Guest-Secretary

[Guest Guest]

Please, can you help. I need an answer by Friday morning 9-13-13.

First, the situation:  I am a secretary(9 years) for a chapter for a well know car club. Our chapter consists of 1/2 the region members. I am well liked in the club and go above and beyond to support this club.

Three years ago, one of our members wrote a Defamation letter about me to the Region newsletter. This letter was nothing but lies to humiliate me. His wife was editor of the Region newsletter and "published" this letter and sent to our whole region or 220 families, National board members and is in the club's National Library.  This should have stayed in the chapter and not be published at all, much less sending it to the whole region and others.  I was humiliated and embarrassed to the point of resigning and not attending events, meetings, etc. (About 6 months later I became secretary to the twin chapter (which there was a merge of the two chapters)  This member is a constant complainer at numerous chapter and region meetings, and disrupts meetings and events with his constant complaining. 

 

A month ago, I hosted the chapter tour and picnic at my home for 100+ members and guests.  I did not invite this troublemaker for a number of reasons, mainly due to the defamation and vindictivness, and to protect my home, and the members from a miserable old man ruining a fun time.   I received a nasty call from this member a week before the picnic saying he did not get the information.  I personally wrote him a letter on personal stationary (not club stationary) saying he could attend the driving tour, was not invited to the picnic as he is not welcome in my home.    I did not hear from him again prior to the picnic. I felt I had the right to protect myself and my home, and the enjoyment of a fun time for the other members and guests.     Almost one month later, I received a letter with copies to the Chapter President, Vice President, Treasurer, and the Region President, which included the personal letter I wrote to him, saying he was not welcome in my home. This was malicious and vindictive on his part involving others, it should have been between he and I.   A couple days later I received a call from the Region president (also a member of our chapter), telling me he called National.   I was told I could not ban a member that I should not have an event at my home if I did not want him here.   If I did not have the picnic, the members would be really disappointed not having the chapter picnic. The picnic was at someone elses home for 40 years, and this was my second year of many in the future (well not any more).   So the Region president also told me that this member plans on attending our meeting this coming Friday (9-15-13) and bringing this up.  So now this person want to disrupt the meeting and involve all the members when it should have been a personal matter. 

 

There are 4 members to our executive board, president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The treasurer does not want his name on the letter asking this member to resign his membership for actions unbecoming a member, andthe treasurer  will resign as he is friends with this member.  We need a unanimous vote of the board to have this man resign ot to terminate him.  

 

If the treasurer resigns, will the 3 remaining officers be considered a unanimous vote?

 

What is  a deliberative assembly?  Just in case...      (Right of an Assembly to Eject any one from its Place of Meeting. Every deliberative assembly has the right to decide who may be present during its session; and when the assembly, either by a rule or by a vote, decides that a certain person shall not remain in the room, it is the duty of the chairman to enforce the rule of order, using whatever force is necessary to eject the party.)

 

 

There is nothing in the by-laws for our chapter, region or National, at all, about not allowing a member to attend a funchtion.  I can't seem to find anything in Roberts Rules either.  Is there any rule like this to ban a member from an event?  I did allow him to go on the tour, just not to my home.  

 

Because of this man, I do plan on resigning at the end of this year at elections, as right now, I am in the middle of planning the Region 4 day tour, a ladies afternoon party (members of Course and the Christmas/Holiday Party.

 

Thank you for your time.

[J. J.]

With a very few exceptions, RONR, does not govern activies outside of a meeting.  If the picnic was a meeting, you were wrong in banning him.  If you don't want him to attend a meeting in your house, don't hold the meeting at your house.  If this was a meeting, the member should bring this up, as it the denial of a basic right of membership (p. 251, e., see also:  http://www.robertsrules.com/interp_list.html#2006_6 )

 

 

Your rules for removal and asking someone to resign are not in RONR but in your bylaws. 

[J. J.]

The right to eject a member deals ONLY with violations of decorum within a meeting and cannot be exercised prior to a meeting.  Nor is it applicable outside of the meeting context.

 

The question might be if this picnic was a meeting of the group.

[Josh Martin]

If the treasurer resigns, will the 3 remaining officers be considered a unanimous vote?

 

A vote of 3-0 is a unanimous vote... but it's ultimately up to your organization to interpret its own rules. See RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 588-591 for some Principles of Interpretation.

 

There is nothing in the by-laws for our chapter, region or National, at all, about not allowing a member to attend a funchtion.  I can't seem to find anything in Roberts Rules either.  Is there any rule like this to ban a member from an event?

 

If this was a meeting of the assembly, the member could only be banned due to indecorum or disorder during the meeting. See RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 644-649 for the appropriate procedures if it comes to that.

 

If this was not a meeting, RONR says nothing about the subject.

 

What is  a deliberative assembly?

 

See RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 1-2.

[Rev Ed]

At a regular meeting, any member of the group that is meeting can bring up any issue under the group's power.  So, if this is a Board meeting, then only Board members have a right to speak, make motions, etc. at the meeting.  If the man is on the Board, he can bring this up.  If it is a Board meeting, and he is not a Board member, he cannot say anything unless the Boaard allows him to.

[Guest Guest-Secretary]

Thank you all for your quick response.  The picnic was not a meeting.

We have come to the conclusion that this 86 year old  member, has been outright bullying me, and has been bullying me since long before 2007. 

I have copies of all the by-laws, Chapter, Region and National.   After he speaks, accusne me of wrong doing, we will ask hom to prove I did something wrong, other than to protect myself, my home and the members.

Thank you for your time.