The Courage to Change – A New Election Process

Last year members of the Vancity Board of Directors made a bold move by proposing an increase in the annual remuneration provided to members who are elected to serve on the Board. There was heated discussion at the Annual General Meeting, but the proposal passed.

The argument presented which was most logical to me was that higher compensation would attract more experienced and appropriate Vancity members to stand for election. We must remember that Vancity is one of the country’s largest and most influential credit unions. The Board of Directors shoulders great responsibility. Offering higher compensation for the important work the Board does made sense.

Following the logic of increasing the quality of our Board of Directors, in this year’s election the Board made another bold move and chose to “endorse” individual candidates based on their background and skills. They were interested in putting forth 5 candidates with the experience to help guide Vancity through the next 3 years, and with the character to be a good fit at the Board table.

The number 5 was a limit that was decided upon prior to the opening of nominations. For those who have taken the time to review the resumes and statements from all the candidates you might see that limiting the endorsed candidates to only 5 must have been difficult. I might suggest at least twice that number warrant consideration.

Some have argued that endorsing candidates gives an unfair advantage to the 5, and is a disadvantage to the remaining 16. Does it make the process less democratic? Or does it truly serve the needs of our Board, by focusing the voter’s attention on the skills that the Board itself feels it is lacking.

And this is why I am proud to be a member of Vancity and proud to stand for election. The Board had the courage to admit they needed fresh ideas and new skills. They were willing to devise a change in the election process that could bring candidates with those ideas and skills to the forefront. If there is one disappointment it is that they limited the number of endorsed candidates to only 5.

I hope all Vancity members take the time to review all the information on all candidates, including me, Craig Horton, before casting their vote. You may find that you’d prefer to support one or more of the 16 underdogs instead of the 5 deemed most worthy by the Board.