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What? $100,000 UUA Presidential Campaign?

August 10, 2008 · 7 Comments

I’m a bit shocked to read this on Peter Morales UUA for President Blog.

The last two successful candidates spent over $100,000.

I don’t know about our UUA election process, how closely it mirrors the best practices of US elections from our democracy standpoint.  Are all donors revealed?  Whats the timeline?  I know we look closely at Obama and McCain, and then analyze.  I wonder if that will be done more for UUA now that we have the internet?

Categories: Unitarian Universalism

7 responses so far ↓

  • Boy in the Bands » Blog Archive » Influence transparency a must // August 10, 2008 at 8:45 am | Reply

    [...] organization — that I think ministerial colleague and blogger Joseph Santos-Lyons (Radicalhapa.com) is correct about fund raising for the Unitarian Universalist Association presidential election [...]

  • Patrick McLaughlin // August 10, 2008 at 9:46 am | Reply

    It’s shocking… but then the cost of things IS usually shocking. Assume no staff for a campaign being paid, just the cost of paper, buttons, etc, plus shipping that stuff to GA (a couple years of that), plus GA costs (travel, registration, booth, housing) for some people to staff the booth. Plus travel costs and housing (and car rental and…) for the candidate to go to various regions to be seen and talked to and checked out.

    And I’m sure that I’ve overlooked some significant cost factors, too.

    Racks up fast. Shocking, yes. But reality is often shocking. The cost for a search committee to perform search for a minister — some housing and transportation and some shipping/mailing costs as well as printing and phone calls and meals… was pretty eye-opening for members of our congregation. And that’s only a handful of trips and doesn’t include the GA stuff.

  • radicalhapa // August 10, 2008 at 11:43 am | Reply

    Makes sense Patrick. Thats only $50,000 for each candidate. But in an election with around 3000 votes…I’m curious to learn more how money is spent.

  • Bill Baar // August 10, 2008 at 1:08 pm | Reply

    I’d sure like to see an accounting of how it’s spent and the donors.

    I think this is just 100K plus spent by each to the two recent winners, and doesn’t include what the losers spent.

    Transparency should be a top issue….I’ve been a UU for a long time but paid little attention to UUA. Now that I am, I’m curious what goes on with it… it seems awfully cloistered.

    Especially when I’m told the peace-making Statement of Con will be the springboard for UUA to make larger pronouncements… so just who is spending money and what are they planning to say on my behalf?

  • Philocrites // August 11, 2008 at 12:00 pm | Reply

    The UUA rule governing the disclosure of campaign contributions is here: Rule G-9.12.8. It says (in part):

    The names of contributors shall be disclosed. Each such report shall identify by name any member congregation, associate member organization or independent affiliate of the Association and any other tax exempt organization (including specifically, but without limitation to, any minister’s discretionary fund or similar account) that has made any contribution to the campaign and shall state the amount of each such contribution. Such reports shall be filed with the Secretary of the Association. A preliminary report shall be due at the close of the first day of the regular General Assembly at which the election occurs. A final report shall be due 60 days thereafter. The Secretary shall upon written request from a member of a member congregation furnish such information from these reports as requested. These reports shall be made available for inspection by any member of a member congregation at the principal offices of the Association and shall be brought by the Secretary to the next General Assembly and made available for inspection there by any delegate.

  • radicalhapa // August 11, 2008 at 3:36 pm | Reply

    reading this rule, it looks like no one will know who is giving until it is really too late!

  • Better UUA Elections Disclosure « Radicalhapa.com Liberation and Mutuality // August 11, 2008 at 3:49 pm | Reply

    [...] Photos ← What? $100,000 UUA Presidential Campaign? [...]

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