The Washington Group holds annual elections, re-elects Kotlarchuk (08/25/02)

The Washington Group holds annual elections, re-elects Kotlarchuk

by Michael Drabyk

WASHINGTON - The Washington Group's annual meeting elected a slate of officers headed by Ihor Kotlarchuk, who became the second president in TWG history to be re-elected to a third term. George Masiuk was the first TWG president to serve three consecutive terms, from 1995 until 1998.

The slate also includes a new position, community liaison, to be held by TWG member and Svoboda Editor-in-Chief Irene Jarosewich. She will act as a contact between The Washington Group and other Ukrainian groups in the Northeastern United States and elsewhere.

President Kotlarchuk announced at the on June 14 annual meeting that TWG will hold a boat ride dinner/dance on the Potomac River this coming October. The event will be held in place of the 2002 TWG Leadership Conference; the next conference is scheduled for October 2003.

Officers' reports

Members heard a series of reports, starting with that of the president, describing activities of The Washington Group since the previous annual meeting in June 2001.

These included the TWG Leadership Conference held October 19-21, 2001, under the theme "Ukraine: Focus on the Future." President Kotlarchuk indicated that though it was held a month after the September 11 tragedy, the conference attracted many attendees from around the country. He pointed to a forum featuring ambassadors from four Eastern European countries as just one of the events that made the conference "both intellectually stimulating and socially enjoyable."

Referring to the upcoming boat ride, Mr. Kotlarchuk said it would be held aboard the Dandy on Saturday, October 26. Further details, he said, would be forthcoming.

He also encouraged members to visit the TWG website maintained by Steve Boyduy (www.TheWashingtonGroup.org.)

Outgoing TWG Treasurer Roman Stelmach reported assets at the time of the annual meeting of more than $48,000. Membership Director Adrian Pidlusky reported that TWG membership stood at 328, down from last year's level of 449. Mr. Pidlusky attributed the drop to the fact that membership renewal letters had not been sent out prior to the annual meeting. He expressed confidence that response to the letters would boost membership numbers.

The TWG Cultural Fund reported that it continued its music series during the year, with five concerts at the Lyceum in Old Towne Alexandria, Va. These included a performance by the winners of the Vladimir Horowitz International Competition for Young Pianists, along with a jazz concert by the Louisiana Swamp Romp that included Ukrainian folk songs performed with a New Orleans twist. Other events included entertainment for the 2001 TWG Leadership Conference Sunday Brunch, with performances by singer Marianna Vynnytsky accompanied by Braty Blooz member Andrij Vintsersky.

The TWG Fellowship Fund reported that the Embassy of Ukraine was screening candidates submitted by the fund for the annual Embassy student internship. It was reported that the Embassy wants to select two student interns for work during the summer.

List of nominees

The following slate of candidates was presented and approved: Mr. Kotlarchuk, president; George Masiuk, vice-president; Luba Cehelska, secretary; Mr. Boyduy, treasurer; Mr. Pidlusky, membership director; Andy C. Szul, public relations and TWG News editor; Laryssa Courtney, TWG Cultural Fund; Michael Drabyk, TWG Fellowship Fund; Andrew Bihun, Business Development Forum; Olena Gaponenko, events; Ms. Jarosewich, community liaison; and Orest Deychakiwsky, immediate past president.

Members at Large are: Nick Babiak, Arthur Belendiuk, Oles Berezhny, John Hewko, Oleg Jerschkowsky, Jurij Mojsiak, Natalie Sluzar, Andrew Sorokowski, Volodymyr Yakymets and Marta Zielyk. Auditing Committee members are: Andrew Masiuk, Michael Kowalysko and Ihor Procinsky.

Other business

Mr. Kotlarchuk also commended four longtime TWG board members who were leaving the board: Vice-President Anya Silecky Piazza, Treasurer Roman Stelmach, Fellowship Fund Chair Adrian Karmazyn and Member-at-Large Maria Kulczycky. He thanked them all for their hard work and dedication, and wished them well in their future pursuits.

Following the annual meeting, two TWG members recently discussed their experiences in Ukraine as OSCE observers of the parliamentary elections held there earlier this year. Ms. Zielyk and Mr. Deychakiwsky offered their observations during the special presentation.

Ms. Zielyk was in Kyiv for a month preceding the elections. She was a long-term OSCE observer, preparing research for short-term poll-watchers who would be observing the actual balloting. Mr. Deychakiwsky was one of those, arriving in Ukraine in time for the voting.

As part of her job, Ms. Zielyk spoke with Ukrainian candidates and individuals, as well as the media and press. She was among those tasked with documenting cases of alleged election law violations. While open violations were reported in various regions around Ukraine, Ms. Zielyk termed election law violations in and around Kyiv as being more subtle. She recalled observing activities such as attempts to use legal technicalities to de-register and remove certain candidates from the ballot.

Mr. Deychakiwsky was in Ukraine as a short-term OSCE elections observer, visiting different polling places in the Lviv Oblast. Problems noted by the OSCE, he said, included the lack of a "level playing field" for all candidates and parties, interference in the election process by the authorities, media bias and compromised conditions hampering the voters' ability to cast a secret and confidential vote.

Mr. Deychakiwsky, who has been observing elections in Ukraine for more than 10 years, expressed some optimism, however. "A significant portion of the Ukrainian electorate showed that it has a mind of its own - and this, of course, is very encouraging and could bode well for the future," he underscored.

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