The Delegates' Voice

Newsletter for the House of Delegates of AAPG

SEPTEMBER, 2001

AC Representation - One Group, One Vote!

George Eynon - Chair, Constitution & Bylaws Committee

Many of us as Delegates have given additional thought to Clint Moore's proposal at the Denver meeting to seek "fairer representation" on the AC -- a proposal that was roundly defeated. I still completely disagree with his basic premise of representation by population for the AC. The heart of the matter is that:

"..if any group (Section, Region, and Division) is worthy of affiliation with AAPG, then it deserves equal representation at the AC table. And, to be equal, every Section, Region and Division gets one seat, one voice, one vote, regardless of the number of members in that group."

This is a quote from Doug Patchen (Eastern Section representative to the AC for many years), expressing his views at the end of his term. I have drawn liberally on his ideas in this article. Doug's recommendations are to eliminate both the minimum number of members necessary to obtain a seat on the AC and all additional seats for any group, regardless of its number of members. He concluded by saying:

"The AC should be a body where all groups are represented equally, where no one voice is outweighed by many others, where no one group has more votes than any other. That is equal, that is fair, and that is all that is necessary."

I agree totally, as do many others such as David Jenkins (Past-president, Europe) speaking at the House meeting in Denver. He commented that, since the House of Delegates is based on a US House of Representatives model (Delegates assigned by population), the AC should be like the US Senate (each group with an equal voice) so that all groups, large and small, have fair representation.

That is equal, fair, and all that is necessary. Once affiliated, a group gets its seat, voice, and vote regardless of how many members -- and keeps one seat, one voice, and one vote. This would obviate the need to keep a head count for voting on the AC and grant each of the International Regions its rightful vote on the AC immediately. Besides, no group needs a second, third, or fourth seat at the table. To suggest that any councilor needs "back up" is to imply that he or she is incapable of adequately representing the group by him or her self -- something that is patently absurd. One person, one voice, one vote is all that is necessary to adequately represent the members of any group on the AC. More than one seat, more than one voice, or more than one vote for any Section, Region, or Division shifts the balance of justice and fair play against the Sections, Regions, and Division with a single vote.

Finally, in the interest of continuing the cooperative spirit of the governing bodies developed this past year, we need to get the opinions of the AC, EC, and HOD leadership for any changes to representation in the AC in order to support its enactment.

In this issue …

> Chairman's Corner
> House of Delegates 2001-2002 Short Business Year!
> Chairman-Elect's Corner
> Secretary/Editor's Corner
> Officers and Committees

Committee Reports:

> AC Representation -- One Group, One Vote!

> 21 YEARS AGO: Rejected! Yes, it really happened!

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The House officers and committee chairs will be posting on the House Forum more updates and additional information for the House meeting on June 3. Be sure to visit Delegate's Forum often, and discuss the issues with fellow delegates and AAPG members before the meeting.