Bowing to strong criticism at the Council meeting in Boston on May 13, 1982, the sponsors of the Limited Voting Rights Proposal, after caucusing, withdrew the proposal with its associated bylaws changes. Opponents of the measure had charged that it contained many ambiguities and contradictions that might result in lower standards, weaken the incentive for certification, and create divisive tensions between Board and Council.
In the place of the original proposal, a motion was offered and passed by a vote of 23 to 15, stating that “The Council supports the concept of some form of permanent membership for all graduates in good standing of accredited Institutes.” A second motion, passed by a similarly wide margin, recommended that the President, in consultation with the Chairman of the board on Professional Standards, appoint an ad hoc committee to “work out the details to accomplish this purpose … in an expeditious fashion.”
In other actions, the Executive Council elected Drs. Herbert S. Gaskill and Robert S. Wallerstein to the Exploratory Subcommittee of the Nominating Committee, replacing Drs. Kenneth Calder and Warren Kennison, whose terms expired. The following were nominated for offices of the Council: For Secretary, Drs. Sander Abend, Alvin Frank, and Edith Sabshin; for Treasurer, Drs. Boyd Burris, Bernard Pacella, and Howard Schlossman; for two Councilors-at-Large, Drs. Milton Bronstein, John MacLeod, Frank Parcells, and Stanley Weiss.
The Council also approved the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Stipends that stipends not be paid to the President or the Chairman of the Board at this time.