I m p ressio n s
Ref lections on Loss
by Dr. Stephen T. Radack III, Editor
Before you send me an email or give me
a call, NO I did not have a death in the
family, although the most recent loss sure
feels that way. The loss I am writing
about is not a loss of a loved one, but the
loss of an election. As we all know, our
previous American Dental Association (ADA) Third District Trustee
Dr. Andy Kwasny spent the last year and half running for
president-elect of the ADA. The election was held at the ADA
Annual Meeting in Atlanta in October. Andy was running
against Dr. Jeff Cole of Delaware (Fourth District) and Dr. Gary
Jeffers of Michigan (Ninth District). Unfortunately Andy was not
the successful candidate as the House of Delegates elected
Dr. Cole who is also a past president of the Academy of General
Dentistry (AGD).
What made this loss so much more painful to me is that Andy
was an outstanding candidate, was well received on his visits to
the district caucuses around the country and delivered a “home
run” speech in front of the house at the opening session. There
was a lot of good buzz during the entire meeting about him
right up until the announcement of the winner of the elections.
Andy is also one of my best friends, and we had spent hours
during the last couple years discussing the chance to be ADA
president and what he could do for our organization. It was also
my privilege to serve as his finance chair and treasurer of the
campaign. You never want to see a friend go through this. One
minute so high and hopeful and the next completely stunned
at the loss.
I have been through the same loss twice before. In 2009 I served
in the same role when Dr. Bill Glecos ran for ADA president-
elect. I had been to several ADA Annual Meetings since 1994
and been through these elections, but never a part of one.
Having a candidate from your state, let alone being from your
home town, was a true honor. The meeting was in Honolulu
that year and we had a full delegation ready to bring home the
victory for Bill and Pennsylvania, but again we did not get the
results we had all hoped for. In 2013 our Dr. Charlie Weber ran
for president-elect. The meeting was held in New Orleans and
our candidate was not the victor.
In 2009 and 2013 we all wondered what we as a delegation or
our candidate could have done better. Was the “winner” that
much better than Bill or Charlie. Could it have been the record
during the four years on the ADA Board of Trustees? Was it the
platform? Was it the speech or something about the way they
looked? Could the answer to a question have been a contributing
factor? Had a “deal” been made? Was there politics in play in the
house? Say it isn’t so. There is always a lot of soul searching that
goes on after these elections, especially after a loss.
This year things would be different because we had been
through the process twice in the last eight years and learned
what we did right and what we could have improved on. Andy
had a great plan; he knew how he wanted to present his
campaign and himself as a candidate – a candidate who hoped
to communicate better with his constituents and make sure the
ADA was there when we needed it no matter what stage we
were in our careers. Was his platform and presentation that
much different than his opponents? I thought so and many of
the people we had talked to thought so as well. So how could
we (Pennsylvania) end up with this result for a third time?
Well I have had some time (a few weeks when this was written)
to reflect on this loss and here are some of the things I will
always wonder about. You can bet if I wonder about them, Andy
does as well only multiplied by 100!
Did it matter that Andy was an orthodontist? A retired one at
that? One of his opponents was an oral surgeon. Was the
sentiment to not elect a specialist this year? Did the general
dentists favor one of their own, especially one who has already
served as president of AGD? Did it matter that one of the
members of your own delegation actively campaigned against
you and encouraged a vote for your opponent? I have always
been very proud of our Third District delegation because we
have never voted as a block and each person votes his or her
conscience. Having a difference of opinion is healthy, but
maintaining a united front in public, especially when WE have
a candidate in the race and especially when PDA dollars have
been used for that campaign, is important. Could being accused
of plagiarizing part of the biggest speech of your life taint you
as a candidate and send delegates running for one of the other
candidates? Yes you read the last line right. Most of you know
Andy, and you are as shocked as I was when I heard that he had
been accused of that. Imagine how Andy felt. The campaign
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