When I was in college, about 30 years ago, it was fun to fight amongst factions in student organizations. Unfortunately, none of the three groups I faction-fought in survived at my campus for long beyond my graduation in 1970. My own immature behavior was a major factor in the demise of my favorite groups.
Now I am a "grown-up", and am watching silently while my local Mensa group, Southern Nevada Mensa, does what I did as a student. Only it's much faster now! Many of the members have computers and Internet providers and can hurl e-mail grenades at the local online membership, cc-ing our previous RVC (Regional Vice Chairman Bob Cox), his replacement Barbara Lytle , and other interested persons.
Fellow members: If you want change, there will be elections in the Fall, when all of our elected officers must either run for re-election or stand aside. Far better to wait and "vote the rascals out" than to destroy Southern Nevada Mensa.
In the upcoming elections, I would support the (totally hypothetical) candidacy of former RVC Judy Dosse as our next President. Dosse, who has lived in Las Vegas a long time and had previously transferred her membership to whatever local group was hosting the AG, is now a bona-fide member of SNvM! Her unequeled national experiance and common sense are what we need to end this mess.
Published April 13, 2001, rev 4-28-01
Election update 8-8-01:
We can't even run an election! On 8/2/01, the sitting EXCOMM dissolved the Election Committee and appointed a new one . Complaints to National resulted in the National Ombudsman taking over the administration of the election; ballots to be sent to and counted in Salt Lake City. Opps, make that Arlington, Texas, home of the National Office.
Full Disclosure:
I am running for Treasurer on the Dolphin Slate, headed by Carole Moran for President (we called our LocSec "President" until Sept, 2006).
(Timelines of the 2000 and 2001 elections.)
Results: The entire Dolphin slate was elected, some by large margins, me by 4 votes in preliminary results, but only by 3 votes in unofficial final results.
2002 election: The original Dolphin slate was reelected, with these changes: 2 members had had enough and stepped aside, being replaced with like-minded candidates, 2 other members switched positions to their mutual satisfaction; we all won, unopposed, against a half hearted, perhaps even nonexistent write-in campaign. The warfare is ended!
2003 election: The Head Dolphin, Carole, was burned out after two terms as President and retired. The new President ran, he said, to prevent any renewel of the 2001-style warfare, especially important since the 2004 AG will be held in Las Vegas during his term. The Election Committee nominated candidates included the 2 remaining original Dolphin Slate candidates (of the original 6, 2 were lost to bad health, 1 to burnout, 1 to old age)(I'm afraid we are a rather elderly local group!) and all won unopposed again.
2004 election: The warfare can now be said to be totally over! This year we have a new President, who is the same person who ran against Carole in 2001. I am now the only remaining member of the original Dolphin Slate on the EXCOMM: the "last Dolphin standing". Again all of the Elcomm candidates were elected unopposed.
2005 election: Another milestone: one of the fired 2001 ELCOMM members was elected to the EXCOMM. Only 5 days after the Election Party, the Election Chair, who was also Editor of Mind Bets since early 2003, died quite unexpectedly at age 57. Probable cause: 40 years of very heavy smoking+diabetes causes heart attack. (That is just my personal guess, but the guy from the Coroner's Office, a Physicians Asst, thought it was reasonable.)(The Editor was living with me.)(Personal note: The Editor had put in a great deal of time planning an RG. Her plans were soundly thrashed during discussion at the Election Party by three of the most active/influential members of SNvM. She did not seem to be depressed to me, but I'm sure she was very disappointed. I had never seen her so enthusiastic about a project she originated herself before.)
2006 election: I remained on the board, but by the (literally) narrowest of margins. The ELCOMM was unable to find candidates for 2 of the positions, but 2 petition candidates ran against me. In the vote I was tied with another candidate, and won in a coin flip. Approved were new by-laws which brought us into the mainstream Mensa world: the office of President was renamed "LocSec". Dolphin count : out of 6 originals, 2 are deceased, 1 has left the country, 1 has lapsed into inactivity, 1 is still active as the MensaPhone Administrator, and 1(me) is still on the EXCOMM.
2007 election preview (4-7-07) or The upcoming demise of Southern Nevada Mensa?: With roughly five months before the next election, the outlook is dim.... our LocSec is totally burned out after three consecutive terms; three of the incumbents (including me) cannot run for reelection(two of these have zero desire to run for anything anyway) due to term limits in the new by-laws; another incumbent is too sick to continue... with one position still vacant from the last election, there are five incumbents, only one of which might run for reelection, and of our 300+ members, only one has indicated any interest in running for office; NOBODY wanted to run for LocSec last year, so the incumbent agreed to run for an unheard of third term. What happens to the group if we hold an election and only two people run for six positions?? I might run for Asst LocSec/Secretary, but only if someone reliable steps up to run for LocSec; I have no desire whatever to be LocSec, besides, I am not qualified for the job. I am not a leadership type or a consensus builder: I'm basically a loner.
2007 election: Things went very well, despite my gloomy predictions above!
All six positions had candidates, and the man I had defeated for Treasurer in
2001 was returned to the EXCOMM as the new Treasurer. (Symbolically ending the
"Great Schism of 2001". I *think* he is the only member of the "anti-dolphins"
who is even still a member of Mensa. I voted for him.)(The "anti-dolphins"
were those who passionately supported the position of the incumbent two-term
President in 2001.)
SIGH! After only 2 days in office, the new
Treasurer resigned for health reasons. The new LocSec decided to appoint the
person who came in 2nd in 2007, and 3rd in 2006, who I think is a
Microserf
(No, he is a Day Trader).
Bummer. I was elected Asst LocSec, took office on 10-1-07, and resigned in
disgust on 12-25-07. (At about the same time, the Editor also resigned in
disgust.) I will not be serving in *any* capacity until the new LocSec and the
(appointed) new Treasurer have left office.
I have been a member of Mensa
for 30 years, and in all those years, first in West Michigan (1977-1994), then
in Southern Nevada(1994-2007), I have never seen poorer local group leadership
than the 2007-8 SNvM EXCOMM.
Update 7-22-08: The appointed new Treasurer
resigned in June, and the new LocSec is not running for re-election. I have
been appointed Treasurer for the remainder of the current term, and will run for
the office in the fall elections.
My hypothesis, mine alone, about the 2001 election
The incumbent President, a popular woman, had stepped aside. If she had run for re-election and formed a slate which would have included my opponent and the sitting Editor (for Communications Officer, who appoints the Editor), my opponent would surely have won, and the Editor running for Communications Officer would have had a good chance. Carole would still probably have won the Presidency, but she would have faced a divided Executive Committee.
Last revised 7-22-08