> I do have fear of a totally open election process because I trust the more
> informed nominating committee to nominate candidates that will serve the CAS
> well.
While I grudgingly agree that there is some truth to that, one of the axioms of
a democratic organization is that an uninformed populace is preferable to an
informed concentration of power. As with the elections that characterize our
democracy, it is the individual's responsibility to have some knowledge of the
people who are running. Candidates with no previous visible service rightfully
should be disadvantaged.
Later in your letter, you make comments suggesting you agree with me at the
board level. As a practical matter, there is likely a high corelation between
those who would make a good board member, and those who would make a good
president.
> Irene Bass (I believe she is the correct member from the panel of
> former CAS presidents) summarized this idea well during the 1999 Annual
> Meeting when she described being CAS President as a position of total
> service for which one should not campaign.
There is a difference between campaigning, and stating a summary position on an
issue almost certain to come up during the candidate's term. I do not propose
"Vote for Me" or "He is Slime" campaigns.
> Since this position required great sacrifice by the CAS member and his/her
> employer, the nominating committee works hard to find an experienced CAS
> volunteer who has the time and the supportive employer to best serve the CAS.
Presumably, only the members with adequate time and employer support would
express interest. Candidates not so qualifying likely have demonstrated this in
previous positions of service. Candidates with no previous service should be
viewed with suspicion by the voting membership.
Glenn Walker
...... Bracing for the onslaught of automatic not-in-the-office return mail.
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