Problem Personalities

Q – Communities can be fragile. What if you have a Definitively Professed member who has caused trouble in the past; they have been destructive to the community, but only the Council knows about it since they have kept things confidential. However, this person is popular among community which wants him or her in leadership? What do you do about it?


A – The Council must be strong and have a nice quiet talk with this person. Ask the person not to accept the nomination because of the problem that has already been discussed.

This brings up the 2nd change in our Provincial Statutes that we must request from the General Definitory in Rome. It is in Sec. XIX: Guidelines for Nominating Committees (page 67). There have been clear guidelines for the nominating committee and elections, such as no nominations from the floor. The nominating committee in the past has not always interviewed all members who are eligible to vote, perhaps only a segment of voting members, or only among themselves. The nominees for president and councilor, therefore, do not reflect the desire of the whole community which now doesn’t really have a say in the nominations. We are proposing to add the words, “All members who are eligible to vote must be canvassed by the nominating committee and ought to serve if they are called upon.”