Message to ARMA International members concerning election procedures

The Role of the Election Management Committee (EMC)

In 1996 a new elections management process was introduced with the purpose of gaining as many qualified candidates as possible for each open position. New criteria were developed for officer positions, and these were set forth in the Officer Candidate Information Filing Form (OCIF) that is sent to members each spring.

When a candidate provides the completed OCIF, a Position Statement with answers to questions set forth by EMC, and an Issues Statement identifying three issues that ARMA International is facing, EMC uses the information submitted to determine if the candidate is qualified for the position he or she is seeking. If further details are required, the EMC conducts a conference call with the candidate.

After reviewing the submitted information and the results of any phone calls with the candidates, the EMC develops a slate of qualified candidates prior to the Annual Conference. Since these persons are deemed qualified based on criteria developed by EMC, no individual candidate interviews are held during Annual Conference as in the past.

EMC is charged with making these candidates available to the membership as much as possible. Therefore, during the conference in Cincinnati, the candidates will be presented in a forum for chapter presidents on Saturday; in a forum open to all attendees between 5-6 p.m. on Monday in the exhibits hall; and in a session time on Tuesday morning. Candidates will also be available in the registration area to meet members and answer questions as the candidates' schedules permit.

The brochure you are now reading will be available at the conference and will also be mailed to ARMA members with the October, 1999 issue of Information Management Journal.

ARMA International bylaws, Article V, Section 3, state: If there is only one qualified candidate for any officer position, no ballot will be prepared. The candidate will be appointed by acclamation and the general membership will be advised of the appointment.

The role of EMC members is to work with the region directors and chapters to encourage candidates to run for office. In addition to seeking persons who want to run for office, EMC encourages individual members or chapters to nominate persons they feel would be good officers for ARMA International. EMC will then contact these nominees to determine their interest.

Directors Will Be At Large in 2001

All director positions will be "at large" on July 1, 2001. This is a major change for ARMA International and is based on the belief that the issues affecting records, information and knowledge management are universal, and that a board of directors must have wide vision and perspective to address these issues.

Having at large directors will open the board to anyone, regardless of geographic area, who can bring the best thinking to ARMA to help formulate its strategic direction. This will stimulate competition for director positions and increase participation in elections. It eliminates problems caused when one person from a region does not want to run against another person, or when only one person can be elected because of geographic limitations.

The makeup of the board will be: Chairman, President, President Elect, Treasurer and 10 directors. The directors will be elected from the general membership and will include at least one director from Canada and one director from outside North America.

Change to Three-Year Terms

As of July 1, 2000 directors will serve one three-year term and cannot run for re-election. This replaces the two-year term and the possibility of running again for a total of four years on the board. Thus, a candidate will make a commitment for three years. Within these three years a director will become familiar with board processes and can become a productive, contributing member offering better continuity to board operations.

To make the transition to three-year terms, there will be a rotation of members but not with a massive turnover all at one time. Three of the directors who take office July 1, 2000 will serve two-year terms, and three directors will serve three-year terms. Please see the rotation chart on the following page.

All elected directors will be eligible to serve one three-year term and that term limit becomes effective July 1, 2000. Therefore, all directors holding office on July 1, 2000 will be eligible to run for a full, three-year term regardless of length of time previously served on the board.

About the Information on Each Candidate

In the following pages you will find for each candidate a biography (which was reviewed by the candidate for accuracy), a photo, a Position Statement in which the candidate answers five questions set forth by EMC, and an Issues Statement in which the candidate identifies three major issues that ARMA is facing, and how he/she would deal with these issues. The Position Statements and Mission Statements are presented here exactly as they were received, with no editing.

Copyright Association of Records Managers and Administrators Inc. 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved