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Bar News - January 5, 2001 Board of Governors Elections: An Invitation to Candidates By: By Gregory D. Robbins WHILE I'M SURE most of you are heartily fed up with talking or even thinking about elections, our annual election of officers and members of our Board of Governors is coming up soon. I invite you to consider running. One thing about our elections - there's little cause to worry about the need for recounts. Three or four years ago, I was lobbying with a member to vote for a particular candidate. The lawyer I was talking to said he probably wasn't going to vote because he saw no point since there were so few contested elections. In one way, his apathy was well founded: in the last three years, there have been only five contested races for 32 slots available on the Board of Governors (including the officers). In other words, 85 percent of the candidates ran unopposed. Perhaps even more interesting is that the last three people who have run for vice president - who in practice automatically become president two years later - ran unopposed. (If you're counting backwards, yes, I ran unopposed - how else do you think I could win?) I've also learned that less than half the people eligible to vote take the time to do so. All kidding aside, I find these statistics troubling. What accounts for the low vote and few candidates? Accompanying this article (and in subsequent editions up to the February 15 nomination deadline) are petitions to become candidates for this year's election. You'll note it takes a grand total of 10 signatures to be eligible for county governor, and 25 for governor-at-large or an officer's position. Clearly, getting on the ballot is not a major obstacle, so the suggestion I've heard that the Association is some kind of "old boys' club" is simply not the case. So why don't more people run? Sure, there is a time commitment. I was the Rockingham County governor for two years and it probably took an average of about 10 to 15 hours a month - hardly overwhelming. The time commitment for officers can be significantly more, as I've found out (my partners have, too). I haven't regretted my decision for a minute and I haven't talked to a single person who's been on the board who didn't enjoy it. Service on the board has given me opportunities I'd never considered when I ran. I've learned more about what's going on in the practice of law in the past 4 1/2 years than I did the prior 20. I've learned that the NHBA provides all kinds of valuable services to its members. I have made contacts and friendships with attorneys in every county in this state and as an officer, I've had the chance to meet lawyers from all over the country. Even more importantly, it has given me a new perspective of what it means to be a lawyer. I've seen firsthand the staggering amount of volunteer time lawyers give back to our system of justice, to our society and to state and local government. I see the seriousness with which we lawyers and judges take the criticism leveled at our profession and the judicial system we serve, and the efforts we make to better them, belying the myth that lawyers are largely motivated by self-interest and monetary gain. Finally, Bar service has given me the chance, at least, to make a difference in things that matter to me, to us and to the justice system we serve. So why not join us? Fill out one of the petitions and give it a shot - you won't regret it. Gregory D. Robbins, the 2000-2001 President of the NH Bar Association, is a member of the Shaines & McEachern law firm in Portsmouth. |