Last September Ted Goodman, as President of ARLIS/NA, asked me to form an
Ad-Hoc Committee to examine our election procedures. I asked former board
members and former chairs of the Nominating Committee, Ann Abid, Marilyn
Berger, Sherman Clarke, Leigh Gates, B.J. Irvine, and Roger Lawson to help.
We held a lively e-mail discussion over the autumn to analyze how we choose
our board members, compare our procedures to other similar organizations,
see what Robert's Rules of Order recommends, and formulate a proposed change
to our method of choosing candidates. The committee agreed that our goal
should be to ensure that the best-qualified candidates are selected, that we
have a board that represents the diversity of our membership, and that the
election procedure is open, fair, and inclusive. The committee agreed on a
proposal and Roger Lawson drafted revised bylaws that would allow us to put
this procedure into practice. The Executive Board voted unanimously to
approve the proposed bylaws at the pre-conference board meeting and to
submit them to the membership for approval.
You will see that the major change to our existing practice is that the
Nominating Committee will select a slate of single candidates for each open
office and present that slate to the members. There is still the
possibility for nominations "from the floor" or for individual members to
nominate themselves by petition.
I think that this change is a major improvement to our current practice, and
will ensure that we continue to have a qualified and representative board.
When the Nominating Committee approaches potential candidates they will be
asking them to serve the Society that we value so highly. I believe that
will be a call that our future leaders will be eager to answer. I thank the
members of the committee for their hard work. They are models of the
commitment that makes this Society function.
The complete text of the proposal, which would entirely replace the existing
section of our Bylaws, "Article IX. Nominations and Elections," follows.
Please consider these changes carefully, and vote to approve them when you
receive them in the mail
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE ARLIS/NA BYLAWS
Article IX. Nominations and Elections
Section 1. The Vice President shall appoint the chair of the Nominating
Committee by January 1. The chair shall select a committee comprised of at
least three members but no more than five. No member may serve consecutive
terms on the committee. Current Executive Board members are not eligible to
serve.
Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall submit to the Executive Board a
list of nominees consisting of the single most qualified candidate for each
position to be filled. Elections one year shall be for the Vice
President/President- Elect, the Treasurer, and two Regional Representatives,
and in the alternate year, for the Vice President/President-Elect, the
Secretary, and three Regional Representatives. The list of nominees shall
be submitted to the Executive Board for approval by the date specified by
the Executive Board.
Section 3. Each nominee shall provide supporting documentation consisting of
acceptance and goals statements, a photograph, and a brief biography or
résumé. The Nominating Committee shall prepare the documentation for
distribution to the members.
Section 4. Nominations may also be entered by petition of at least ten
members eligible to vote and shall be filed with the Nominating Committee.
Each nomination must be accompanied by the specified supporting
documentation. A call for nominations by petition will be issued in an
official publication of the Society, with the deadline for submission no
more than 30 calendar days from the date of the announcement.
Section 5. If no additional nominations are received by the deadline, the
slate of candidates approved by the Executive Board will be issued in an
official publication of the Society, with a period of time specified for
comment by the membership. If no comment is received by the deadline, the
slate is considered elected by acclamation.
Section 6. If more than one candidate is nominated for any office, a ballot
will be prepared. The ballot will specify the postmark or submission
deadline and teller's address. Ballots and accompanying documentation shall
be made available to each member eligible to vote at least 30 calendar days
before the specified deadline.
Section 7. A member of the Nominating Committee shall serve as a teller to
count the mail ballots and report the election results to the Executive
Board.
Section 8. The candidate who receives the greatest number of valid votes
cast shall be elected. In case of a tie, a notary public will draw by lot
the winner.
Section 9. The chairman of the Nominating Committee shall inform candidates
of the results in writing. The names of the successful candidates shall be
published in an official publication of the Society and announced at the
annual membership meeting.
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Daniel Starr, President
ARLIS/NA
Manager of Bibliographic Operations
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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New York, NY 10028-0198
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