Moderator responsibilities

[JerryRig]

Business meetings are held approximately every 3 months.  If the moderator and parliamentarian see a definite violation to the bylaws during the time the business meeting is not in session, should they-1) meet with the chairman of the offending committee and explain the problem, 2) do nothing, 3) raise the issue at the next business meeting.  Or maybe they should do something else?

[jstackpo]

I'd go for No. 1, diplomatically, of course.

 

Letting it fester is all but a sure cause of disaster.

 

RONR doesn't deal with this sort of extra-meeting problems, however,  since it is (mainly) about in-meeting procedure.

[JerryRig]

Thank you

[Edgar Guest]

RONR doesn't deal with this sort of extra-meeting problems, however,  since it is (mainly) about in-meeting procedure.

 

Though one would think that whatever the "offending committee" did wrong would have taken place during a meeting . . . of the committee.

[JerryRig]

Yes, the bylaws violation takes place during meetings of the "offending committee".  The "offending committee" believes they are not in violation of the bylaws and the parliamentarian and moderator believe they are in violation.

[Richard Brown]

I agree with Dr. Stackpole's suggestion.  However, since these alleged violations are taking place in a committee meeting, rather than in a meeting of the general membership or the board, and the committee chairman believes he is doing nothing wrong, the situation is a bit more complicated.  A committee member may raise a point of order and appeal the ruling of the chair to the committee itself.  But, if this does not solve the problem, I'm not sure what the proper recourse would be, other than to report the problem to the parent body as discussed in RONR on page 501 on lines 14 - 26.

 

Edited to add:  The society probably has the right to replace the committee chairman and even its members.  The method of doing so would depend on the bylaws and how and by whom the chairman and members are selected.  If the members and/or chairman are appointed by one person, such as the president or moderator, that person may well have the power to replace them.