President fires committee member

[Guest bridgette kelley]

Our president fired a committee member by email.  Our president is not the Chair of the committee, just an exofficio member of the committee.

 

her words " you were the only person who voted against doing so...it is no longer appropriate for you to remain on the committee".

 

2 members of the same committee have written opposition letters.

 

Can you point me in a RROO direction that might help the Board renounce this mess?

 

thanks

[Richard Brown]

Our president fired a committee member by email. 

 

Who appointed the committee member?  The president?  Or was the member elected by the society?  Unless your bylaws provide otherwise, the body (person or group) that appoints or elects committee members has the power to remove them). 

 

That provision is in RONR 11th edition on page 177 and reads as follows:

 

" Unless the bylaws or other governing rules provide otherwise (see pp. 497, 653), the appointing authority has the power to remove or replace members of the committee: If a single person, such as the president, has the power of appointment, he has the power to remove or replace a member so appointed; but if the assembly has the power of selection, removal or replacement can take place only under rules applicable to the motions to Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted (see p. 497)."

 

Edited to add:  See page 497 for additional provisions.

[Guest bridgette kelley]

Richard,

 

This committee is made up of volunteers from both the BOD and the Membership

[Richard Brown]

Richard,

 

This committee is made up of volunteers from both the BOD and the Membership

 

Look at your bylaws (or to the motion creating the committee) to see exactly how the committee members are selected.  Unless the bylaws dictate who is on the committee (such as designating certain officers), some person or some group (the Board, the Assembly) has to make the "appointments".  Even if people volunteer for it, surely somebody says, "ok, you're on the committee".  That constitutes making an appointment.

 

Without knowing all the facts and seeing your bylaws (which we do not interpret for you... only your organization itself can do that), we cannot know just what is going on or what your options are.  We can only tell you what RONR says on the subject of appointing and removing committee members, which I have done.

 

Edited to add:  If a significant number of members are unhappy with the president's actions, you can adopt a motion of censure or institute proceedings to remove the president or impose other discipline.  That can get pretty complicated, although a simple motion of censure is not hard to do....with a majority vote.

[Timothy]

Even if people volunteer for it, surely somebody says, "ok, you're on the committee".  That constitutes making an appointment.

 

Perhaps the person volunteering to be on the committee is also the person who says they are on the committee. If so, each committee member has the authority to appoint themselves, so unless the bylaws give a better understanding, no one but that person has the right to remove them from the committee.