Ted Belman
The President for the next four years will be elected by those present. The incumbent Mort Klein is being challenged by Steve Goldberg.
I find it disappointing that only those members present can vote and the thousands of members who can’t make it or live too far away are just out of luck. Surely this is something that must be corrected in the future.
But it is not too late to hold a debate between Klein and Goldberg on who is best suited for the role. It could be held for two hours on Sunday morning rather than fill the time up with unimportant speeches and matters. Questions from the ZOA members would be welcomed and answered by the candidates.
Right now only 30 minutes is allocated to speeches from both candidates immediately before the vote. It isn’t near enough.
Such a debate would serve the ZOA well. Perhaps the members should clamor for it.
It is commendable that ZOA elects its President. How many Jewish and or Zionist organizations do this? In order for elections to be of value, those voting must be informed, otherwise such an important decision as choosing the organization’s President should be left to an informed internal body such as delegates or the organization’s board.
Too many boards in both ‘non’ and ‘for profit organizations’ are in fact ‘rubber stamp’ boards, approving decisions of officers or staff. As such it is crucial for the health of an organization to have a fully informed, functioning and activist board.
As the founder and CEO of both types of organizations, I preferred a non activist board, but that isn’t necessarily in the organizations best interest.
I agree with Steve Goldberg’s recommendation and suggest that a preelection debate would also be in the best interest of MORT KLEIN! Without such a contest, questions will always remain following next Sunday’s vote, and the Zionist organization’s integrity and credibility will have been diminished: Why did Mort Klein refuse to debate Steve Goldberg? Would the election results have been different had a debate taken place? What valuable ideas would have been generated during the contest that would have contributed to the ZOA’s success moving forward? Why should other American Jewish organizations – which have been held hostage by the monopolization of power – hold a debate before THEIR elections?
It is a no-brainer…conducting a preelection debate on March 9, 2014 would be in the best interest of Israel and the Jewish People!
I share Ted’s dismay at the decision to disenfranchise those ZOA members across the U.S. who can’t travel to Philadelphia to vote. Imagine if the convention were being held in Los Angeles and only people who could make it to L.A. could vote. In the United States, voters do not have to travel to Philadelphia to vote. They can go to their local polling places and can even vote absentee. As a national organization, the ZOA should allow all its members to have a voice.
As for the debate, I have been asking for one since I declared my candidacy on January 8. It would have been preferable to have a debate before the convention, but I would also welcome the opportunity to debate Mort Klein at the convention itself, the morning before the afternoon vote on March 9. It is in the best interests of the ZOA, those of us who want to fight for a strong Israel, and for the Jewish state.