Roth Resigns from SAA Council

James Roth, who was elected to a three-year term on the SAA Council in 2014, has resigned from the group for personal reasons. Roth noted in his letter of resignation: “I truly loved being a member of Council, working with exceptional colleagues within the archival community and with an extraordinary professional staff. I do hope to continue being a productive member of the Society and will of course reengage in any way that I can after I have resolved this issue.”

The SAA constitution states the following in regard to vacancies on the SAA Council: “If a vacancy shall occur among the Councilors or in any of the offices except the presidency, it may be filled by the Council. The persons designated shall hold the position until the next annual election, at which time the position will be filled by election for the remainder of the term, if any.”

The Council has determined that the vacant position – officially a one-year term from August 6, 2016, to July 29, 2017 – will be included in the general election to be conducted in March/April 2016. SAA President Dennis Meissner noted that, “The SAA constitution requires that, no matter how we act in the interim, we must elect a new Council member in the 2016 general election to serve out the remainder of the term. This creates the frustrating situation wherein we must elect someone to serve a one-year term without hope of re-election. This seems less than fair or attractive to potential candidates and unhelpful to SAA governance, as it usually takes a newly elected Council member a few months to hit her or his stride. Even if we appoint someone to the Council right now, we must say goodbye in August and on-board another new Councilor for a single year.”

The Council will solicit two recent former Council members to run for the one-year term in the 2016 election. Meissner continued, “We would seek candidates who understand the unique situation they are stepping into and agree to run for the good of the association. Taking this route permits us to bring on board a Council member who is already conversant with Council policies and procedures.” The Council will ask the elected individual to be seated as soon as the election is concluded in the spring so that the Council is fully populated as soon as possible.