One of the many important lessons we all learn when we are creating something new is that the devil is in the details. Sometimes we know ahead of time just where that devil will pop up, and at other times, we know something will pop up, but we don’t know what that devil will look like or when it will appear! This has certainly been the case as we build out the model for the regionalization of the Southeast, Mid-South, Florida districts and the Southwest UU Conference.
On January 5, in the Southern Region Newsletter, we posted an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document on the plans for the development of an Elder process (authored by Margie Manning). One of the questions offered was as follows:
How are Council Members chosen?
For the initial Council of Elders, two members from each of the existing district boards will be nominated by district nominating committees and will be voted on by assembly delegates at the 2015 Annual Assemblies.
•Council of Elders member nominees will be selected by the nominating committees from existing district board members.
•Of the eight members of the Council of Elders, four will serve two year terms and four will serve five year terms.
We realized in the weeks following that the terms of Board members in the four districts vary. In Florida and the Southwest Conference (SWUUC), the new Board members will assume their positions immediately following their election on April 18. (In Mid-South and Southeast, new Board members do not begin their terms until July1, which would be concurrent with the dissolution/disincorporation of the districts if the motion to do so passes.) In order to preserve continuity AND to reduce the need for additional votes, we have changed the language slightly to accommodate the customs and practices of each district. The only impact is that the Nominating Committees will not have to propose an additional slate, and a vote for the Elder Council members will not be required (since it’s not a governing body).
The inaugural Council of Elders will consist of eight members:
• Two members of each of the existing District Boards will be chosen by the respective Boards.
• Council members will be nominated at the Annual Assemblies in 2015 by the individual District Nominating Committees and voted upon by each body.
• Four nominees will be asked to serve a term of two years, and four nominees will be asked to serve a term of four years.
• Each district will nominate two members of the current District Board to staff the inaugural Council of Elders and will be voted upon by each District body at their Annual Assembly in April 2015.
We hope we have solved for that devil, and will continue to keep you apprised if any of the devil’s friends pop up elsewhere!
