There is a lot of work that needs to be done to keep the OTW running smoothly, and now, following the resignations of the 2015 Directors and our induction as newly-elected Directors, we currently have a Board composed of only two Directors. We need others to join us to manage the workload and tackle the challenges ahead.
Over the past couple of weeks we have considered the possibility of holding another election. However, after reviewing the organization’s by-laws, consulting the Elections team regarding the workload and demands related to the electoral process — both for candidates and for the Elections team, which has just reached the end of a complex season — and considering the likelihood that the only people stepping forward to run in a theoretical election may have just gone through an election in November, we have decided to maintain the regular election schedule.
Instead, in accordance with the organization’s by-law provisions regarding the filling of Board vacancies, we’ve appointed the top three runner-up candidates in the November elections, Alex Tischer, Katarina Harju and Aline Carrão, to fill the Board seats left vacant by Jessica Steiner, Margaret J MacRae and Soledad Griffin’s resignations for the remaining two years of their terms. The seat previously occupied by Anna Genoese will be kept empty during the next year and will be up for election in 2016 along with a seventh Board seat.
All three candidates went through the Elections process in full and the scrutiny of the members and users. You can read about their views and opinions under the Alex, Aline and Katarina tags on the Elections website. They bring different experiences and skills to the Board, which will help us move forward.
We hope that these decisions allow us to do justice to the membership’s wishes and respect established OTW elections precedent while taking into account the practical limitations of our teams’ and our Board’s workload.
—Matty and Atiya (Lady Oscar)