Politics with Respect

After weeks of campaigning, several members of the THRIVE Self Advocate group were elected to the offices of President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Excitement was in the air as the members of the Self Advocate group gathered to hear the candidates speak. It was a festive occasion and voters were greeted with posters enumerating the qualifications of each candidate as they arrived. Balloons adorned the tables and many political mementoes were handed out by the candidates in an effort to garner last minute voter support. Each candidate was given an opportunity to present a speech detailing their qualifications and experience. In turn, the voters had an opportunity to ask many probing questions of each candidate. Each speech, as well as the questions and comments were respectfully considered. The panel of candidates included: President-Tina Cawley, Becky Hand, Brenda Scott, and Stephen Huff Secretary- Erin Balcom, Nancy Hayden Treasurer- David Nichols, Lilly Johnson, and Joseph Fitapelli After ballots were collected and counted the winners were: Brenda Scott- President, Erin Balcom-Secretary, and David Nichols- Treasurer Several of the Self Advocates were involved in making the election a success. Special mention was made that Cory Tatton was instrumental in helping several candidates with their campaign strategies. Visit our Flickr site at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/delarc/ to view more photos of the election.