In a swift pace that stunned many observers, some 350 delegates meeting in a special convention swept aside five other candidates and elected the Rt. Rev. Ronald H. Haines diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Washington on the second ballot on June 30. Although some delegates predicted the election might require five or six ballots to choose a new bishop, Haines had a commanding lead on the first ballot and won easily on the second ballot.

Results of the second ballot, displayed on an audiovisual screen, reported the required majorities from both clergy and laity to elect Haines. According to the Washington Post, when the special convention realized that Haines was elected, "a gasp swept through the congregation, and delegates jumped to their feet to applaud their new leader." Later the bells of the Church of the Epiphany -- where the special convention met -- pealed for a half hour to announce the action to downtown Washington.

As leader of more than 39,000 Episcopalians in an area that includes sleepy Maryland suburbs, the center of the nation's political power, and a city with one of the highest crime rates in the country, Haines's job as bishop will require the kind of support represented by his easy election victory.

Haines has prodded the Episcopal Church to take an active role in addressing the pressing problems of crime, drugs, homelessness, and poverty in Washington, DC. "I want to speak to many of you in the next few months to formulate the energy we're going to need... to address so many of the needs we see around us," he said.

Describing "healing" as one of his first priorities, Haines has admitted that he is faced with a challenge to forge innovative leadership "to develop ministries that bridge language and cultural differences."

The special election that chose Haines concluded a months-long search that cost nearly $100,000 and involved narrowing a list of 300 persons to the final six candidates, including a woman and a black man. Haines had served the Diocese of Washington for four years as suffragan bishop and the past nine months as acting bishop after the sudden death of Bishop John T. Walker.

Some delegates reportedly felt that Haines's performance as suffragan -- and acting bishop after Walker's death -- gave him an edge over the other candidates. "The purple obviously brought out the best in him," said one of Haines's supporters in the diocese.

As bishop, Haines will become chief executive officer of the Washington Cathedral and will play a major role in naming the next dean of the cathedral. Since the long-awaited completion of the cathedral will take place in September, Haines will have the opportunity to affect the next stage in the mission of the cathedral as well as the diocese.

Haines may also wear a special mantle of influence as long as the president of the United States is an Episcopalian. President and Mrs. George Bush often attend services at the Washington Cathedral or other Episcopal churches in the city.

Haines will be installed as the seventh bishop of Washington at a festival celebration in Washington Cathedral sometime this fall after a majority of diocesan standing committees and bishops give their consent.

Haines spent several years as an engineer in private business before ordination to the priesthood in 1967. He served as rector of churches in the South Bronx and in South Carolina before becoming bishop's deputy in Western North Carolina in 1981. Haines and his wife, Mary, have six children.