How To Address Officials Not Yet in Office (original) (raw)

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How to Address an Official, Elected or Appointed Who Has Not Taken Office FYI, here is what's come in to the Blog that relates to this office/rank. For recent questions sent in, check out Robert Hickey's Blog. For specific offices/ranks, check out Robert Hickey's On-Line Guide. How to Address a Governor-elect? How do I address a letter salutation to a Governor-elect? -- Gayle P. Dear Gayle, I have that form of address on page 190 of my book. A governor-elect is immediately the Honorable since he or she has been elected in a general election. And in the salutation use the honorific ... Mr., Ms., Dr. ... he or she would be entitled to -- prior to the election. Use of Governor as an honorific is reserved for the current ... singular ... official. One might introduce him or her as The Governor-elect ... but it's not actually a title or office or position .... it's more of a state of being! -- Robert Hickey How To Address a Mayor-Elect? I have a question that I cannot seem to find an answer to. Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel is coming to our building today. If I have the occasion to address him personally, should I call him Your Honor even though he will not take office for two months? Or is he simply Mr. Emanuel still? - Laurie in Chicago Dear Laurie: Address him as Mr. Emanuel. He will be addressed with the forms of address due a Mayor when he takes the oath and is sworn in. He is already The Honorable Rahm Emanuel on a letter because he has been elected office, but won't be addressed as the mayor until he takes office. -- Robert HickeyHow to Address an Official Before His or Her Term Begins? We have new Planning Commissioners. The people on this commission are appointed by County Council. My question is three-fold: 1) When addressing their congratulatory letter (from our department) do I address it as Mr. John Smith, Commissioner Elect? Or something else? 2) When addressing envelopes, I usually type Commissioner John Q. Public. Would that be Commissioner Elect? Or Commissioner Pro Tem? 3) Finally: If they come to a meeting (June) before they actually take term (July), do I seat them up front or to the side with the Sitting Commissioners & does their name plaque need to say Commissioner Elect or Commissioner Pro Tem?Again, these are appointed, not elected, and have not taken term yet. -- Julie, Darlington, SC Dear Julie: Great question ... you are really taking care to get this right! Since they weren't elected ... don't call them commissioner-elect like the President-elect of the United States. And don't call them pro tempore since that would imply they were acting as an official in the absence of the regular official ... like the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate acts for The President of the Senate when he or she is away. A better term would be designate which they use in Washington to describe an official chosen but before his or her service begins like a Deputy Secretary of State Designate When addressing the congratulatory letter, address it to: Mr. John Smith (address) or Mr. John Smith Commissioner Designate (address) Use as a salutation -- prior to being officially becoming a commissioner -- use: Dear Mr. Smith, Before they begin their service ... seat them in a good spot ... but not with the sitting commissioners. So to the side sounds good or in the front of the public area perhaps. It will all depend on the configuration of the seats. Typically FORMER Officials are seated with, but after or behind current office holders ... but that is to recognize their past service ... and your new commissioners don't have any completed service yet. -- Robert Hickey How to Introduce the The Speaker of the House and The President-elect of the United States ?January 6, 2009Dear Sir: A quick question for you… President-Elect Barack Obama will be meeting with the Speaker. In making an introduction, I think it would be appropriate to introduce Obama to Pelosi, given that the Speaker’s current position takes precedence. Would you agree? Obama is not yet the President, but he is no longer Senator. Would it be appropriate to say the following, “Madam Speaker, I would like to introduce to you Senator Obama, President-Elect of the United States.” _--- KB on Capitol Hill_Dear KB:Yes, the Speaker has higher precedence in the introduction, President-elect is not on precedence lists -- but "Senator" is ... and a Senator is lower than Speaker of the House. The wording you suggest sounds good. Or you could say "Madame Speaker may I present the President-elect" or "Madame Speaker may I present the President-elect of the United States" Since you address her by her office, maybe it's a elegant to identify him by his? She knows he's Senator Obama. -- Robert Hickey

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