Interpretation of district nomination policy

[Abel Magwitch]

7. The members of the nominating committee will be identified to the district Scouters between 60 and 30 days prior to the annual district committee meeting so that suggestions may be given to them for consideration. (This information may be included in one formal notice of the annual meeting.)

 

The above comes from district nomination committee worksheet. Here is a question for interpretation. I can see how this could be interpreted several ways.

Concerning district Scouters

Are district Scouters defined as only the district officers, district members at large and COR's

 

or

Are district Scouters defined as all registered adult scouters in the district. The written policy is not specific for just those district committee members, district members at large, and district officers who are eligible to vote; it simply states all district Scouters.

If it is interpreted as the first definition, then the district nominations are only open to the current district committee. This could lead to the district being run by the same clique year after year. If it is interpreted as all volunteer leaders in the district, it would open the nomination process to the entire district.

 

Thoughts on this?

[Axeman]

If it is interpreted as the first definition, then the district nominations are only open to the current district committee. This could lead to the district being run by the same clique year after year.

 

Yes, it certainly could lead to that.

 

Excerpt from a post dated 2/7/2008:

 

"District committees composed entirely of members-at-large may become myopic, self-perpetuating good-old-boy organisms that are not attuned to the needs/wants/desires of the units the committee is charged with supporting. The annual election process becomes farcical when the only attending, voting members are the same members-at-large that voted for themselves the year before. An election is the privilege of making a choice. If there is no choice, then the annual election is merely the endorsement of the status quo by the people who created the status quo."

 

Regards,

 

Axeman

CR/UC

[Abel Magwitch]

Great post.

[mds3d]

In general District Scouters are only scouters that have their primary registration in a district. This would be Members of the District committee, the District Commissioner, ADC's and Unit commissioners, and Chartered Organization Reps.

 

I do have a couple of concerns with this particular policy. Is this the policy for nomination of an award or of membership to the district committee. If the first, it makes sense. If the second, this is not the way members to a district committee are supposed to be selected. They are supposed to be recruited by the District Committee Chair.

 

Also, Annual meeting???? Does your district committee only meet as a whole once a year, or is this talking about a specific meeting?

[Abel Magwitch]

The district committee meets monthly. The annual meeting usually happens in January. Check my other post - a district without a committee for more details. Currently, the district has no valid committee since January of 2010. And considering that the prior committee's term ended at the end of the year, quite frankly there are no district Scouters currently registered. The district is being allowed to continue with no valid district committee. The politics of my council are a bit screwed up.(This message has been edited by abel magwitch)

[Eamonn]

Abel Magwitch

Where did you get what you posted?

My copy in the book "The District" is different.

I think if you do a Google search on District Nominating Committee" you will see where what you have is different.

Ea.

(My book is old. Printed in 1996.)

[Abel Magwitch]

Eamonn, it comes from the district nominating committee worksheet.

 

http://ricksnews.pushies.com/Documents/Nominating_Committee_Worksheet_14-33156.pdf

[Eamonn]

Thanks!

I have sat on our District Nominating Committee.

This is how we went about it.

The Council President was informed that the District was putting together a Nominating Committee.

He was asked if he wanted to select a Board Member to sit on the Committee.

This was done when it looked like the Committee was stuck in a rut and was more than lightly to nominate the same old same old.

A Nominating Committee Chair was asked to serve.

He Or She selected a small committee of about six.

The Scouters in the District, in fact anyone with a voice! Was informed who the members of the Nominating Committee were.

This was done so that they could put names forward to the Committee of people who might do a good job.

The Nominating Committee was made up of both Scout type people and community types.

The Nominating Committee met a few times, coming up with names of people they thought would serve and would do a good job (This isn't as easy as it sounds!)

The Nominating Committee came up with a slate of officers.

After contacting the people and finding out if they were willing to serve.

At the Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee chair presented the names to the voting members of the District Committee: District Members at Large and COR's.

The slate of Officers were presented and they were voted on as a slate.

Any holes in the District Committee were filled by the District Chairman.

District Commissioners are not elected they are appointed by the Council Commissioner with the OK by the Council Executive Board.

I wasn't asked to serve as District Chair because of what I'd done in Scouting, it had more to do with my being heavily involved with our local chamber of commerce and the local business community.

Ea.

(Our DE did sit in on the meetings but really had next to no real input about what was going on or who was nominated.

District Chairs in our Council can only serve for a 3 year term.)

[emb021]

"Also, Annual meeting???? Does your district committee only meet as a whole once a year, or is this talking about a specific meeting?"

 

Most organizations who meet regularly, (say monthly or weekly) will have an Annual Meeting, which is a particular meeting (meeting in month X, specific meeting in month X) in which a major part of the meeting is the annual elections. Hence, if you use a nomination committee, it must be organized before hand, make their report prior, and elections held at the Annual Meeting.

 

Standard purpose of a Nominating Committee is to ensure a complete slate of candidates. They will typically interview people and select those whom they feel will be serve the organization. Yes, people can put themselves forth to the nominating committee as being interesting in certain positions.

 

Ideally, organizations should STILL allow for nominations from the floor for additional candidates (a NomCom is not infallible, and there may be others who wish to run, but were passed over). All nominees should then be voted on. Its a bad idea to just accept the whole slate of nominees in one swope. Best to put it to a vote for each position, or if you are trying to fill a number of slots, have people vote for a certain number and those who get the most, get the positions.

 

 

 

[Eamonn]

" Its a bad idea to just accept the whole slate of nominees in one swope."

I agree 100%, but have been told this is the way that the BSA wants it done.

We use the same procedure when electing key members onto the Council Executive Board.

The District Committee does of course meet monthly, but for the election, which we hold in January we have an extra meeting the District Chair. Stands down and hands the meeting over to the Nominating Chair. Who takes over the meeting for the election.

In the years that I've been involved the whole thing has run without a hitch.

We have a hard enough time finding people who are willing to serve and have never had nominations from the floor.

I can see that maybe if everyone was upset about something that there might be more interest in what was going on.

Ea.

[emb021]

""Its a bad idea to just accept the whole slate of nominees in one swope." "

"I agree 100%, but have been told this is the way that the BSA wants it done. "

 

Yes, am aware its how the BSA wants it done. Yet another (IMO) negative legacy of James West.

 

Problem is is that some people think the purpose of a NomCom is to find the orgs next leaders, which the membership just 'signing off' on them by voting them in en mass.

 

Then you have the people who think that there is just something WRONG about voting for anyone OTHER then those put forth by the NomCom.

[jhankins]

The 100% swoop is even more complicated at the council level. I saw 25% no votes at our last council board meeting because of one person on the slate.

[Eamonn]

I know that I have brought this up in the past!

 

We were very fortunate in that we had many years when both our District Chairs and our Council Presidents, were not only active in Scouting but were also well known outside of Scouting in the community for the works they did there.

About ten or twelve years back there seemed to be a push to bring more community people onto the District Committees and Council Executive Boards, while at the same time not allowing "Scouting Types" to serve.

I live in a fairly rural area.

In the past the "Community Leaders" were local people who were involved in local businesses. They knew the community and the people who lived there. They cared about the people who lived there. In most cases the local people were their employees, customers and friends.

The community has changed.

Small businesses have been replaced by Super Stores, local banks once owned by local families are now headquartered in New York. Even the local restaurants and bars are part of a giant chain.

The two biggest employers in the area are Waste Management and the company that has taken over four local hospitals.

Today our Board Members and District Chairs are little more than mid-level managers who are serving on these committees more because it is the thing to do, than because they really want to.

In the past when a board member knew that something was needed he or she knew what it was, what it was for and knew how to go about making it happen.

Sadly today that isn't the case. In many cases these people don't know what we are talking about, have no idea what it is for, don't know how to make it happen and when they find out what the cost is? They vote -No way.

I know that we can't turn back the clock.

Things are what they are.

Ea.