conflict of interest

[Guest Woody]

A member of an organization is claiming a conflict of interest. He is the chairman of the executive committee of one organization that has issues with organization #2. This same individual is the chapter president of organization #2. Organization #1 is calling for a meeting to decide on the issue at hand.

To avoid any conflict, the member in question is not willing to speak on behalf of organization #2.

Is this individual entitled to a voice or even be present at the the meeting of organization #1? It seems like any participation on his part would re-open that conflict of interest that he is hiding under in the first place.

Your thoughts??

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Your thoughts?

Are you interested in "thoughts", or interested in what Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR 10th ed. 2000) has to say?

A member of an organization is claiming a conflict of interest.

He is the chairman of the executive committee of one organization that has issues with organization #2.

This same individual is the chapter president of organization #2.

Organization #1 is calling for a meeting to decide on the issue at hand.

To avoid any conflict, the member in question is not willing to speak on behalf of organization #2.

Q. Is this individual entitled to a voice or even be present at the the meeting of organization #1?

It seems like any participation on his part would re-open that conflict of interest that he is hiding under in the first place.

Members are entitled to a "voice" (as you say).

Members are entitled to vote.

Members are entitled to stay present within a meeting.

The Book says that a conflicted member ought not vote.

The Book says that you cannot force a member to not-vote.

See page 394 in RONR Tenth Edition.

[jstackpo]

RONR deals with conflict of interest - calling it "direct personal interest" - on p. 394 in a quite limited manner, and specifies no prohibitions based on it.

Anything further will be up to your association to decide.

[Josh Martin]

Anything further will be up to your association to decide.

...although if such decisions involve depriving an individual member of his rights based on a "conflict of interest," such rules would need to be in the Bylaws.