1. Where do you stand on the discussion, process and implementation of a mandatory 1.5 game fee for 1-man games?

Mike Owsiak: I am in favor of further discussions to increase the game fees for 1 umpire games based on the increased challenges in working these games and, therefore, the additional training, required fitness, and experience needed to work 1 umpire games. Rather than focus on a hard and fast fee rule as referenced in the question, I would assess and improve our 1 umpire training, further coordinate 1 umpire assignments with members who are willing and able to work these games, further segment our customers’ demands for these games (e.g., requesting 1 umpire only versus only having 1 umpire available), and clarify with our customers the experience in using 1 umpire versus 2 umpires. In looking at all of these aspects, we would be able to make the case to our customers when it is appropriate for 1 umpire games and establish higher 1 umpire game fees.

Jeffry Borgida: I am philosophically in support of any effort to increase our game fees. I am under the assumption that each of our customers have negotiated contracts that include compensation. I support our negotiating position of a 1.5 game fee (if not more) for 1-man games, but this must be done within the framework of a comprehensive contract negotiation.

Brian Tschumper: To start with, NBUA should strive to never have solo umpires on games our customers have agreed need multiple umpires. If NBUA needs to drop to a solo umpire, I support an increase to that solo umpire fee. While I support an increase, I have not been privy to discussions or data that states 1.5x is the right number. I’d like to review the data before agreeing 1.5x is the right number.

Peyton Coffin: Umpires currently earn about $16 more per game when working solo. I would like to see that increased. Contracts are negotiated with each league and prices are set at that time. As far as school ball goes, the WIAA sets game fees and NBUA has little input other than putting pressure on WOA to negotiate on our behalf.

If you have a request such as a suggested fee increase, or any other matter necessitating board discussion, it’s best to submit such a request to the NBUA president and he will add it to the agenda of the next board meeting. If the matter is urgent, he can poll the members.

Henry VonJouanne: As one who believes the game fees, including one-man game fees, are generally too low, I support improving game fees for one-man games. In 2024, our games fees allocated a fixed $16 more for a one-man game, which amounts to an approximate 20% difference in the game fee. In 2024, we increased our game fees by an average of approximately 9%. Our customers accepted these increased game fees without objection. As such, I believe we should propose larger increases in our one-man game fees and see if our customers accept these increased one-man fees.

Brian Sweet: All members of NBUA have been keenly aware of the ongoing umpire shortage, I’ll skip the shortage issue and go to the question. I believe that our members should received extra compensation when they perform a 1-man game. No one would argue that having 2 umpires (sometimes 3) provides a better officiated game. Every member who finds themselves working solo, myself included, goes into the game knowing it is going to take extra effort both physically and mentally to work a 1-man game. I’m proud of all our NBUA members because every one of you walk onto the field and give that effort willingly without additional compensation.

While I know more compensation is due our members, I believe more discussion and thought is needed before making “mandatory” 1-man games game fees be 1.5 the 2-man game fee. Where NBUA can, we should negotiate higher games fees for 1-man games. As our contracts expire, a higher fee for 1-man games should be part of our negotiations position and should be discussed with our customers. In my career as a construction manager, I’ve spent a large amount of time in negotiations. In my preparation, I always consider the upside and the downside when working toward an agreement. For 1-man games, higher fees are the upside and our members get more money! A potential downside? – our clients may have a higher expectation of our members because they are getting paid more. In my view, our members already are living this downside and put forth the extra effort required when working 1-man games because everyone on you take pride doing your best. As a member of your board, I’ll work to implement the upside and higher game fees for your efforts.

2. Where do you stand on allowing previously expelled members for cause to rejoin the association?

Mike Owsiak: It depends on the facts and circumstances surrounding the expulsion. Facts and circumstances can include the nature of the actions (e.g., physical altercation, verbal altercation, game rules disregarded consistently), considerations for local laws, considerations for personal safety of players and coaches. The finality of an expulsion is a serious decision. There should be a process with a high bar to overcome to achieve reinstatement. I am in favor of revisiting both expulsion and reinstatement processes and ownership.

Jeffry Borgida: Permanent expulsion (a Death Penalty) should be a punishment of last resort. I do not know if the association has a progressive discipline policy, but if not, I recommend that we implement one. Hopefully, such a policy would allow violators to correct their behavior and provide them a set of expectations so that they can appropriately represent themselves and the association, thus preventing a situation that might result in an expulsion.

In lieu of an existing policy, I believe that each specific situation would need to be evaluated and reviewed at the board. The specific set of circumstances surrounding the expulsion, any previous issues and/or performance, subsequent training, acceptance of accountability and responsibility for the behavior and/or performance, and an apology would all need to be considered. I think each case would need to be evaluated on its merits and do not believe we should have a broad policy that either permits or never allows a return.

Brian Tschumper: NBUA works best as an organization when we have a body of umpires that reflect the standards of the association. If a past member has been expelled for cause, then there should be a high bar to consider whether those individuals should be part of NBUA again. I have seen in the corporate world that individuals let go for cause have successfully been re-integrated into the same company. Most of these cases have had some moratorium before reconsideration (say 5 years), allowing both the individual and the organization to mature before assessing working together again.

Peyton Coffin: If a previous member has not been invited to re-apply for membership or was expelled for cause, they are welcome to apply for membership to the NBUA president. He will then ask the board members to approve or reject the application. While I am in favor of reinstating a former member, my personal stance would depend on the individual situation so I cannot make a blanket statement. NBUA’s Policies and Procedures reads, in part:

“17.4 Expelled: Due to disciplinary action, the Member has been expelled from the Association. NBUA will refund fees if required by WOA. If an expelled official petitions to return to NBUA in the future, and that request is granted by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, they are subject to training, certification, exams, and all other MGS requirements. Upon completion of the above, the umpire will be evaluated and assigned a tier level by the Evaluations Director bearing in mind that the any former tier level is not guaranteed.”

Henry VonJouanne: I support the NBUA Policies and Procedures which specifically allow for members who have been previously expelled for cause to petition to return to the NBUA. The NBUA Policies and Procedures section 17.4 addresses this situation (excerpt below).

17.4 Expelled: Due to disciplinary action, the Member has been expelled from the Association. NBUA will refund fees if required by WOA. If an expelled official petitions to return to NBUA in the future, and that request is granted by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, they are subject to training, certification, exams, and all other MGS** requirements. Upon completion of the above, the umpire will be evaluated and assigned a tier level by the Evaluations Director bearing in mind that the former tier level is not guaranteed.

** Member in Good Standing. A petition to return to the NBUA can be in the form of an e-mail to a board member.

Brian Sweet: Taking the step of expelling a member is not done lightly by the board. This step is only taken after either repeated incident and offenses which are contrary to our policies and by-laws or on the very rare occasion the result of a very serious single incident.

So, would I allow a previously expelled member to rejoin NBUA? In my 18 years with NBUA, I’m not personally aware of any previous expelled member who has rejoined NBUA, but I do have experience with members who after performance issues, arguments with assignors and/or board members over assignments, policies, etc. have left NBUA “by mutual agreement” and returned to NBUA a few years later. My experience with these former members is they’ve eventually continued where they left off. After a “honeymoon” period, they’ve fallen back to their old habits which lead to their leaving NBUA again by “mutual agreement”. In summary, the reintroduction of former members who left NBUA under less than ideal circumstances has been unsuccessful and should be considered cautiously.

In summary and based on my experience as member of NBUA since 2007 and a member of your board since 2022, I would be EXTREMELTY CAUTIOUS before I would consider allowing a previous expelled (fired for cause) member to rejoin.

3. What, if any, suspensions should the NBUA implement for players/coaches in contests we umpire?

Mike Owsiak: We should be mindful of our role, which isn’t league administration, and instead, leverage our training, lean on relationships with league administrators, and implement safeguards to handle player and coach discipline. For non-school ball, I am open to working with leagues on additional measures to bring player and coach behavior in alignment with game rules. For example, I would consider requesting league directors or tournament directors to be present at fields, assigning more experienced umpires to games, moving toward 3-man crews for games, prohibiting 1-man crews for games, or in times of limited umpires deprioritizing their games for umpire assignments. For training, I am interested in presenting more options to membership to manage conflict and to de-escalate the situation. Lastly, I am interested in exploring options like body cameras for these games and passing the technology cost to the leagues. End of the day, nobody enjoys a game where player and coach conduct is not in line with the agreed upon rules, so we must work with the leagues and use our toolkit to address the behavior.

Jeffry Borgida: Similar to the aforementioned pay question, this is something that would need to be negotiated as part of our contracts with our customers. I suspect that this may prove to be problematic, especially at the High School level as we are governed by the NFHS rule book. There is an allowance for local rules and again this would need to be negotiated. For our summer ball and adult leagues, I would be in support of a negotiating position that includes potential suspensions.

In lieu of a policy, I would rather see us engage in some meaningful dialogue with league leadership regarding the situation and offender. I would expect that we have established a level of trust and respect between leadership groups that would allow for a conversation to address the particular situation and arrive at a consensus on potential consequences. The leagues and the NBUA should work together with a foundation of mutual respect and an expectation of appropriate behavior. We should each agree that a violation should carry consequence and trust that either side will handle the situation appropriately.

Brian Tschumper: Since players/coaches are governed by the association (e.g., WIAA, Seattle Elite, PIL) they are a member of, members of NBUA can only enforce the ejection by the rules of the game and allow their league to enforce the actions. The suspensions and penalties vary across leagues today and it would be hard to enforce consistency. I support that NBUA evaluates during contract negotiations there be clear guidelines established in the leagues for suspensions of players / coaches. If absent or does not meet NBUA’s bar, then NBUA should require modification before a contract is signed. Any subsequent year’s contract renewal should assess how well they upheld their suspension policies and where not upheld strongly consider whether NBUA renews their contract.

Peyton Coffin: The NBUA is contracted to provide a service and, as such, has no direct control over any of our customer’s — a league’s — policies, employees, players or contracted personnel. NBUA can make suggestions of the league that implementation of a penalty clause in their agreements would be beneficial, but memorializing such is at the discretion of the league or tournament directors. Such suggestions have been well received in the past, some being implemented.

A few years ago, recognizing that we had to have an explicit policy and procedure to protect our members, I suggested such to the board and I wrote the following addendum to NBUA’s P & P’s. It was approved unanimously. NBUA’s Policies and Procedures reads, in part:

“14.8 In the event flagrant and/or abusive improper conduct is reported, especially as it is directed toward officials, or flagrant unsporting conduct is directed at opponents, concerning a league, team, spectators, coaches and/or participants and such a report is substantiated to the satisfaction of the President, the President shall poll the Directors and if a majority support a suspension of services to that league or team, such suspension shall take place immediately for such a time as the President shall decide. In lieu of immediate suspension of services, the President may elect to warn the offending entity. Such suspension or warning may be delivered by email, copy of such retained, and may be reiterated telephonically or by text message.

· The entity receiving such a warning or suspension may have such rescinded by pledging to the satisfaction of the President that proper and immediate steps will be taken to prevent a recurrence. Failure to adhere to such a pledge shall result in a further suspension of service.”

Henry VonJouanne: The NBUA has the responsibility to manage the conduct of our officials, and sanction an official, if warranted, for improper behavior. Likewise, I believe the leagues should have the responsibility to manage the conduct of their coaches, players, and fans, and sanction, if warranted, for improper behavior.

The NBUA does have the authority to address flagrant or abusive improper conduct through the use of suspension of services, or a warning of suspension of services (refer to the Policies and Procedures section 14.8 – excerpt below)

14.8 In the event flagrant and/or abusive improper conduct is reported, especially as it is directed toward officials, or flagrant unsporting conduct is directed at opponents, concerning a league, team, spectators, coaches and/or participants and such a report is substantiated to the satisfaction of the President, the President shall poll the Directors and if a majority support a suspension of services to that league or team, such suspension shall take place immediately for such a time as the President shall decide. In lieu of immediate suspension of services, the President may elect to warn the offending entity. Such suspension or warning may be delivered by email, copy of such retained, and may be reiterated telephonically or by text message.

The NBUA has successfully used this policy to address improper behavior of teams or individuals. In addition, the NBUA monitors the incident reports to assess if flagrant or abusive improper conduct warrants a suspension, or warning of suspension.

Brian Sweet: While members, including myself would enjoy the ability to “suspend” a coach or player and never have to deal with that person again, simply stated NBUA does not have the ability or authority to suspend any coach or player from future contests NBUA umpires officiate. This authority lies entirely with the league or association the team/player participates with. As members of NBUA, our authority as umpires is limited to officiating the game and when warranted by their conduct eject a coach or player and report that ejection to NBUA.

However, this does not mean that NBUA has no influence with the associated league. What NBUA can and does do to support its members is provide detailed and factual information to the leagues when a pattern of poor behavior is noted or observed. Through our ejection reports and feedback from our assignor, NBUA’s board of directors can and does engage with our customers when these situations occur.

As a member of your board of directors, I will continue to represent these types of concerns to the board and our clients.

Brian Sweet

2024 marks the end of my first term as a member of our NBUA Board of Directors. I’ve truly enjoyed being able to serve our membership these past two years and with your vote, I would be honored to serve another two. In the two years, it’s been my privilege to serve as the Director of Training and also member of the Evaluation Committee. As Director of Training, I’m proud of the improvements we’ve made to our training program including the use of live scrimmages for our field work and the opportunities we’ve added for live 3-man training for all tier levels.

As a member of the NBUA Board, I truly have listened to the membership when approached with ideas or concerns. I will continue to do so for the next two years. As a member of your Board of Directors, it is my goal to continue to work and help recruit and retain new umpires to improve our numbers and seek ideas to improve our already top tier training program.

Brian Tschumper

I am honored to be part of this incredible association—a place where I have had the privilege to hone my umpiring craft. My journey began as an apprentice in 2015, and over the years, it has led me to the tournament tier. Along the way, I have built lasting friendships and learned invaluable lessons from the talented umpires within our organization.

Serving on the NBUA Board of Directors is my way of giving back to an association that has enriched my life. I firmly believe in the power of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement. If entrusted with this role, I pledge to advocate for our umpires, promote professional development, and uphold the integrity of our beloved game. While I am not currently a board member, I have actively contributed to the association in various capacities:

1. Since 2018, I have been a dedicated member of the Training Committee.
2. Since 2020, I have served on the Technical Committee.
3. Since 2022, I have been part of the Evaluation Committee.

During the challenging times of the pandemic, I played a critical role in transitioning our training programs from offline to online formats. This adaptation allowed us to maintain excellence and provide the best training experience for our membership. Additionally, for the last few years, I’ve been the co-training lead (with Bill Fitzgerald) for our apprentice and C-tier umpires, establishing a solid foundation for our newest NBUA members. This experience has reinforced my commitment to nurturing the growth of our umpiring community.

Beyond the NBUA, my career path has led me to senior leadership positions at both Microsoft (approximately 19 years) and Amazon (approximately 12 years). Managing diverse teams of over 150 people, I have gained valuable experiences and skills that I believe will benefit the NBUA. As a board member, I will consider critical topics such as customer needs, membership evaluations, compensation, training, and long-term planning. My passion for the NBUA centers on our collective growth. In the coming years, I see two key areas of focus:

1. Effective Membership: We must ensure a cohesive and functional organization to serve our members well.
2. Effective Training: Our umpires are our product, and continuous improvement in our training program is essential. I aim to tailor our training to meet the diverse needs of umpires, from rookies to seasoned veterans.

I am committed to listening, acting, and driving positive change. Let’s maximize the value we provide to our customers and continue making each other better.

Henry Von Jouanne

I am honored to be considered again for an NBUA Board of Director position.  I have completed three terms – six years – as a board member and I am eager to continue serving for another term.
As a board member, I served as the Director of Training, the Chair of the Bylaws, Policies & Procedures Committee, and most recently as President of the Association.  My time as an NBUA umpire and board member has confirmed a few realities:

.         The NBUA is a great organization – filled with great people.  I am proud of our members and the quality of the product we place on the field.
·         We have a great Training program that leverages on the great umpiring talent we have available and strongly supports the quality of the product we place on the field.
·         As an NBUA official, I take great pride in knowing four things about my partner:  1) my partner loves the game, 2) my partner loves to officiate, 3) my partner wants to be there, and 4) my partner wants to get better. 

My primary goal as a Board Member is simple:  to fully and enthusiastically support the NBUA mission.  That is, “We deliver the highest quality service to our customers by umpiring all games to the best of our ability and with fairness to all participants via state of the art training and evaluation and demonstrated examples of inclusion.”   The NBUA has – in my opinion – always separated itself with a strong training program – so I believe our excellence and “highest quality” starts with training – and supports the quality of the product we place on the field. 

As President, I’ve experienced first-hand how the quality of our product has significantly increased the demand for our services.  We recently increased our coverage for the Pacific International League (PIL) and the Puget Sound Senior Baseball League (PSSBL).  And the High Schools have more teams than ever when accounting for the Varsity and various sub-Varsity levels.  So it’s easy to be happy about our success.

But our success leads directly to some of our primary challenges.  We are often over-extended as an organization.  We have had turn-away games, and we have used umpires from other regions to cover busy weekends.  A primary objective of the next board should include improving recruiting and retention.  This was the primary challenge identified at the Baseball breakout at last week’s Washington Officials Association conference.  The NBUA is in the same situation as most other baseball officiating associations – we need to grow our ranks.  I want to note that our Recruiting Chair – Brian Rooney – has done a great job with recruiting.  Every year, Brian brings our organization 20-to-30 new apprentices.  But our current size does not support the demand for our services.

Another point of emphasis for the board should be clearer communication on the path to promotion.  What does it take to get to the next tier?  I believe our organization is eager to promote our deserving umpires and I think we can better explain the process.

These are some of the areas for improvement as I look forward to another term as a member of the NBUA Board of Directors.  And if elected again, I pledge to continue as a strong advocate for the NBUA.  Thank you for your consideration.

Jeffrey Borgida

Hello Fellow Blue!!!
My name is Jeffry Borgida and I am a candidate for the NBUA Board of Directors. Following 10 years with the association (and 10 previous years in Softball and Little League), I thought it was time to give back to NBUA.

I am currently the Director of HR and Revenue Operations for a local mid-size manufacturer of electric heaters. I have previously worked for large companies across the US and have led teams as large as 750 people and was responsible for $85M P&L’s. I have previously served on 3 boards (North Bothell Little League, Bellevue YMCA, and Leadership Eastside) and was Board President for LE. I am now at a point in my life where I have the time and capacity to give back to organizations and causes that I value.

I have been impressed and have the utmost respect for the NBUA Board and what it has done for the organization during the past 10 years. We have seen our pay increase, our training improve, and our reputation grow. I do not come to the table with dramatic new ideas or a contrary vision for the organization. I will be an advocate for the continuity of the association and the continued growth and development of our programs. Even though we have experienced significant pay increases over the past few years, I still believe we are underpaid for the level of service that we provide. I would like to see us continue to improve our training program and identify ways to incorporate video into our training and feedback. Lastly, I would like to see us continue to expand our in season training and development so that we can increase our knowledge base through actual game experiences from our fellow umpires.

Our association is something special and it would be an honor and privilege to represent you.

Thank you.

Michael Owsiak

I joined NBUA in 2020 after umpiring in Wisconsin and Washington for several seasons. Since 2021, I have served on both NBUA’s Finance Committee and Recruiting and Retention Committee where I have reviewed association budgets or financials, developed recruiting materials, and enhanced NBUA’s new hire orientation presentation. 

I also volunteer for my local Little League – Queen Anne for two years and Mill Creek for one year – where I support recruiting, training, and development for new umpires and parent volunteers. I view this as a great recruiting tool for those interested in taking on higher level, paid games. Of course, I refer them to NBUA!

Outside of NBUA, I work as a Program Manager for an industry leader where I am responsible for taking new products from ideation to launch, including how to train over 30,000 sales reps on the product and how to work with customers. In addition, I run a small CPA practice providing accounting and tax services to individuals and businesses across the United States. This 15+ years of experience has taught me about running an organization, focusing on the customer experience, and navigating stakeholders with various requirements to get things done.

If elected, I would emphasize further improvements to member training and advocating for further increases in member pay. I would also keep a watchful eye on the emergence of body cameras as there are many questions the association needs to think through (e.g., who pays for the cameras, who owns the equipment, who owns the video content, how can the content be used) for the benefits of our members. I would appreciate the opportunity to join the NBUA Board and serve its members.

Peyton Coffin

I’d like to thank you for electing me to the NBUA Board of Directors and giving me the
opportunity to positively influence our progress.

I’m asking you to put your faith in me to continue, by voting for me in the upcoming election. I’ve had many jobs over the years, including 5 years as the Assistant Director of the Singapore National Parks Board (that was fun and a little intense), but this one you voted me into has been one of the most interesting and rewarding.

We now have a distinct procedure to handle any flagrant and/or abusive improper conduct directed toward our members, we have clarified our member status and the use of guest umpires, we’ve clarified assigning parameters and award proposals and cleaned up preseason jamboree games — with the dedicated involvement of our assignor. Just some of the proposals I have made that have been put in place.

I also added an incident report portal to our website that communicates any member reports, good or not-so-much, that are apart from ejections, to all board members. You report something, your board takes action. At the moment, one thing we’re focusing on is restroom and porta-potty facilities. I mean, we all have to take a lea… … priorities.

This is my 19th season with NBUA (and several with Little League – which we should give more credit to) and last year I was honored to receive NBUA’s highest honor: The Brian Gooch Distinguished Service Award. Thank you.

From my responsibilities in 2020 converting our training to virtual, to re-writing much of NBUA’s Policies and Procedures, including indexing them for ease of reference, it has been an opportunity I’ve enjoyed. Enjoyed because of you, my brethren umpires and friends. We support each other on the field and behind the scenes as well.

I ask for your vote to continue my efforts for you for the next two (+) years.