Privilege of Chairman?

[Guest Esme Kaye]

I am on a seven member, relatively insignificant, town committee. We practice Parliamentary procedure very loosely, which in this case is not completely inappropriate, but I feel that our new chair is taking advantage of the situation. First,  at our last meeting the first chairman announced that he was going to resign and, in the same statement, nominated his successor, and without a second, called a vote, which passed unanimously. The new chair then, nominated the vice chairman. She did wait for a second, then the vote was called and it passed unanimously. I did not disapprove of the changes in roles, but thought the process should have played out differently. I thought it would have been more judicious if the chairman had resigned at the close of the last meeting, then nominations

The chair writes the agenda and this next meetings includes this as it's first item of business: "Chairman’s statement for entry into the record." Is this appropriate?

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Who created the committee? How were its members chosen?

[Josh Martin]

1 hour ago, Guest Esme Kaye said:

I am on a seven member, relatively insignificant, town committee. We practice Parliamentary procedure very loosely, which in this case is not completely inappropriate, but I feel that our new chair is taking advantage of the situation. First,  at our last meeting the first chairman announced that he was going to resign and, in the same statement, nominated his successor, and without a second, called a vote, which passed unanimously. The new chair then, nominated the vice chairman. She did wait for a second, then the vote was called and it passed unanimously. I did not disapprove of the changes in roles, but thought the process should have played out differently. I thought it would have been more judicious if the chairman had resigned at the close of the last meeting, then nominations

Has the parent assembly granted this committee the authority to elect its own chairman and vice chairman?

If so, it does not appear that anything which was done was improper.

1 hour ago, Guest Esme Kaye said:

The chair writes the agenda and this next meetings includes this as it's first item of business: "Chairman’s statement for entry into the record." Is this appropriate?

The rules of debate are relaxed in committees, so I see no problem with the chair making a statement while no motion is pending. I also see no problem with the chair placing this as the first item on the proposed agenda. The committee is free to amend the agenda if it wishes.

The one issue I have is I am not certain what “record” the chairman is referring to. Such a statement certainly should not be included in the minutes, but if the “record” is something else, I have no problem with it. It will ultimately, of course, be up to the committee to decide whether this statement is entered into “the record,” unless the committee has its own rules governing such matters.

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

5 minutes ago, Josh Martin said:

Has the parent assembly granted this committee the authority to elect its own chairman and vice chairman?

If so, it does not appear that anything which was done was improper.

Except perhaps the chairman railroading the election as a motion without permitting debate or other nominations.

[Josh Martin]

12 minutes ago, Guest Who's Coming to Dinner said:

Except perhaps the chairman railroading the election as a motion without permitting debate or other nominations.

Unlike electing an officer, selecting a committee chairman does not necessarily need to be handled as an election (unless the organization’s rules require it). It can simply be a motion to appoint a particular person.

You are correct, however, that the chairman should have asked for debate.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

2 hours ago, Guest Esme Kaye said:

I am on a seven member, relatively insignificant, town committee. We practice Parliamentary procedure very loosely, which in this case is not completely inappropriate, but I feel that our new chair is taking advantage of the situation. First,  at our last meeting the first chairman announced that he was going to resign and, in the same statement, nominated his successor, and without a second, called a vote, which passed unanimously. The new chair then, nominated the vice chairman. She did wait for a second, then the vote was called and it passed unanimously. I did not disapprove of the changes in roles, but thought the process should have played out differently. I thought it would have been more judicious if the chairman had resigned at the close of the last meeting, then nominations

The chair writes the agenda and this next meetings includes this as it's first item of business: "Chairman’s statement for entry into the record." Is this appropriate?

There are informalities for committees (see RONR 11th ed., p. 500).

[Guest Esme Kaye]

The venerable Dog Park Committee was created by the Board of Selectmen and its members were chosen by the town's Volunteer Committee. We do have the authority to select our own chairman, but my objection was exactly what some others said. The change in leadership of committee was "railroaded" through. The current chairperson is a conniving person, so it was clear to be that the deal had been done before the meeting, but not everybody knows her the way I do. She's also the owner of the largest dog walking business in the region, which is, arguably, a conflict of interest, but nobody seems to see it that way but me. I know there are exceptions for stupid little things like the dog park committee, but I'd rather do things right the first time rather than get voted down because we screwed up.

[Josh Martin]

12 hours ago, Guest Esme Kaye said:

We do have the authority to select our own chairman, but my objection was exactly what some others said. The change in leadership of committee was "railroaded" through.

The only violation in the process was that the chairman did not ask for debate.

Appointing a new committee chair is not like electing an officer of a society. Previous notice is not required and a member may move to appoint a particular person (rather than taking nominations). Additionally, in committees, the chairman is free to make motions, and motions do not require a second.

It is too late to do anything about this now. If something like this happens again, you could raise a Point of Order that the motion is debatable. If you wish to allow for nominations, you may move to strike the member’s name and insert a blank. If you wish to allow more time for consideration, you may move to postpone the motion to the next meeting. Ultimately, the committee will decide.