RUNNING FOR GRAND LODGE OFFICE
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
"A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"
"We elect people based on the facts available to us, but if the facts
are unknown, we typically pick a candidate like we pick a horse in a
race, based on name, appearance or odds, not on qualifications.
Regardless, I don't believe 'Lucky Lady' would make a suitable Grand Master."
- Tim Bryce
As many of you know, I have never been a fan of how we elect Craft Lodge
officers. I believe a Masonic election is one of the most barbaric processes
conceived by the
fraternity whereby the cream doesn't always rise to the top. The only thing
more preposterous is the process of electing a Grand Lodge officer, particularly
the
Junior Grand Warden who starts at the bottom of the Grand Line and works his
way through the chairs.
Many jurisdictions have strict rules on what you can and cannot do in terms
of campaigning for a Grand Lodge office. In some jurisdictions, Ohio for example,
you do not "seek" any office and there is no campaigning whatsoever. You can,
however, let it be known that if elected, you would serve. This means the Craft
is voting for a "pig in a polk" as I call it; they don't really know what they are
getting. This doesn't sound like a very pragmatic approach for electing officials
to serve in an organization that deals with thousands of members and millions of
dollars.
There are also several jurisdictions that permit candidates to visit Lodges
and District meetings to introduce themselves, describe their qualifications,
and
discuss their positions on the Masonic issues of the day. Interestingly, these
same jurisdictions also have strict rules prohibiting the candidates from
writing and distributing biographical sketches and position papers that say
the same thing. This means that if a voting Craft Lodge delegate happens to
miss the candidate's visit, he cannot obtain the accurate information he
needs to make a decision. Therefore, he has to rely on the word of others.
This too seems like a primitive approach for electing our officials. It also
means the candidates must spend an inordinate amount of time and money
traveling his jurisdiction to meet with people.
Perhaps the most progressive approach I have seen is the Grand Lodge of Alberta
who includes the biographies of the candidates for Junior Grand Warden in
their official publication, "The Alberta Freemason." The
Brothers in that jurisdiction are provided with a photo and biographical sketch
of the candidates so they can make an informed decision in their
elections. But Alberta stands out as the exception as opposed to the rule
in Grand Lodge elections.
As I mentioned, our Grand Lodges are not trifle little organizations.
They must deal with substantial memberships, considerable money and assets
(such as our Masonic Homes and charities), As such, we need leaders who are
not just proficient in Masonic degree work but in administrative detail as
well. Although I am not in favor of general advertising and campaign
spending (which I think could be more wisely spent elsewhere), I am most
definitely a proponent of publishing biographical sketches, position papers
and interviews with the candidates. I would even go so far as to support
a debate between the candidates, but this would require media which
would be recorded and played back over the Internet as a podcast.
But unfortunately, most Grand Lodges do not appreciate the power of the
Internet at this time. Regardless, the fraternity needs a proper mechanism
to get the word out to the Craft as to the skills and qualifications of
the candidates so they can make an informed choice. Our current method
simply doesn't hack it anymore.
Something else, once a person has been elected to the Grand South, they
normally rotate through the chairs until they become Grand Master. But
what if they do a lousy job? Should we still automatically allow them to
succeed to the next chair? Hardly. Instead, their voting records and
accomplishments should be compiled and reviewed each year by the Craft so
they can make an informed decision as to whether the person should progress
to the next office.
If you buy my argument that Grand Lodge elections should be brought into
the 21st century, why not the Craft Lodges? After all, what's good for the
goose should be good for the gander.
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein,
please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on
Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.
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You can also "tune in" to Bro. Tim's audio podcasts at the "Lodgeroom International" (UK):
http://podcast.lodgeroominternational.com/
Copyright © 2007 by Tim Bryce.
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