president resigns

[peaches70]

There is some confusion as to the true meaning of this statement. Does this mean the 1st vice President is now the President, or just doing the duties of the President until a new President is elected? What does RONR state as to the proper way to handle this. My opinion is the 1st Vice becomes the President, the 2nd Vice is now the !st Vice , and a vote to elect a 2nd vice is needed. Thank you for your input and all help from the past as well.

This is the wording in our documents.

In the absence of the President, or in the event of his inability to act, the First Vice President is empowered to act and shall thereupon be vested with the powers and duties of the President.

[JohnR]

Yes, your opinion is exactly right. You'll need to give previous notice of the election for 2nd Vice President.

[Guest Edgar]

There is some confusion as to the true meaning of this statement.

Then it's up to your organization to figure it out.

As far as RONR is concerned, as soon as the office of president is vacated (e.g. as soon as a resignation is accepted), the vice-president becomes the president.

But I would not assume that the "absence of the President" necessarily applies to a resignation, nor would "inability to act".

[Gary Novosielski]

Yes, it's one thing for a president to be absent, or to be (temporarily) unable to act. In that case the 1st VP is empowered to act, but does not become president. The president, when once more present and able to act, resumes the powers formerly shifted to the VP.

The succession rule, where the 1st VP becomes president, only occurs when the president leaves office, for whatever reason, before the completion of the normal term of office.

[Trina]

...

This is the wording in our documents.

In the absence of the President, or in the event of his inability to act, the First Vice President is empowered to act and shall thereupon be vested with the powers and duties of the President.

I'd look at it this way --

The quoted wording from your documents (bylaws?) doesn't apply to the case of the president's resignation. Thus, assuming RONR is your parliamentary authority, you would follow the rules in RONR in the event of the president's resignation, i.e. the 1st VP becomes president, the 2nd VP becomes 1st VP, and you fill the vacancy in the office of 2nd VP (just as you assumed). See RONR (11th ed.) p. 575 ll. 9-17.

[Gary c Tesser]

Wow, I think Trina is right that John R. is right. What jacquie quoted does not talk about the president's resignation. (If I have it right, then the other posters, Guest Edgar and Gary Novosielski, understandably were misled because the quoted bylaw provision is not germane. So it was misleading for jacquie to supply it*. That is, unless the organization has decided that the quoted provision does, indeed, apply to the case of a president's resignation, notwithstanding that, on the face of it, it doesn't.)

_______________

*In penance, jacquie must now stick around and answer other posters's questions herself. Maybe let Trina, GPW, John R and me to maybe take a few hours off and go fishing in West Virginia or Nova Scotia or maybe Trina's house.

[Guest Edgar]

(If I have it right, then the other posters, Guest Edgar and Gary Novosielski, understandably were misled because the quoted bylaw provision is not germane.)

I don't think either of us were misled at all.

[David A Foulkes]

Either way, I'd encourage Jacquie's org to clarify that rule to remove any doubt whether the president is absent or unable to act (whatever that means) at any particular moment.