Bylaws Chair Acting as Parliamentarian

[TSchroeder]

I am new to this forum so I apologize if this question has been asked. I can't find an archive of previously asked questions and nothing came up when I "searched" the forum.

My question is this: I feel we use our bylaws chair inappropriately. He/she is expected to be a Robert's Rules expert(with no training, just the book) during our annual business meeting. I think it is time we pay for a professional to come and "referee" our meetings. They do tend to get heated at times. Am I wrong? Is it appropriate to use our bylaws chair as a parliamentarian?

Thank you.

[George Mervosh]

No rule prohibits it.

As to hiring one - " If a parliamentarian is needed by an organization, the president should be free to appoint one in whom he has confidence. The board or society must approve any fee that will be required, however. If needed for only one meeting, a parliamentarian should be appointed as far as possible in advance of the meeting at which he is to serve, since his main work should be done outside the meeting." RONR, p. 449

[David A Foulkes]

I am new to this forum so I apologize if this question has been asked. I can't find an archive of previously asked questions and nothing came up when I "searched" the forum.

My question is this: I feel we use our bylaws chair inappropriately. He/she is expected to be a Robert's Rules expert(with no training, just the book) during our annual business meeting. I think it is time we pay for a professional to come and "referee" our meetings. They do tend to get heated at times. Am I wrong? Is it appropriate to use our bylaws chair as a parliamentarian?

Thank you.

I think it's fair to say if you're going to have a parliamentarian, it should be someone who knows a bit more than how to read (the book). I'm not saying you need a professional at $100/hour, or whatever the going rate is. But the person should be able to render advice competently and accurately, and somewhat quickly enough so that the meetings don't come to a grinding halt as he thumbs through the index.

I think it's also fair to say that with the right person in the chair, the services of a parliamentarian should come into play only rarely. So part of the equation is having a good chair who also knows the bylaws, as well as RONR, and the best procedures needed to preside.

My two cents.

[Rob Elsman]

I am new to this forum so I apologize if this question has been asked. I can't find an archive of previously asked questions and nothing came up when I "searched" the forum.

My question is this: I feel we use our bylaws chair inappropriately. He/she is expected to be a Robert's Rules expert(with no training, just the book) during our annual business meeting. I think it is time we pay for a professional to come and "referee" our meetings. They do tend to get heated at times. Am I wrong? Is it appropriate to use our bylaws chair as a parliamentarian?

Thank you.

Before you all spend a lot of money hiring a professional parliamentarian, you might want to read RONR (10th ed.), pp. 449-451. You'll find out that it is not the role of the parliamentarian to "referee" a meeting. Even with a parliamentarian at hand, the regular presiding officer enforces the rules and maintains order. Your group might do better to properly train the presiding officer or replace him with someone else who is better prepared and willing to perform his duties diligently.

[Shmuel Gerber]

I think it is time we pay for a professional to come and "referee" our meetings. They do tend to get heated at times. Am I wrong? Is it appropriate to use our bylaws chair as a parliamentarian?

If you, as a member of your organization who actually knows what your meetings are like, believe it is time to pay for the assistance of a professional parliamentarian, I don't know why anyone here is trying to dissuade you.

There are certainly professionals available who could either chair the meeting or coach the regular presiding officer in doing so.

And, after you all see how it should be done, you may want to either invest more time and/or money in learning how to do it yourselves, or continue to hire a professional to assist, or both, and there is nothing wrong with doing any of that.

Now you just have to convince the rest of your membership.

[Shmuel Gerber]

I think it's fair to say if you're going to have a parliamentarian, it should be someone who knows a bit more than how to read (the book).

But that would be a very, very, very good start.

[TSchroeder]

If you, as a member of your organization who actually knows what your meetings are like, believe it is time to pay for the assistance of a professional parliamentarian, I don't know why anyone here is trying to dissuade you.

There are certainly professionals available who could either chair the meeting or coach the regular presiding officer in doing so.

And, after you all see how it should be done, you may want to either invest more time and/or money in learning how to do it yourselves, or continue to hire a professional to assist, or both, and there is nothing wrong with doing any of that.

Now you just have to convince the rest of your membership.

[TSchroeder]

I appreciate all of the comments. We do have difficulties getting members to come to the business meetings because of various reasons. There are a few culprits, the main one being the person who has served as parliamentarian (forever). I do believe it is time to bring someone in from the outside who is not associated with the membership. If we can't afford it we'll figure out something as something has to change. Thank you.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

... I do believe it is time to bring someone in from the outside who is not associated with the membership.

If we can't afford it we'll figure out something as something has to change.

Tip.

Sometimes, an organization will ask for help from a superior body, such as a county organization asking help from the state organization, or a state organization asking help from the national organization.

You can do the same. You might consider asking your superior organization for one of its trouble-shooters, like a vice president, like a liaison committee chairman, to come on down and act as the presiding office for a given troublesome meeting.

Caveat: Not that he would know anything about Robert's Rules of Order -- but that he would know the people, know the bylaws, know the traditions, know similar affiliates with similar problems, and so could more easily customize a solution which he knows is consistent with your rules and consistent with the history of the organization.

E.g., in Toastmasters, a club would lean on an Area Governor.

E.g., in Little League Baseball, a local league would lean on a Regional Governor.

E.g., in a church, the congregation would lean on its bishop.

And so on.