Thank you to the 30+ who have already donated more than $700 to the fundraiser. Now, who would like to take over my job and do what needs to be done to send Albany the message? If any of you wish to take over my role, and can do a better job, in all sincerity, please speak up: Job Description David v. Goliath Leader Needed * 20 hours per week * Must spend $25/week on gas driving to media interviews and meetings * Dedicated, organized, with the ability manage tens of thousands of people * Good public speaker, comfortable with multiple media appearances, at odd times throughout the day and week * Good diplomat, able to respond apolitically to all media questions * Will create lawn signs, billboards, flyers, bumper stickers, mugs, etc to distribute across the entire state of NY, in every single county (advertising of the cause) * Will begin fundraising for a Tappan Zee Bridge museum (advertising of the cause) * Will organize the distribution of all of the above advertising materials * Will raise money to purchase the above advertising materials * Will work with a publicist to create regular news releases to the media * Will coordinate a staff of paid part-time workers, plus hundreds (perhaps thousands) of volunteers statewide * Must set up and manage a website for the cause * Must coordinate, plan, and prepare for at least 3 in-person or phone meetings per week with members of the community and supportive organizations * Must respond to at least 30 emails per week from media, potential volunteers, and even critics * Must appear regularly in the media, often accompanied by extremely unflattering photographs of yourself in print * Must be willing to see your reputation publicly attacked by one of the biggest political machines in the state * Must be willing to accept vicious (and untrue) attacks from hundreds of your fellow petitioners * Must spend at least 3 hours per week drafting email blasts out to petition signers to keep them updated * Must check the news every day for the latest news coverage, and share with petitioners * Must be willing to travel all across the state of New York, including multiple trips to Albany * Must be willing to testify before the NY Assembly, potentially on multiple occasions Oh, and you must be willing to do this all for free, out of the goodness of your heart. Ummmm… that is unreasonable. I am not a fraud, a scammer, or a money-grabber (as so many of you called me), but I can no longer work as your leader as a volunteer. I present to you three choices: 1. Do Nothing. You can do nothing and hope that your name on this petition alone will convince Albany to change the name back. Highly unlikely. And FYI, I am not going to spend more of my own money to print out the 100,000+ names and over 10,000 comments and send it to Albany. If you are not willing to chip in financially, neither am I willing to spend any more of my own money (I’ve already spent about $50) or time on this petition. You can choose to do nothing, and I will do the same, and let’s hope Albany does the right thing. 2. Take My Place. I trust that you read the job description above. Do you want my job? Take it. I didn’t ask for this position. I’d be just as content going back to my legal work, tutoring, and helping my other business succeed. If you get enough support from the petitioners, I will contact Change.org and put you in the driver’s seat. Note: you will also be expected to work for nothing. (But you should know that I would chip in some money to help get you a $3,000/month salary, because I know how much work you will be doing.) I will also help as a volunteer, to support you, as I am able. 3. Help Me. Help me raise the money that is needed to take this fight all the way and I will continue to lead it. You can see exactly how the money would be spent on the fundraiser. You can make a donation here: www.gofundme.com/savethetappanzee What happens next is up to you. Take a few days to decide what your next step is. Do you want to do nothing? Do you want a new leader? Do you want to chip in a few bucks to try to do a little bit more? Do you want to remove yourself from this petition as nearly 1,500 people did? Decide for yourself how much you want to fight to get the bridge name back, and what it really means to you. If after a period of time, it is clear that this effort will not be funded, that’s fine by me: I will refund all donations to date, wish you all the best, and just watch the news like all of you and hope Santa brings us an unlikely Christmas gift. Sincerely, and always a supporter of the Tappan Zee, -Monroe