“Bzz bzz bzz” go the little sounds of rumor.
Last night from 10:00-10:45 p.m., there was a “Post-Election Celebration,” described in General Assembly Program Book as an “opportunity to meet and congratulate the newly elected UUA officers and trustees, and to hear from the new President.” Peter Morales, the newly-elected President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) spoke. Several other people spoke, congratulating him. However, Gini Courter, the just re-elected Moderator of the UUA did not show up.
Gini Courter had endorsed Peter Morales’s opponent, so her non-appearance started people talking. “Bzz bzz bzz” go the little sounds of rumor.
Or maybe she was running a little late, and just happened to miss the 45 minute event. Or maybe some crisis came up to prevent her from coming. Who knows? (Update: Now we know. Gini Courter’s real simple explanation is up on her blog. It was a scheduling snafu — which has happened to all of us at GA.)
But this does raise a larger issue, the issue of endorsements. I don’t like the idea of endorsements in a denominational election. (I don’t look at endorsements, either; I don’t care who is supporting whom, I want to know what the candidates plan to do if they get in office.) I particularly don’t like it when an elected officer or Trustee of the UUA endorses one candidate or another. Stop the “bzz, bzz” of rumor before it starts: don’t endorse.
I think if I were Gini Courter and it were the very end of GA that I would be really tired and not see my presence as necessary at an event that had little to do with me.
I was also bothered by the endorsements. Some blogger (I forget who) made a comment about revenge-taking. Then he corrected himself, and said Morales and Hallman are both reasonable people. But yeah — I’m an elected official and a reasonable person, and I know who’s worked against me … and I knew without endorsements. Endorsements made it worse.
But I realize the value of endorsements. You can get the general sentiment about a candidate when you see who the endorsers are. Courter’s endorsement troubled me because she has to work with whoever was elected. At the same time, I know that she knew her endorsement would pack more punch for that very reason.
CC @ 1 — You have summed up my thoughts. People get tired at the end of GA.
Diggitt @ 2 — You write: “Courter’s endorsement troubled me because she has to work with whoever was elected.”
My sentiments exactly.
I wonder if my comment from earlier vanished?
I’d go even farther, thinking Courter’s endorsement, as a sitting chief officer, was unethical and — in light of the Morales victory — foolish. But given that, I’d have made it my absolute priority to have been at the last even, even if for a momentary appearance. She was reelected after all.
There’s often a reason people go bzz, bzz, bzz.
I think rumor-mongering is more “bsh bsh bsh.” A bit more whispery.
Please see the post on my blog, justgini.blogspot.com, for the real story behind the bzz or bsh or whatever the sound was.
Take a deep breath. Ahhhhh … that feels good.
http://pcdtrustee.blogspot.com/
Gini Gourter @ 6 — Thank you for the explanation! Exactly the kind of thing I thought must have happened. I’ve updated the body of the post with a permalink to that blog post. I’m glad I’m able to help squelch the “bzz, bzz” of rumor.
I still don’t like endorsements, however. But that’s a conversation for another time, when we’re all rested up from GA.
Scott Wells @ 4 — Sorry, I don’t know what happened to your earlier comment.
I agree that it’s not good that Board members are allowed to endorse candidates, particularly when staff aren’t. I’m told that this has been true for many years, so add it to the list of much needed changes.
I was dismayed to see officers’ endorsement of candidates. I also admit that I was quite turned off by the over-abundance of endorsement e-mails for the Hallman campaign flooding my in-box. It certainly didn’t decide my vote for PM, but it helped.