Elections

The elections are held in May, on the evening of the GHI Annual Membership Meeting and the following day at the GHI Offices on Hamilton Place.

GHI’s Three Elected Offices

GHI Board of Directors: The GHI Board of Directors sets policy and oversees the management of the property, business, and affairs of GHI. The Board also oversees the performance of the general manager, who manages all GHI staff employees. Board members are involved in planning and setting priorities for the cooperative, especially through setting and adopting the annual operating budget. The Board reviews and votes on all membership applications and considers member-requested exceptions to existing policy and regulations.

The Board’s work mainly occurs at its regular, twice-monthly meetings. The Board also meets for additional work sessions throughout the year to consider topics in depth. GHI’s volunteer membership committees are appointed by and report to the Board. Each Board member serves as a liaison to one or more of the volunteer membership committees and often attends the monthly committee meetings

Audit Committee: The Audit Committee is responsible directly to the members and reports annually to the members on its activities. The Audit Committee’s three members serve one-year terms. The committee’s fundamental role is to provide oversight. The committee does not perform GHI’s annual financial audit; however, it reviews and evaluates financial and other operations of GHI. Generally, this means ensuring that business decisions, actions taken at meetings, and day-to-day management are conducted according to the GHI bylaws and established policies.

Audit committee members do not have to be financial or legal experts, but rather members with an interest in sound and ethical business practices. The committee has considerable discretion as to what it focuses on, and it can employ outside professional help when expertise is needed.

Nominations & Elections Committee: The five members of the Nominations & Elections Committee are elected to one-year terms by a floor vote of the members at the annual meeting. The committee’s responsibilities include preparing publicity and other written materials needed for elections, soliciting members to become candidates for office, submitting nominations for the annual election, administering all aspects of membership elections including the election at May’s annual meeting and any other referendums, performing ballot counts, and certifying election results to the board and the members. The Nominations & Elections Committee selects its own chair, who is designated in the bylaws as the director of elections. The committee has a good deal of freedom to define its own schedule and activities but typically meets from October until the annual meeting and election in May.

Running for GHI Office

Any GHI member in good standing who is thinking of running for a GHI office or would like more information about elections should review the annual candidate packet, which is available online by clicking here, or a paper copy from the GHI offices. Interested candidates should read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the Election Schedule to learn more about running for an elected office and the election process. Prospective candidates will need to submit a candidate consent form and a candidate biography by the deadlines.