Saturday, January 4, 2014

The Grand Solution

Last year the Grand Master instituted many changes in the governance of the Grand Lodge.  One of the primary changes was to change the number of districts from nine down to six. This also changed how the appointed officers were selected, previously each district was represented in the Grand Line by a brother recommended by their district. The appointed officers last year were personally selected by the Grand Master as will the appointed officers this year. 

One of the arguments for the changes was that some of the districts struggled to find qualified / willing brothers to serve....ok...I will buy into that logic.  What I and many other brothers have a hard time with is the selection process of Grand Line officers....so....I am not one to complain without offering a solution that may be a nice compromise for both sides of the issue....The Grand Solution

There are nine Grand Line officers, four elected and five appointed.  After the next election, I would REDUCE the number of districts to FIVE. Going from six to five would be subtle compared to going from nine to six and should be effective for many decades. I would then go back to having each district recommend the replacement for whatever vacancy happens in the appointed officers.  By having only five districts, there should be an ample number of qualified / willing brothers to serve.
By doing the change after the fall election, no current elected officers will be effected unlike the prior change.  Essentially this would return the good aspect of the old system while accomplishing the goal of the new system.