There are five vacancies on our Executive Committee (“ExCom”). The winning candidates will serve two years, 2026-2027.

Candidate Statement of Linda Brunner

The actions of the federal administration and its frequent backing by the Supreme Court are threatening and disturbing to anyone who cares about the health and environment of our nation. Those who enjoy our national parks must be moved to action by these appalling attempts to disinherit the American people from their treasured heritage. Another issue is the harm Big Ag has on our environment and the unhealthy and unsustainable quality of our food supply. Not only does Big Ag pollute air, water and land, and contribute immensely to climate change, but it is also responsible for the unnecessary sickening and torture of the many millions of animals we raise for food. It doesn't have to be this way. I believe that if they knew the reality behind the scenes Americans would not consume so much animal protein. My sense of urgency leads me to ask for your vote to continue my participation on the Executive Committee. 

Candidate Statement of Marilyn Elie

Serving on the Excom has been a powerful learning experience in how to be an effective activist.  After a lifetime of service in environmental causes in outreach and organizing, working in tandem with experienced environmentalists in the Lower Hudson Group has made me more aware than ever of the critical need for steady, regular work with others on a broader scale. Helping other groups and facilitating communication to the wider Sierra community is critical. We are in a time of authoritarian breakthrough. Working out the best way for Sierra to make environmental choices and support the democracy that enables our choices is a path we must take if Sierra is to remain relevant. How to do all this is the ongoing conversation that I would like to be part of. Your vote to enable my continued participation would be appreciated.

Candidate Statement of George Klein

I ask for your vote in order to work on preserving democracy, opposing the expansion of the Westchester County Airport, work for voting integrity in NY state, find ways for our activists to work together more effectively, deepen our outreach to younger members, seek new ways for the group to communicate our values and messages more widely and forcefully to both members and the public, keep our group financially strong, encourage everyone to enjoy our great outdoors, and, personally for me, to continue work with our wonderful activists.

Candidate Statement of Harry Vetter

Born and raised in Germany, I moved to the US as a young man and became a citizen a quarter century ago. We need to double our efforts to help the environment. It is unacceptable to see significant advances made over the years under vicious assault. I moved to Rockland County seven years ago. For four years until July 2025 I was Chair of the Upper Nyack Green Committee, a most engaged group of climate-smart volunteers. Outreach to promote composting, sustainable lawns and yards, education about PFAS in products we use and in the water we drink are among key issue that deserve focus. Sierra Club and its goals are a vital part of my life. I have been part of the group’s local political endorsement committee. Developing a rapport with candidates and holding them accountable I find engaging and constructive. My hobby is fiction writing. I hope to focus more on cli-fi (climate fiction).

Candidate Statement of Sarah Wilson

I am always impressed by the passion, expertise and commitment of our Sierra Club members.  I have served on the LHG ExCom since 2010, first as Treasurer and subsequently as Vice Chair.  In January 2024 I was named Group Chair.  During our last term we have broadened our focus on organizing engaging and informative monthly meetings via Zoom, and we have been successful in attracting interesting speakers and both members and non-members to our calls.  As the organizer of the quarterly Yorktown Repair Cafe, I support expanding the Repair Cafe concept to other towns throughout our Group. I serve on the Yorktown Climate Smart Communities Task Force and on the steering committee of Sustainable Putnam.  I have been proud to represent Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group at a variety of events and rallies in the past and ask for your vote to enable me to continue to serve as a member of the ExCom.    

(Note that the Lower Hudson Group election was active starting September 1, so you can use the following instructions to vote online in that election now. The Atlantic Chapter's ExCom election will be active starting in November so go back to your MyAccount when you get the email to vote in the Chapter election. The deadline to vote in both elections is December 15!)

Sierra Club members have the right to vote by paper ballot at all three levels of elections: national, state Chapter and local Group. However, there are good reasons to vote online, which simply requires a one-time registration for a MyAccount to ensure online voting access for current and future Chapter and Group elections:

• It’s easy! Register once for a MyAccount and that’s it. Go to the public Sierra Club webpage at sierraclub.org, click on Login in the upper right (or simply go to myaccount.sierraclub.org), and click on Create your account. If you know your membership number (on your Sierra Atlantic and Terra Firma newsletters above your address), supply it with your zip code and email address on the left side, create a password and you’re done. If you don’t know your membership number, enter your name, zip code and email address on the right side, and create a password. 
• Vote for your Group and Chapter elections in the same place. When there are active Chapter and Group elections going on, the box at the top center of your MyAccount home page will let you know. (If the box says “become a Wilderness Guardian,” that means there are no active elections at that time.) You can save time and postage by voting for both elections in one place rather than sending in separate paper ballots, and you don’t even need to know what Group you’re in because the ballot for your Group will appear automatically.
• It’s secret! The Sierra Club online voting platform preserves voter anonymity. Sometimes members cut their name and membership number off their paper ballot before mailing it in, presumably because they don’t want vote counters to see their votes. This invalidates the ballot if the Elections Committee can’t identify that the voter is a valid member. (Know that once we confirm the validity of the voter, we separate the ballots from the names before tallying votes so vote counters don’t associate names with votes.) But if you vote online, the platform automatically confirms membership validity and counts the votes, and the only things Elections Committees see are the total votes for each candidate, not how any individual person voted. 
• Vote at your convenience and never miss an election. The Atlantic Chapter will send out an email in mid-November to remind members there are active elections going on, so you can go into your MyAccount and vote. But you can still vote if you log in for another purpose and see you have a current election going on.
• Voting online greatly simplifies counting procedures for Chapter and Group Election Committees, for a more accurate vote count. In addition to checking membership validity of paper ballots, Election Committees have to check if the members also voted online and that anybody who voted on both sides of the paper ballot truly have Joint memberships. That process plus tabulating the votes takes hours for Chapter elections, given the hundreds of paper ballots we receive. The voting platform automatically does all that, giving Joint members two ballots and ensuring that once someone votes online, they won’t be able to vote again.
• Having a MyAccount lets you do other things in addition to voting, like renewing your membership and changing your preferences for emails and mailings. You can see your recent donation history, access the online edition of Sierra magazine, sign petitions and find outings and events near you.