Presiding officer

[Guest Charles Brown]

If the secretary calls for a meeting, the purpose of which is to remove the president from the board,does the secretary, by virtue of having called the meeting, automatically become the chair even thought the president will be attending the meeting as well or is it necessary to have a motion, a second and a vote to establish who will be the chair. If the latter is the case who is it that calls the meeting to order and oversess the motion and the vote ?

[jstackpo]

Gotta ask an initial question: do the bylaws authorize the secretary to "call a meeting" in the first place?

Do they authorize anyone, or any body, to call what, in RONR's terms, would be a "special meeting"?

We'll pick up from those answers. (Maybe tomorrow - I'm getting sleepy.)

[Guest Charles Brown]

Yes the By-laws specifically authorize the Secretary as well as the President to call a Special Meeting

[Guest GcT]

...

We'll pick up from those answers. (Maybe tomorrow - I'm getting sleepy.)

Well, then. And since you're presumably fresh and rested, can you go back to your sensible plan with the virgules and asterisks?

[Larry Cisar]

Has the President been formally charged?

[Tim Wynn]

If the secretary calls for a meeting, the purpose of which is to remove the president from the board,does the secretary, by virtue of having called the meeting, automatically become the chair even thought the president will be attending the meeting as well or is it necessary to have a motion, a second and a vote to establish who will be the chair. If the latter is the case who is it that calls the meeting to order and oversess the motion and the vote ?

See RONR (11th ed.), p. 451, ll. 29-35 & pp. 452-453.

Whether or not this disciplinary action is being handled properly is a different question, for a different thread, perhaps.

[jstackpo]

No matter what the purpose of the special meeting, the president, if he/she is there, presides.

If you want someone else to preside, remove him from the chair by suspending the rules pf order -- p. 652.

[Tim Wynn]

No matter what the purpose of the special meeting, the president, if he/she is there, presides.

If you want someone else to preside, remove him from the chair by suspending the rules pf order -- p. 652.

The rules don't need suspension to get the president out of the chair during a motion to discipline or remove him.

[jstackpo]

The rules don't need suspension to get the president out of the chair during a motion to discipline or remove him.

Where's that?

I'm not challenging your statement; I just haven't got to the largely rewritten last two chapters of the book. Is it in there?

'Course, to bounce the presiden out of the chair at the very start of the meeting, before any other motions are made, will require the 2/3 rule suspension. Whether the chair will go quietly, is another matter.

[Tim Wynn]

Where's that?

I'm not challenging your statement; I just haven't got to the largely rewritten last two chapters of the book. Is it in there?

'Course, to bounce the presiden out of the chair at the very start of the meeting, before any other motions are made, will require the 2/3 rule suspension. Whether the chair will go quietly, is another matter.

P. 451, ll. 29-35.

[Burke Balch]

RONR (11th ed.) p. 652, ll. 7-11 & n.*

[Tim Wynn]

A special meeting for the purpose of removing the president from office, as a practical matter, if there is quorum, won't leave much for the president to preside over after calling the meeting to order.

[Guest Charles Brown]

Yes the President has received a cc of the charges 10 days ago as required in the by-laws

and a special meeting has been called by the Secretary as provided in the by -laws. This meeting will follow a regularly scheduled meeting.

[jstackpo]

Ooops, now there is, in what you say, another problem, which, if the president is antagonistic and crafty (and well versed in RONR), he/she could call you on and gum up the works.

It isn't proper to call a special meeting for a time AFTER a regularly scheduled meeting, per RONR, p. 92 (11th Ed.) Although I suppose you might argue (also p. 92) that this is a special meeting called "to dedicate an entire session..." -- the "dedicate an entire session" rule is new to RONR/11. Whether "dedicate..." means you can call a special meeting after a regular meeting is not immediately apparent. Authorship team?

Also, your bylaws may supersede the "not after" rule.

[Dan Honemann]

Ooops, now there is, in what you say, another problem, which, if the president is antagonistic and crafty (and well versed in RONR), he/she could call you on and gum up the works.

It isn't proper to call a special meeting for a time AFTER a regularly scheduled meeting, per RONR, p. 92 (11th Ed.) Although I suppose you might argue (also p. 92) that this is a special meeting called "to dedicate an entire session..." -- the "dedicate an entire session" rule is new to RONR/11. Whether "dedicate..." means you can call a special meeting after a regular meeting is not immediately apparent. Authorship team?

Also, your bylaws may supersede the "not after" rule.

Nothing in RONR precludes the calling of a special meeting for a date which is beyond the date of the next scheduled regular meeting.

[jstackpo]

It would appear to violate the "reason" of a special meeting to do so, however. Bottom of p. 91 - top 92.

Can't have parliamentarians acting "unreasonably" now, can we?

[Dan Honemann]

It would appear to violate the "reason" of a special meeting to do so, however. Bottom of p. 91 - top 92.

No, it doesn't.

[Guest McGuire]

I've read this only quickly, but isn't there something in RONR that would prevent a President from presiding over a meeting dedicated to considering a proposal to remove the President? A conflict of interest?

[Dan Honemann]

I've read this only quickly, but isn't there something in RONR that would prevent a President from presiding over a meeting dedicated to considering a proposal to remove the President? A conflict of interest?

Read it again more slowly.

[Tim Wynn]

I've read this only quickly, but isn't there something in RONR that would prevent a President from presiding over a meeting dedicated to considering a proposal to remove the President? A conflict of interest?

RONR says he should not preside during the consideration of such a motion. It says no such thing about his presiding over other portions of the meeting.

[Guest Charles Brown]

There is only one item on the agenda for the special meeting. That is the removal of the President from the

board and removing him/her as president. All board members have a cc of the agenda.The meeting was scedhuled to immediately follow a regular board meeting due to the fact that it is hard to get all of the members together for a phone conference at one time.

[Rob Elsman]

Nothing in RONR precludes the calling of a special meeting for a date which is beyond the date of the next scheduled regular meeting.

Aside from disciplinary actions, RONR (11th ed.), pp. 660, 661, you don't view this as an infringement on the freedom of each session by putting the topic for the special meeting out of the regular meeting's reach, RONR (11th ed.), p. 87, ll. 6-21?

[Dan Honemann]

Aside from disciplinary actions, RONR (11th ed.), pp. 660, 661, you don't view this as an infringement on the freedom of each session by putting the topic for the special meeting out of the regular meeting's reach, RONR (11th ed.), p. 87, ll. 6-21?

No, because it doesn't put it out of reach of the assembly at it's next regular meeting.

[Rob Elsman]

No, because it doesn't put it out of reach of the assembly at it's next regular meeting.

I think I'm going to have to chew on that one for a while.

[Sean Hunt]

I think I'm going to have to chew on that one for a while.

I think he is referring to the noticeable lack of any rule specifying that the regular meeting is precluded from considering the matter for which the special meeting was called.