To the Editor,
This past May, the delegates to the Diocesan Assembly voted for term limits for members of the Diocesan Council. I applaud this decision which was long overdue and need to add that had there been more of a turnover perhaps the difficulties that the Diocese faces today would have been mitigated long before they became so extreme.
I would like to add another suggestion which I hope will be seriously considered and voted upon next May:
I suggest that the Diocesan Council needs to be both regionally and professionally balanced. To be clear, too many representatives from one state skew a balance of power and fosters the formation of coalitions which is oftentimes detrimental to the general good.
In the interest of professional balance there needs to be representatives of several professions on the Council i.e. lawyer, accountant, engineer, educator, someone in media/communications, and of course representation by the clergy.
Hopefully this regional and professional broad based composition of the Diocesan Council will lend expertise and objectivity to future decisions.