information to our monthly meetings. Plus this committee outlines and schedules sessions on behalf of JAG for the New Jersey League of Municipalities Conference. If you want to help out at the League Conference, have any thoughts on what you would like to see at meetings, then please reach out to the committee Chair, Geoffrey Belinfante at geoffbel512@gmail.com .

• Finance Committee meets monthly as well. They help steer the financial direction of this organization. They help shape our budgets, look for creative financial solutions and work with the treasurer on different aspects of the JAG organization.  The Finance Committee is always looking for new people. Reach out to JAG Treasurer and Committee Chair Linda Besink@ lbesink@gmail.com .

• Executive Board Committee continues throughout the year to have monthly meetings, occasional emergency meetings and our multi-day retreat. Speaking of the retreat, the JAG Executive Board with input and direction from JAG’s Managing Director Rich Desimone, is gearing up for this year’s retreat in mid-August. We will be meeting virtually over several days of meetings in which we review the organizations policies and procedures and make recommendations for changes that help shape the future of this organization.  These are always intense days to say the least! If this is something that interest you, then one of the best ways to get involved is to become a vice-chair of any committee which automatically puts you on the Leadership Development Committee.

• Leadership Development Committee says it all.  Its main purpose to get new members involved in the organization and to be a feeder committee to the board. The committee is made up of representatives from all the existing committees. For more information on the Leadership Development Committee, please reach out to JAG’s Vice President and Committee Chair, Doug Seidel at dseidel@piscatawaynj.org

I hope this list gives you some insight into our organization, sparks some interest in you in participating on a committee or overall just gets you excited to be part of the JAG organization. Remember, our organization is only as good as our members, and it takes many active members and those willing to participate to make it strong and be the organization we all want and deserve.