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EDITORIAL

A Most Unusual Meeting
Final trip to ADA Annual Session as delegate brings mixed emotions and several surprises.

I HAVE JUST RETURNED from the Annual Session of the American Dental Association, where I served as a delegate to the ADA House. This was my last year as a delegate. My tenure ended this year, as the Eighth District term limits its governors, who also serve as ADA delegates.I look back on my experiences as a delegate with mixed emotions. Each House brings its own challenges and opportunities. This year was no different. In fact, this year’s House was a particularly vexing one. The Annual Session was held in Hawaii. I know it was in Hawaii because I flew there to attend the session; however, I didn’t see much of our 50th state, as I was in meetings the majority ofthe time. Most days, we started at 7 a.m. and didn’t get done until well after 5 p.m.—so much for attending a meeting in paradise! As I said, this year’s session was particularly challenging.There is a lot going on in the ADA, some of which I can talk about and some of which I can’t. The House spent a great deal of time in attorney-client session; about those deliberations, my lips are sealed, asthey must be.
Point of Reference

I was honored to be selected to serve on a reference committee. The reference committees are put together by the Board of Trustees to
4 NYSDJ • NOVEMBER 2009

hear testimony on all the resolutions before the House that year. I served on the Legal, Legislative and Public Affairs Matters Reference Committee. The committees take testimony about resolutions before theHouse and determine consensus opinions on the proposals. They also give you an idea about the concerns other dentists from across the nation have about issues facing dentistry and the ADA. Once the reference committee hears all testimony, its members retire to a private room to discuss the testimony and to modify resolutions as they see fit. How much time this takes is determined by the number ofresolutions the committee has under its purview and the amount of testimony each resolution receives. Legal and Legislative had 17 resolutions to discuss.We were done on Saturday afternoon around 5 p.m. NYSDA’s caucus met twice, once on Friday morning, beginning at 7 a.m., and again on Sunday, beginning at 7 a.m. At the caucus meeting, delegates go over resolutions before the House and discuss whatposition our caucus should take on them. Most of the work is done on Sunday, since the reference committee reports become available then. It is these resolutions that will be voted on in the House. Also during that Sunday caucus, the candidates for office of the ADA visit to plead their case as to why they should be elected.

During the first session of the House, held Friday afternoon, threemembers were nominated from the floor for two offices, one for treasurer and two for speaker of the house.While nominations from the floor are allowed under the ADA Constitution and Bylaws, it is rarely done. In fact, I had never seen it happen. Nor had any other delegate I spoke with. Because of these additional nominations, 10 candidates visited our caucus on Sunday. The House meets four times.This year, it met five times to accommodate an additional attorney-client session, the subject of which I am not at liberty to disclose. Sorry about that.
Down to Business

NYSDA
D i r e c t o r y

OFFICERS

Michael R. Breault, President 1638 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308

Stephen B. Gold, Immediate Past President 8 Medical Dr., Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776

Robert J. Doherty, President ElectMark J. Feldman, Interim Executive Director 280 Mamoroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605 20 Corporate Woods Boulevard, Albany, NY 12211 Chad P.Gehani, Vice President 35-40 82nd St., Jackson Heights, NY 11372 Richard F. Andolina, Secretary-Treasurer 74 Main St., Hornell, NY 14843 William R. Calnon, ADA Trustee 3220 Chili Ave., Rochester, NY 14624

BOARD OF GOVERNORS
NY County-Lawrence A. Bailey...