Meeting Recap for December 12, 2011

What do Thom Gilbert and Thomas Jefferson have in common? Both were in the spotlight Monday at the Radisson Hotel during Rotary Club of Sacramento’s weekly meeting—which also happened to be the Club’s Annual Meeting.

Past President Beverly Brautigam announced that Gilbert, a Rotarian since 1988, is the President-elect Nominee to succeed Peter Dannenfelser II as RCS president in 2013-14.  Gilbert, head of a local accounting firm, is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton with a Masters from Sacramento State. He is an Eddie Mulligan Fellow, a Paul Harris Fellow and an RCS Fellow.

The announcement of Gilbert’s nomination immediately followed Dannenfelser’s introduction of his new board members and officers. Ed Melia will serve as treasurer and Rick Davis as Sergeant-at-Arms. Elected to new two-year terms on the Board were Carolyn Carr, David Higdon, Patti Monczewski and Leonard Simpson. He also introduced Dan McVeigh, appointee, who replaced Thom.

The other Thom (Jefferson) was interjected into the meeting by both Past President Tim Pinkney in his “Thought for the Day” and guest speaker Jim Burling, director of litigation for Pacific Legal Foundation.

Pinkney quoted Jefferson, who wrote to Samuel Kercheval in 1816 that, "The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property and in their management.”

Burling picked up on that theme as he discussed the work Pacific Legal Foundation is doing on multiple fronts—including an Idaho individual property rights case involving the right of the property owner to even get a day in court before the U.S. Supreme Court in early January—to combat extreme government regulation.

The locally based nonprofit also has been active in the healthcare debate. “If the individual mandate included in the healthcare reform bill is legal under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution because it is good for the healthcare industry economically,” said Burling, “then why not require everyone to eat broccoli every day because it would be healthy for them and good for the agricultural industry or require everyone to buy a new car every two years because it would make them feel good and would benefit the auto industry?”

President Ken Noack, Jr., introduced the two newest RCS members: Denny Elgin of Total H.R. Solutions (sponsored by David Allman and Hal Shipley) and Stephanie Foster of Ray Stone Retirement Communities (sponsored by past-presidents John Frisch and Diane Mizell).

Larry Booth of Frank M. Booth Company was the meeting sponsor, but yielded his time to past-presidents Frisch and Mizell to talk about the Salvation Army. According to Frisch, nine Rotarians are members of the Army’s local advisory board.

Fifteen international students who are part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, led at RCS by Gilbert, were on hand for the announcement of his nomination as President-elect.

Bob Biko provided the pre-meeting wine reception. Early arrivers were serenaded by Paul Stone on the piano and Tina Minasian, guest of Steven Walker, on the ukulele.