ERA Committee Responds to Proposal The ERA Board of Directors decided at their September meeting to respond to the APRA’s merger proposal with an offer of their own. An 11-member committee was formed at that time to draft a counter- proposal that would satisfy concerns voiced by members about any possible merger. Past ERA President Mike Schroeder volunteered to chair the committee. Other committee members are Joe Bradish, Wes Grueninger, Hank Henke, Kenny Turner, Tom Barrett, Chris Thompson, Richard Vensel, Daren Roggentien, Joe Davis and Bob Thomas. The committee met by phone on September 10 for about three hours and drafted an 11-point proposal that would allow the ERA to remain inde- pendent and act as the Electrical Division of the APRA. It was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors on September 17 and was forwarded to the APRA following the board meeting. The ERA board decided to withhold publication of the proposal until the APRA board has had time to discuss it. “This proposal is very basic, with con- siderable details that remain to be worked out, assuming the APRA is still interested,” said Bob Thomas following the meeting. “However, our members can be assured that it presents a framework that would allow the ERA to assume responsibility for the APRA’s Electrical Division with- out sacrificing the organization that’s been built over the last seven years. Whether the APRA will accept our offer is an unanswered question. We will make the proposal public after they have responded.” ET RIE!