BARRY: STILL NO BALLOT DATE

USCF Secretary Doris Barry continues to decline to announce a mailing date for the ballots in the Executive Board election, eight days after the first request for such a date.   It is now only 13 days before July 2, the earliest possible mailing date allowed under the USCF Bylaws.  The latest allowable date is July 12, and the ten days of uncertainty may make it impossible for candidates to make appropriate mailing and travel plans.  Previous federation Secretaries have made the ballot mailing date public a month or more in advance.

 
Subj: Re: SECRET BALLOT MAILING DATE
Date: 06/19/2001 8:57:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Recmate
To: pistola@worldnet.att.net
CC: JerryHanken, bdraney@oasis.novia.net, Bob@solve.net, bradyfm@msn.com, FCamaratta, george@neosoft.com, JPechac, knudson1@home.com, RJM19@bryph.dmh.state.sc.us, sloan@ishipress.com, stephenshutt@yahoo.com, Chessdon, BobChess, Recmate, Secretary, randallhough@yahoo.com, redman@utdallas.edu, APCT, Ippy1


Forwarded Message:
Subj:        Re: SECRET BALLOT MAILING DATE   
Date:        06/19/2001 3:09:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time   
   

From:    pistola@worldnet.att.net (pistola)
To:    JerryHanken@aol.com (Jerry Hanken)
CC:    bdraney@oasis.novia.net (Bruce Draney), Bob@solve.net (Holliman, Bob), bradyfm@msn.com (Brady  Frank), FCamaratta@aol.com (Frank Camaratta), george@neosoft.com (George C John), jpechac@aol.com (Jim Pechac), knudson1@home.com (De Knudson), RJM19@bryph.dmh.state.sc.us, sloan@ishipress.com, stephenshutt@yahoo.com, Chessdon@aol.com (Donald Schultz), bobchess@aol.com (Bob Smith), secretary@aol.com (Rachel Lieberman)

>> Gerry: First Don, then Goichberg then John McCrary.  The same answer applies to you all.  I will notify all the candidates when I know when I will have the mailing ready. Right now there are other more pressing deadlines. I can not do anything about accusations your's or anyone else's.  Accusations come and go based on the individual's political intent.   Doris <<

Doris,

I fully appreciate, as I think we all do, that the Secretary's job is a lot of work.  You and John and Rachel and Randy and others who have undertaken this volunteer task in the past are to be commended for their effort.

Those who have complained (who include Frank Camaratta as well) are, I'm sure, not questioning the fact that you have urgent tasks which must be completed before you begin to work on the mailing of the ballots.

The earliest that the Bylaws allow the ballots to be mailed is July 2.  This is less than two weeks off, and I fully understand and support your decision not to commit to doing the ballot mailing then.

What makes no sense to me, though, is why you don't simply say, "OK candidates and supporters, the ballots will be mailed on July 12."  This is the last mailing date permitted under the Bylaws, and would give you the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE amount of time to complete your other work.

Since you are so busy with other tasks, WHAT COULD THE DOWNSIDE POSSIBLY BE of announcing a late date such as July 12, the last allowable mailing date?  

This would immediately end the controversy and, if announced today, provide all campaigners with 23 days advance notice of the date in order to better plan their mailings and appearances.  An early date such as July 2 or 3 not only may be inconvenient for you, but is unfair to some candidates, because 13 or 14 days notice is not enough time to plan, far less than past Secretaries provided.

When you continue to decline to set a date, even the last allowable date of July 12 which you could certainly announce without concern for your other duties, this creates the appearance that you may be trying to give some candidates an advantage.  

Rachel has recommended that you "choose a date toward the end of the allowable range" and inform the candidates.  There is no reason to strive for an early date, which is inconvenient for both you and some candidates.  You should not take the position that you will mail the ballots as early as you can and don't know when that is, as to the best of my knowledge, no one is asking you to mail them early.  

The issue is not earliness but fairness.  The longer you wait before announcing the date, the less fair the election appears.

Bill Goichberg


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