Three seek second-vice president post; two vie for secretary; four face-off for at-large trustee; NJSBA members will vote on candidates and proposed bylaw changes

team

For Immediate Release
March 19, 2013
Kate Coscarelli
Sr. Director, Communications for NJSBA

732-937-7548

Three seek second-vice president post; two vie for secretary; four face-off for at-large trustee; NJSBA members will vote on candidates and proposed bylaw changes An election will be held to determine a trio of leadership positions for the New Jersey State Bar Association.

On the ballot this spring will be candidates for second vice president, secretary, and an at-large trustee. Successful candidates will be sworn-in at the Annual Meeting and Convention in May.

Several bylaws changes will also be up for consideration, including that no member may serve in more than one officer or trustee position, and that officers’ practice of law shall be primarily in New Jersey.

In the coming weeks, the roughly 16,100 eligible general members of the state bar association will receive information about voting procedures. Associate members are not eligible to vote.
Candidates who sought a spot on the ballot for a position on the executive committee were required to submit a petition with signatures from at least 250 general members of the association. Candidates who sought a seat on the board of trustees were required to submit a petition with signatures from at least 100 general members of the association. The association’s Election Committee validated the petitions.

The candidates are:
Second Vice President
Thomas Hoff Prol
Nancy Erika Smith
Kenneth Vercammen
Secretary
John E. Keefe Jr. +
Bonnie Blume Goldsamt
At-Large Trustee
Christine A. Amalfe
Amy Sara Cores
Christina Vassiliou Harvey

Marla Marinucci
+ Denotes candidate the Nominating Committee selected

A summary of the bylaws proposals:
• To be eligible to serve as an officer or trustee, a member’s practice of law shall be primarily in the state of New Jersey.
• Require members of the Board of Trustees to maintain an active email account and clarify that the board may act on urgent matters by email under certain conditions.
• Clarify that no member may serve in more than one officer or trustee position at any one time, and that a sitting trustee elected to an officer position is deemed to have resigned from his or her trustee post at the end of any potential challenge period without opposition, and that the resignation is effective upon the start of service as an officer.
• Clarify that the Board of Trustees has the authority to reorganize inactive sections or divisions.
• Include the Immediate Past President as a member of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee