Dear Members,

I hope this message finds you well! I want to address some members’ questions and concerns about a remark I made in a recent letter, as well as some discussions happening on social media.

It’s been brought to my attention that my statement asserting the most recent election to be the most costly election in ALA history has caused some confusion. If one thinks of cost solely in terms of direct dollars, that statement is unlikely to be correct. However, it has been very costly in terms of volunteer, board, General Manager, and staff time that had to be diverted from other tasks, primarily due to the large volume of complaints and alleged campaign violations. Also, there was an unprecedented amount of campaigning ostensibly conducted and financed by non-candidates, using means and media that the membership had voted to prohibit. These actions by a few members caused further division in our community and required ALA to confer with its legal counsel to verify the purview of the Election Committee and the potential next steps. These discussions and investigations remain ongoing.

I think it’s helpful to know it was only a small number of our members, probably fewer than eight, who engaged in behaviors that prompted about eight others to submit approximately three dozen complaints. The Board is currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine if and by whom any Campaign Guidelines were violated.  Please rest assured that the Board is committed to addressing any violations appropriately and will take necessary actions based on our findings.

We all should express gratitude to the volunteer members of the Election Committee who were elected at an open board meeting, as well as Inspector of Elections Greg Silver. They served as the initial sounding board for these dozens of complaints, and subsequently were subjected to unwarranted criticism on social media. To be clear, our first Election Committee Chairperson was neither asked to resign nor forced to do so.  His resignation was completely voluntary. Furthermore, there are no policies or guidelines prohibiting individual committee members from engaging on issues on social media. It’s regrettable that some members choose to propagate falsehoods.

I sincerely apologize if my earlier remarks were confusing. The ALA will continue to consider ways to improve the election process and not incur unnecessary cost. Thank you for your continued engagement with the ALA as we celebrate our 50^th anniversary and prepare for our next 50 years in this wonderful place.

Warm regards,

Alan B. Kaitz

ALA President