EDITORIAL: Get the vote out (04/08/01)

EDITORIAL

Get the vote out

No, it's not election time again. The headline of this editorial refers to the vote on the proposed changes to the By-Laws of the Ukrainian National Association. All delegates to the previous UNA convention (held in Toronto in 1998), as well as members of the General Assembly elected at that convention are eligible to vote on the proposed amendments. All of them received the proposals and a mail-in ballot at the end of January; the completed ballots are to be returned by May 1.

In between January and May, UNA district committees were to discuss the by-laws changes at their meetings. Some of them had the benefit of hearing the chairman of the By-Laws Committee, Taras Szmagala Jr., present an explanation of the changes and how they would affect this 107-year-old fraternal organization. Delegates also received Mr. Szmagala's written message in support of the changes. And, everyone who reads this paper also had the opportunity to see Mr. Szmagala's commentary in our issue dated February 4. Mr. Szmagala, and others who support the revisions, argue that the proposed changes will improve the management of the UNA, that having a governance structure comprising a board of directors that hires - and fires - professional executives to run the day-to-day operations of this fraternal benefit insurance society will be the best way to guarantee accountability and to ensure that the best professional talent and new blood are found to lead this organization into the future. They say this change is necessary for the well-being of the UNA and that it will modernize an organizational structure and system of functioning that is badly outdated. UNA members, who elect delegates from their branches to quadrennial UNA conventions, will still have a say in how the UNA functions, since their delegates are the ones who will elect the 11-member board of directors.

Those who are against the proposed new by-laws, such as Dr. Myron B. Kuropas, who recently sent a letter to those eligible to vote on the by-laws proposals, suggest that adopting a corporate structure is the fastest way to guarantee that the UNA will no longer be a fraternal organization that cares about and caters to the needs of the Ukrainian community. They add that the only way to preserve the UNA's fraternal structure is to elect fraternalists as executive officers. Opponents of the proposed changes also argue that an 11-member board of directors will never be as representative of the UNA membership as is the current 25-member General Assembly and that it would concentrate too much power in too few hands as it would take only six votes (out of the 11-member board) to control the entire organization.

Finally, there are also those who urge a "no" vote on the mail-in ballot for the simple reason that they believe such a monumental change should be discussed openly at a full-scale UNA convention, where all the delegates have the advantage of hearing each other's opinions - pro and con - on issues of critical importance to the UNA's future. They fear that voting by mail ensures that only those who support the change will respond.

In a nutshell, it's a vision thing. Delegates and General Assembly members are being asked to vote on whether they agree with a proposed new vision for the UNA or whether they support the vision that has guided the UNA for over a century.

Our goal in this editorial is not to persuade you, the readers who are eligible to vote, to cast your ballots for or against the proposal. It is simply to urge you to vote. Our goal also is to encourage all UNA members to get in touch with their delegates to make their opinions heard. The future of the UNA is at stake, and delegates should feel duty-bound to play a role in determining that future.

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