2010 Fall President’s Message

                                                      Mary Burzynski

            “Where do I begin” is a line from an old song, the theme from Love Story.  As I sit down to write this president’s message, thinking back on my week at the National Court Reporters Association’s Annual Convention, those lyrics came to mind.  It was a fast-paced week, filled with excitement and surprises.  If the happenings at our convention are any indication of how the upcoming fall elections may go, political analysts should study our week in Chicago.  Chicago, this city seems to be the spot for convention unrest.  It was so for the Democrats in 1968.  It was so for NCRA in 2004 and in 2010.

            Our convention tour began on Monday, August 2, when Chris Willette and I arrived in Chicago to attend the NCRA Board of Directors Meeting.  Susan Kay joined us on Tuesday.  In the past few years, as our issues have changed, the tenor of these annual board meetings has changed, too.  For many years, these meetings were attended only by the board, our executives, and staff.  That is no longer the case.  Because of varying views as to the direction our association is taking, court reporters traveled from around the country to attend the annual board meeting and to voice their opinions.  Democracy is alive and well in the NCRA.      

In the past, candidates for our board of directors’ positions ran unopposed.  That has changed in recent years.  NCRA’s president appoints a nominating committee.  This committee meets in February to interview prospective candidates.  After much discussion and deliberation, they put forth their slate.  For the last couple of years, not all of our membership has agreed with the committee’s selections, and NCRA members have come forward from the ranks to challenge the committee-endorsed candidates.  This year was no exception.  While only one of three directors’ positions was contested, there were challengers for all three of the officers’ positions.  It may be difficult for our upcoming state and national elections to beat the drama and excitement of NCRA’s recent races.

NCRA Immediate Past President, SueLynn Morgan, appointed me to the NCRA Elections Committee.  While I was honored and, frankly, thrilled that she appointed me, if the past was any indication of the importance of this committee, it would be a nice accolade for me but really nothing more than that.   From the beginning of this year’s election process, from the dissatisfaction with the nominating committee’s slate of candidates to the election itself, I should have made the assumption that this year may be different.

On Tuesday, the election process began in earnest.  In a designated area of the hotel, each candidate in these contested races was assigned a table from which to run his or her campaign.  The table selection process was not at all scientific.  The table assignment numbers were drawn from a hat.  The first decision to be made in this process was who gets to draw first.  One candidate suggested that random is random, that our deputy executive director should select a person to start the process and to just go from candidate to candidate from there.  That idea was agreeable to all involved, and the process seemed to go without incident.  Those who drew the number for a table in a favorable location were pleased, those who drew a number for an out-of-the-way table were not quite so pleased, but everyone felt that the process was fair.  So far things had gone without a hitch.  That would not be the case for long.

  As we stepped off the elevators on Wednesday on our way to attend the leadership seminars, the controversy began.  One of the candidates, let’s call him Candidate X, was handing out campaign literature which included an invitation to a party that evening.  NCRA has campaign rules and regulations.  One of those states:  “No posters or other campaign materials may be affixed to or placed against the venue’s walls, left for pick up, or distributed at locations in the public areas of the convention hotel, other than the designated campaign booth.”  But as you read down the list of regulations, it also says: “No campaigning or distribution of nonelectronic materials will be allowed in or within ten feet of the business meeting room or within any official seminar meeting room or at any official convention social event.”  Well, this candidate was certainly well over ten feet away from where the business meeting or any official seminar would be conducted.  Was this a violation, or was it not?

Of course, the opposing candidate, we will call him Candidate Y, lodged a complaint, and the NCRA Elections Committee had an issue to resolve.  Candidate X did not just go ahead and distribute his campaign literature.  He had cleared it with NCRA personnel.  Again, was it a violation, or was it not?  Our committee met with each candidate.  We asked them for their ideas for a solution.  Through some negotiations, a little bit of give and take, the situation was resolved to each candidate’s satisfaction, and the campaigning went forward without further incident.

Here we are. It’s Thursday.  The time has come for the annual business meeting and the elections.  The meeting started out relatively quietly and without fanfare, but as the morning went forward, the tempo and the tone changed.  Clearly you could see that there were two factions working throughout the room.  Reporters who had been friends for years, who likely had been advocates for each other in the past, were positioned on opposite sides of the room.    

In my opinion, this was an election unlike any seen in NCRA history.  There was so much going on in that room that it is difficult to try to put it on paper in any kind of concise semblance of order.  There was spirited debate on the amendments that were up for consideration.  Each candidate in a contested election was given the allotted time to be introduced by an esteemed colleague and to introduce themselves.  The difference this year was that these candidates were allowed to answer questions submitted from the floor.  Again, it was very clearly understood by the questions that were posed by the person asking the question which side of the room or from which camp they belonged.

Out of four contested elections, three of the winners were not those selected by the NCRA Nominating Committee.  Our president-elect, who was the nominating committee’s choice, was elected by the slimmest of margins, three votes, and from a story that was buzzing around the convention, the vote could have been a tie.  Purportedly, one NCRA member asked three other members if they had voted.  They replied they had not.  This trio was directed to the voting stations, they voted, and the rest is history. 

Some would say the membership has spoken, but have they really?  Only about 5 percent of our members voted in this election.  Where was the other 95 percent?  Voting is easy, and you can do it from the convenience of your home or office.  If you did not vote in this election, in the coming year I urge you to take the time to explore the NCRA website to become informed about the candidates and their positions, to take the time to consider the proposed amendments, and to the take the time to vote.  It is a way for all of us to have a voice, an impact on the direction of our association and our profession.

While most of the time spent at the NCRA Annual Convention is full of meetings and seminars, it is also a time for inspecting the newest and latest court reporting gadgets, making connections with other state leaders, and a time to just have fun.  Many of you know my love for karaoke.  Give me a microphone, a few favorite songs, and you will see a side to me that you maybe did not know existed.  Thanks to the efforts of Chris Willette and many generous WCRA members, I had the opportunity to sing at the tailgate party honoring Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag, our newly installed NCRA president.  I am proud to say that I came in second in fundraising for the NCRA PAC Fund.  The Sonntag family came in first, and I guess that is only fitting.                

 The week in Chicago was a sizzler, both inside and outside the convention hall.  There were times when the temperatures were certainly rising.  There was controversy, and there was consensus.  All in all, it was a great experience.  Not only was NCRA enjoying the fine city of Chicago, it was also the setting for the Lollapalooza Music Festival.  Lady Gaga was a guest of our hotel, as well. While we never got a glimpse of her, we did see several other guests who were emulating her dress.  I guess you could say that they were gaga over Lady Gaga.  Bad pun, I know.  While standing in line at the hotel’s Starbucks, I met a young lady who was the American Sign Language interpreter for the festival.  In her words, in the words on the Lollapalooza website, and the words of many convention attendees, Thank you, Chicago.  You rock!