wwdslovene Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:25 PM Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:25 PM The Chair (or President) of a board is not supposed to opine. Does the same restriction applyto the Recording Secretary? Our organization is about to enact (we hope) a drastically revisedset of bylaws, and we would like everyone to have the opportunity to enter into any dialogueor debate (except the Chair of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:40 PM Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:40 PM The Secretary is under no obligation to keep his thoughts to himself in meetings (though the minutes he takes should only reflect what was done without any opinions included). Also, depending on the size of the Board the President may not have the duty to remain impartial. How many members does the Board have and typically how many attend the meetings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Wynn Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:41 PM Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:41 PM The Chair (or President) of a board is not supposed to opine. Does the same restriction applyto the Recording Secretary? Our organization is about to enact (we hope) a drastically revisedset of bylaws, and we would like everyone to have the opportunity to enter into any dialogueor debate (except the Chair of course).In a small board (about a dozen), the chair is permitted to enter into debate. There is no rule in RONR that prohibits the secretary from speaking in debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ed Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:50 PM Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:50 PM If the Secretary is a member of the assembly holding the meeting (in this case, if the Secretary is a member of the Board) then yes the Secretary can enter into debate, make motions, second motions, vote, etc. just like any other member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwdslovene Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:50 PM Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:50 PM Thank you for your replies. Our board consist of 15 members at this time, and we are going to increase it to 20-25 members. At the present time the Chair does not opine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:52 PM Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 05:52 PM See RONR, p. 448, lines 3-5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trina Posted February 13, 2012 at 06:34 PM Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 at 06:34 PM The Chair (or President) of a board is not supposed to opine. Does the same restriction applyto the Recording Secretary?...As a fairly opinionated recording secretary, I sure hope not .Seriously, though, Chris H. summed it up well -- the secretary must be careful not to put his or her opinions into the minutes. However, that does not translate into any restriction on expressing opinions during a meeting. Sometimes, for practical reasons (being busy writing something down) the secretary has to pass up an opportunity to express an opinion, but that is in no way a restriction on that person's rights as a member of the assembly.The fact that officers retain their membership rights is explicitly stated in the citation given by Mr. Mervosh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Edgar Posted February 14, 2012 at 02:47 AM Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 at 02:47 AM Our organization is about to enact (we hope) a drastically revised set of bylaws . . .I sure hope the word "opine" doesn't appear anywhere in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Wynn Posted February 14, 2012 at 03:07 AM Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 at 03:07 AM I sure hope the word "opine" doesn't appear anywhere in them.Thanks for mentioning it. We were all thinking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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