The Central Ohio Group bids a fond farewell to Dave Erb, who has been a member of our ExCom for the past 3 years. The Group and Chapter have benefited from his automotive engineering and number-crunching experience to help us determine policy on a number of transportation-related issues. Dave and his wife Beth are retiring to Asheville, NC, where they plan to continue their Sierra Club activities.

David Greene has moved to California where his considerable expertise in regional planning is being put to use in his job with Monterey County. His office is in Salinas.

David Hornyak responded to our call for a Group treasurer, and has also agreed to fill an ExCom vacancy. As the Director of Operations with the Ohio Attorney General's office, Dave has been at the forefront of pursuing alternative energy. He is overseeing the installation of a 10kW wind turbine on OAG’s rural facilities that will gather wind data to determine the feasibility of installing high-capacity turbines that could power up to six of OAG’s facilities. He has included funding for aarray thatmay be installed as early as 2008. The OAG is in the intermediate stages of converting 75 acres of lawn to native trees and grasses that require no mowing or chemicals. These measures are thought to be the first of their kind for a state Attorney General’s Office and are only the start of what they hope to accomplish. The AG, Marc Dann, has been very cooperative in this effort.

We also welcome Melanie Braithwaite, who comes to the ExCom having recently volunteered to chair the Group Political Committee. Melanie and her husband Bob are active in Upper Arlington Progressives and recently took the political training in Columbus. They have been involved in Club activities for a number of years, and have volunteered for a number of political candidates. Melanie was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1972 and 1976. She is an attorney in private practice.