Why I Wish Rosemary Bray McNatt Had Run For UUA President

(if Rev. McNatt happens to read this, I hope she sees this as the compliment it was intended to be)

I have been asked why I have been disappointed in the campaign run by both Hallman and Morales. I think it can be boiled down to one word: deflection. Both candidates deflect more often than they answer questions directly. And deflection can only go so far; at some point a candidate must answer the question posed or lose credibility.

That said, I think I should tell why I wish Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt had run for UUA President.

If you, like me, have read Rev. McNatt's memoir, then you know that Rev. McNatt can be brutally frank about the rough parts of life. No deflection there. And that's something that I think that the UUA needs...brutal frankness.

Also, I think there is something to being a minister in New York City....a sort of no-nonsense directness that Rev. McNatt would have brought.

A third thing....Rev. McNatt (I believe) has a following among many UUs that could be marshaled in a positive way. With that, I think there are some internal discussions that could happen (like the continuing humanist/theist thing....or what exactly we mean when we talk about congregational polity) in a different way because some people would come to the table who might not have before.

Fourthly, Rev. McNatt's former life as a journalist means that she has a way of communicating that doesn't automatically put people off. No "minister-ease" or "theology-ease".

But of course, I am seeing these things from afar. And maybe I am projecting qualities on Rev. McNatt that she doesn't have. However I do think that there are some issues that the UUA is facing that really could have used Rev. McNatt's presence.