Candidates For AMA

Campaign Guidelines

This document was prepared to assist New England Delegation AMA members to better understand the process of becoming potential candidates at the AMA level and ultimately become elected.

POTENTIAL AMA OPPORTUNITIES

AMA Councils - Appointed

Council on Ethical & Judicial Affairs

• Elected by HOD on nomination by AMA President
• 7 Year Term; 1 term maximum
• (Student - 2 year term, Resident - 3 year term, 2 term maximum)
• Nominations deadline - May of current year

Council on Legislation

• Appointed annually by Board of Trustees - maximum 8 years ( HOD Action 6/97)
• Letters due in March for following BOT meeting
• Nominations deadline - March of current year

Council on Long Range Planning & Development

• Resident/Student - 3 year term
• Appointments - 4 year term; maximum 2 terms (HOD Action 6/97)
• Nominations Deadline - March of current year

AMPAC Board

• Appointed by BOT - two-year term, maximum of 4 terms (BOT action 4/96 - effective 12/1/96)
• Physician Spouse Member - two-year term, maximum of 2 terms (BOT action 10/96)
• Residents and Students - one two-year term maximum
• Appointments made in October; effective December 1 (BOT action 2/86)
• Officers elected annually in December (AMPAC Board of Directors action 1/86)
• Nominations deadline September of current year

AMA Councils - Elected

Council on Constitution & Bylaws

• Elected by HOD - 4 year term; maximum 2 terms (HOD Action 6/97)
• (Student appointed annually) (Resident - 3 year term)
• Nominations deadline January of current year

Council on Medical Education

• Elected by HOD - 4 year term; maximum 2 terms (HOD Action 6/97)
• (Student appointed annually) (Resident - 3 year term)
• Nominations deadline January of current year

Council on Medical Service

• Elected by HOD - 4 year term; maximum 2 terms (HOD Action 6/97)
• (Student appointed annually) (Resident - 3 year term)
• Nominations deadline January of current year

Council on Scientific Affairs

• Elected by HOD - 4 year term; maximum 2 terms (HOD Action 6/97)
• (Student appointed annually) (Resident - 3 year term)
• Nominations deadline January of current year

AMA Board of Trustees

• Trustees elected prior to 1997 are permitted to serve a maximum of 9 years
• Trustees elected in 1997 or thereafter are permitted to serve a maximum tenure of 8 years
• Student seat avail. - as long as eligible for medical student membership in AMA

INTEREST LEVEL

Contact your state delegation chair and/or your state society executive to inform them of your interest. Discussions with your state chair should include: council or board of interest, year of interest, and any support you have garnered from other groups or individuals.

Your delegation chair will then discuss your interest in the next Political Candidates Committee (PCC) meeting. It is important to voice your interest as early as possible so that you can begin to move through the process.

	Delegation Chairs	State Executives
Connecticut	Mehdi S. Eslami, M.D. 1389 West Main Street Waterbury, CT 06708 Phone: 203/264-2913 Fax: 203/573-1062 Email: eslami@smhosp.chime.org	Timothy Norbeck Connecticut State Medical Assoc. 160 St. Ronan Street New Haven, CT 06511 Phone: 203/865-0587 Fax: 203/865-4997 Email: tnorbeck@CSMS.ORG
Maine	David Simmons, M.D. 5 Palmer Street Calais, ME 04619 Phone: 207/454-8195 Fax: 207/454-3840 Email: topdoc@nbnet.nb.ca	Gordon Smith, Esq. Maine Medical Association P. O. Box 190 Manchester, ME 04351 Phone: 207/622-3374 Fax: 207/622-3332 Email: gsmith@ctel.net
Massachusetts	Philip E. McCarthy, M.D. 825 Washington Street, Suite 270 Norwood, MA 02062 Phone: 781/769-0500 Fax: 781/769-2267	Corinne Broderick Executive Vice President Massachusetts Medical Society 860 Winter Street Waltham, MA 02451-1411 Phone: 781/434-7004 Fax: 781/893-9136 Email: Cbroderick@mms.org
New Hampshire	Georgia A. Tuttle, M.D. 129 Mechanic Street Lebanon, NH 03766 Phone: 603/448-1071 Fax: 603/448-1079 Email: georgia_tuttle@valley.net	Palmer Jones New Hampshire Medical Society 7 North State Street Concord, NH 03301-4039 Phone: 603/224-1909 Fax: 603/226-2432 Email: nhmed@aol.com & nhmsppj@aol.com
Rhode Island	Michael E. Migliori, M.D. 690 Eddy Street Providence, RI 02903 Phone: 401/274-6622 Fax: 401/274-9462 Email: mmigliori@lifespan.org	Steve DeToy Rhode Island Medical Society 235 Promenade Street, Suite 500 Providence, RI 02908 Phone: 401/331-3207, Fax: 401/751-8050 Email: Sdetoy@rimed.org
Vermont	John J. Murray, M.D. 51 Timber Lane S. Burlington, VT 05403 Phone: 802/863-5069 Fax: 802/864-6475 Email: jackjmurray@aol.com	Paul Harrington Executive Vice President Vermont Medical Society P.O. Box 1457 Montpelier, VT 05601 Phone: 802/223-7898, Fax: 802/223-1201 Email: pharrington@vtmd.org

Rules

Each individual states' rules for AMA positions is stated below:

Connecticut	(no such rules for the delegation)
Maine	(no such rules for the delegation)
Massachusetts	Article XI. Candidates for National American Medical Association Positions: Potential candidates for American Medical Association positions must first obtain approval of the Delegation. They must receive approval on a secret ballot by at least two thirds of the members of the Delegation present and voting. They may not seek approval of the New England Delegation to the American Medical Association unless they first have received the approval of the Massachusetts Delegation.
New Hampshire	(no such rules for the delegation)
Rhode Island	(no such rules for the delegation)
Vermont	(no such rules for the delegation)

The Political Candidates Committee consists of six physician members, one from each New England state, elected by their respective delegations. The Delegation chair will serve as committee chair. It shall submit its recommendation for candidates for AMA office/committees.

POLITICAL CANDIDATES COMMITTEE (PCC)

The PCC will meet at the October meeting of the CNESMS/NED in Waltham and at the discretion of the Chair. At these meetings, each of the AMA Councils and Boards are reviewed concerning the future candidates to be brought forward from New England.

POLITICAL CANDIDATES COMMITTEE PROCEDURE

GOAL: To establish a more formalized process for the nomination of political candidates from New England that will ensure fairness and avoid miscommunication.

Any AMA and state society member who is a resident of New England and wishes to be considered by the NED for nomination to an elected or appointed position in the AMA, must notify the chair of their state delegation in writing on an annual basis prior to the Fall meeting of the NED and no later than September 1.  It is the responsibility of the individual member, not the state chair, to make sure their interest is given in writing on a yearly basis by the September 1^st deadline.

The written notification must state what position the individual is seeking and whether they want to be considered for the present round of elections/appointments, or whether they wish to be placed on an interested status.  All state chairs must communicate all written requests for consideration for any level of interest to the delegation chair, prior to the Fall NED meeting.

Potential candidates will be prioritized based on:  a) the date on which they indicated their intent and b) their electability.  All candidates must indicate ongoing interest on a yearly basis. 

Candidates for the present round of elections/appointments will then be considered by the PCC, in order of priority.  The PCC will use its judgment to make final selections, based on experience, timing and candidate qualifications.  The state chair will communicate the decision of the PCC to the state’s candidates.

Each member selected for support for an elected or appointed position can be supported up to two rounds of unsuccessful election or appointment.  The PCC can grant exception for a subsequent round based on special circumstances.

In general, incumbent members up for re-election or reappointment will receive NED support.  If a member state in the NED wants to put forward a candidate for the same position in which an incumbent NED member is running for re-election, the state can support their candidate, but the candidate will not receive NED endorsement.

Any PCC member who is actively running for a post will recuse from any candidate discussion for that position at the PCC meeting.  The delegation chair may excuse such an individual from that portion of the meeting.

AMA CAMPAIGN RULES

The AMA clearly states the parameters for conducting a campaign at the AMA level. See AMA Campaign Rules .

STATE SPECIALTY DELEGATES, RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS

State specialty, resident and student delegates are also included within the NED Political Candidates process. The political process is an important and critical process to follow in becoming a successful candidate for a position in the AMA. The New England Delegation cannot guarantee endorsement or support of any individual who does not follow the above guidelines in becoming a potential candidate.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Your state society is responsible for all costs associated with your candidacy.

ANNUAL MEETING MONDAY NIGHT RECEPTION

The Monday night reception at the AMA June Annual Meeting is the one "party/reception" for New England to promote the candidates for election. The Monday night reception costs are shared amongst the six states no matter which state that the candidates originate. The theme for the evening will be coordinated accordingly. AMA guidelines are followed in preparing for the evening concerning giveaways, raffles, stickers, pins, etc.

PRINTED MATERIALS

Candidate brochures, stickers, posters, etc. are the responsibility of your state society.

AVAILABLE RESOURCES/STAFF

The Delegation Chair is available at any time to assist potential candidates in further understanding the process.

Michele Boutin (Massachusetts Medical Society) serves as the Delegation staff (800-944-5562).