New Yorkers, who got short shrift from the 2004 PRSA nominating
committee, which nominated no New Yorkers, resulting in a
17-member non-New York board, have come up short on the expanded
2005 nomcom.
None of the 22 PRSA members on the 2005 nomcom is from New
York, further evidence of the recent strong anti-New York
tide that washed PRSA h.q. from "Lower Midtown South"
to the downtown financial district.
The New York chapter, with more than 700 members, is the
biggest city-based chapter. National Capital, biggest chapter
with more than 1,000 members, draws from Virginia and Maryland
as well as D.C. Georgia, the second biggest with 900+ members,
is statewide.
Political control of PRSA shifted from the large chapters
to the smaller ones in the 1970s and 1980s when the number
of chapters skyrocketed from 60 to more than 110. Some of
the new chapters had as few as ten members but these chapters
had the voting power of a chapter with 100 members.
Nomcom
Abuses Charged in 2003 and 2004
Following numerous complaints and demands for investigation
of both the 2003 nomcom and the 2004 nomcom, the PRSA board
added three more ex-officio members to the 19 on the nomcom.
Arthur Abelman
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They are Arthur Abelman of Moses & Singer, PRSA's longtime
law firm; David Rickey, chair of the ethics board and chair
of the governance task force appointed by 2004 president Del
Galloway, and Dr. Mark Schilansky, podiatrist who was parliamentarian
for the 2004 Assembly.
PRSA veterans said Abelman and Rickey are there to help eliminate
complaints.
The nomcom conducts almost all of its business in teleconferences
or via mailings. The members meet in Chicago at O'Hare airport
in August to make their final decisions. Only officer candidates
are required to go to Chicago.
"There is almost no work to do except sit back and wait
for candidates to appear," said a former nomcom member.
In the past, the only ex-officio member has been the immediate
past president, in this case, Galloway. Reed Byron, 2003 president,
is nomcom chair.
2003,
2004 Nomcoms Criticized
The 2003 nomcom, headed by 2001 president Kathy Lewton, was
hit with numerous charges of irregularities including allowing
candidates to file after the official deadline; helping candidates
with their filings; seeking and even nominating one candidate
who lacked the proper credentials (forcing withdrawal of the
nomination), and heavy lobbying by officers of PRSA for and
against candidates despite a ban on such activities by a 2000
governance task force.
The ethics board sent a three-page letter to the 2003 board
detailing the charges and asking for an investigation. The
matter was never brought either to the board's attention or
to the attention of the 2003 Assembly despite promises that
it would be brought before the Assembly.
The 2004 nomcom was criticized for counting the votes in
secret although no one complained about the counting at the
meeting. Nomcom members said the vote was not close.
Complaints about the counting were made later at a teleconference
by nomcom members Donna Stein, Verona, N.Y., counselor; Gail
Rymer, Lockheed Martin; Karen Grava, University of Conn.,
and Tim Dodson, Miami counselor.
Another complaint about the 2004 nominating process was that
national board members lobbied heavily for their favorites
in defiance of the recommendation by a nomcom task force in
2000 headed by 1987 president Jack Felton that condemned interference
in the nominating process by board members.
Lobbying for their candidates were board members Judy Phair,
Del Galloway, Debbie Mason and Anthony D'Angelo.
Following criticism of the 2004 nomcom, Galloway named a committee
to study the nomcom.
When this was met with criticism by those who pointed out
the 2003 nomcom had not been investigated, Galloway then expanded
the investigation to include all aspects of PRSA's governance.
Four
Return from 2004 Nomcom
Some members feel it's an abusive practice for members of
a previous nomcom to show up on the next nomcom while others
feel this gives the nomcom some "consistency."
Returning to the nomcom after having served in 2004 are Vivian
Hamilton, counselor from Eagle River, Alaska; Beth Mehlberth,
VP of Edward Howard & Co.; Monty Hagler, counselor from
High Point, N.C., and Gayle Pohl, associate professor, University
of Northern Iowa.
Other members of the 2005 nomcom are Pamela Miles and Paige
McMahon, counselors who are both former presidents of the
National Capital chapter; Joe Vecchione, 1994 PRSA president;
Michael Herman, 2004 chair, Counselors Academy; Scott Shirai;
Stephen Shivinsky; Laurel O'Brien; Jeffrey Douglas; Jeffrey
Halik; Dianne Smith; Rebecca Hart; Chad Perry; Dennis Gaschen,
and Irene Maslowski.
Unless there is a spring Assembly that changes the bylaws
of PRSA, no non-APRs may seek nominations in spite of a severe
shortage of candidates brought about by the small and declining
number of APRs.
Only ten candidates showed up for seven board and officer
posts last year although the 2004 nomcom had four months to
seek candidates.
Because of the difficulty of attracting national board members,
the length of board service was extended from two to three
years starting in 2003.
PRSA president Judy Phair has said there will be no move
to decouple the board from APR this year unless it comes from
the rank-and-file members.
There is no evidence that the board has taken a vote on this
issue.
Board members are forbidden to talk about board actions or
how they vote on issues either to reporters or their own members.
Board members never make speeches about PR or the PR industry
or if they do, no texts are supplied to the press.
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