Presiding Officer make motions and enter debate

[grayduck]

In a normal association, can the Presiding Officer enter the debate of motions section of a General Meeting? (I guess not? Especially if it is a large meeting) Can such an officer make motions throughout the year submitted in writing that are, in effect, submitted to himself? (I guess maybe yes?) Where can I find this in RONR?

 

My peers in the organization say I'm supposed to remain impartial in everything since I preside over motions. That's fine. That's what I did. I can live with that. And I have yet to try to submit a motion, even though I want to. The Chair does. But I have  seen comments in RONR that a Chair or Presiding Officer has every right to vote, make motions, enter the debate (is that through vacating the position? How?), etc. as he/she is also a member. Our association is 450 people, but only 20-25 showed up at the last two meetings where the debate about the motion was heated and aggressive. No voting occurred. Is that considered a small enough "discussion" for the Officer to enter the debate? In RONR is says it's okay in meetings with less than 12 in attendance.

 

Everyone here says I can't do any of those things. Like I said, if that's true, no problem.

 

*Most of you know my situation, it's an aberration that we're working on, but it needs time. Right now I am, again, just looking for answers about a "normal" association.  

[Hieu H. Huynh]

See "Rule Against the Chair's Participation in Debate" in RONR 11th ed., pp. 394-395.

[Josh Martin]

In a normal association, can the Presiding Officer enter the debate of motions section of a General Meeting? (I guess not? Especially if it is a large meeting) Can such an officer make motions throughout the year submitted in writing that are, in effect, submitted to himself? (I guess maybe yes?) Where can I find this in RONR?

 

The presiding officer, if a member, ultimately has the right to speak in debate, make motions, etc., but should refrain from doing so in order to maintain the appearance of impartiality. The presiding officer should relinquish the chair for the remainder of the pending main question before making a motion or speaking in debate.

 

My peers in the organization say I'm supposed to remain impartial in everything since I preside over motions. That's fine. That's what I did. I can live with that. And I have yet to try to submit a motion, even though I want to. The Chair does. But I have  seen comments in RONR that a Chair or Presiding Officer has every right to vote, make motions, enter the debate (is that through vacating the position? How?), etc. as he/she is also a member. Our association is 450 people, but only 20-25 showed up at the last two meetings where the debate about the motion was heated and aggressive. No voting occurred. Is that considered a small enough "discussion" for the Officer to enter the debate? In RONR is says it's okay in meetings with less than 12 in attendance.

 

Vacating the chair is generally done by having the Vice President take over or, if the Vice President is absent or is also excluded for some reason, appointing a Chairman Pro Tempore. Since this means neglecting the duties of presiding officer, this should be done quite rarely.

 

As for the small meeting issue, RONR provides that the chair may enter into debate in committees, and in boards which use the small board rules, which is frequently done in boards with not more than about a dozen members present. The small board rules do not apply in meetings of the society, regardless of the number of members present, unless the assembly specifically adopts special rules of order providing as much. In any event, 20-25 is more than about a dozen, in my opinion.