As you can see from our home page, Mazuma is holding our annual election for the Board of Directors. We have a nine person board with three year terms, so each year we have three positions up for election. We solicit candidate applications around the end of the year (although we love to talk to any Member at any time who is interested in serving on the Board), offer potential candidates a meeting to discuss the obligations and benefits of serving before actual nominations are due in late January.

Nominations are reviewed by a committee made up of Board, Supervisory Committee and at-large Members to create a slate of candidates. Each of the approved candidates has an interview with the committee as part of the review process and craft their own bio (which is provided on the home page as well).

Each Member gets one vote regardless of the number of accounts they have or how many dollars they have on loan or on deposit. Basically, this is a one person – one vote system so that no one Member has a larger voice than any other. The only exception is that a Member may have voting authority for a business or association account which would entitle them to an additional vote.

So, please take the opportunity to sound off – who can best represent you on our Board. While it might seem “simple” to be on the Board, there are commitments for monthly meetings, education classes, occasional conferences, etc. and the issues we have to deal with can become quite complex – think about what Congress is doing in reaction to the recent financial crisis particularly with regard to changes in credit cards, overdraft fees, regulatory oversight and on and on. Every financial insitution has to respond to these changes to a greater or lesser degree.

Our Board serves very ably with a true focus on what’s best for the Members. Please let us hear your voice and also consider the potential of serving on the Board in the future. Mazuma is YOUR credit union!

Rob