As announced on October 3, 2003 in a letter from the UUA Board Executive Committee, letters of interest from candidates who wish to be considered will be received by Nancy Lawrence, nlawrence@uua.org , UUA, 25 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108. These letters will be accepted via mail, courier, fax, or e-mail, until 12 Noon EDT on Wednesday, October 15, 2003.

Letters of interest should include the candidate’s contact information and information about their qualifications to assume the position of UUA Moderator. The letters should not exceed 600 words or two sides of an 81/2” by 11” page. All letters received will be available to all members of the UUA Board via the Board’s late packet, available at the meeting, and the names of all those who sent in letters of interest will be made available in the minutes of the meeting.

The Board may choose to ask the candidates for an interview either in person or by speaker phone. The decision about whether to conduct interviews will be made during the Board’s retreat on October 16, 2003 to allow time for these to be arranged. If interviews are to be held, the decision as to when they will occur on the Board’s agenda will not be finally made until the number of candidates is known. The agenda time devoted to the Moderator’s Report on Saturday, October 18 at 10 A.M offers a half hour for consideration of issues related to this appointment, including interviews. If there is only one candidate who sends a letter of interest, this agenda time slot is still available for Board discussion of the appointment. Since this is an issue related to appointment of a volunteer, the Board expects that some portion of the discussion will be held in Executive Session, as is routinely the case with discussion of appointment recommendations from the Committee on Committees.

If an election by the members of the Board is required, that election will take place by written ballot on Sunday, October 19 at 9:15 AM following the chalice lighting that opens the day. Ballots will be counted by Nancy Lawrence in the presence of an observer who is neither a Board member nor a UUA staff member. The announcement of the new Moderator will be made by the Secretary immediately before the scheduled break around 10:30 AM. The new Moderator will take office at the conclusion of the Board meeting on that day.

The appointed Moderator will serve until the conclusion of the 2004 General Assembly. An election will be held at the 2004 General Assembly to fill the balance of the vacated term (until June 2005). The procedures for that election will follow UUA Bylaws, Articles VIII and IX.

A memo from the UUA’s legal counsel, Ned Leibensperger, which details the reasons for the necessity of an election in June of 2004 is available.

Wayne Arnason
UUA Secretary

• Legal Opinion regarding special election for UUA Moderator 10/8/03
• Letter from UUA President William G. Sinkford, 10/03/03
• Letter from the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, 10/03/03
• Letter of resignation from Diane Olson, 10/02/03

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100