Can we reaffirm last months election without opening nominations? Concerns about a member

[Guest President Parkside]

Hello Robert Rulers, 

This is my very first post but I've come here and read posts when I needed help in the past.  

I was just elected President of my neighborhood association last month.  The association went inactive for a couple of years and I worked with a small group of neighbors and our city to reactivate it.  Since it was the first meeting of the fiscal year we held elections. I ran for President because no one in our small group wanted to and we didn't know if anyone else would.  We all ran unopposed and were elected by acclimation/unanimous consent.  

We had a lady from the city run the meeting until I was elected since we had no prior President to preside over the meeting.  The lady that was elected President last gave up being a part of the association and there was no Vice President elected at the time. Once I was elected I thanked the 50+ people for electing me to the 2017-18 term.  When I announced each of the other officers I announced them elected to the 2017-18 term. No one objected. After the meeting, the very first President of the association said we would have to hold elections again after October 1st.

We have the date for our next meeting set for October 18th which happens to be just after our fiscal year of October 1.  Is there a motion someone can make to reaffirm all the elections from our last meeting or do we have to open up nominations again and go through the entire process again?  

One concern I have is that a woman in our neighborhood (who does not like me, has bothered me so much in the past that I had to ask her to leave me alone multiple times, and who would not leave me alone to the point I sent her a notice of harassment telling her if she contacted me or anyone to contact me that I would seek an anti-harassment order against her) may show up and talk poorly of me by saying I threatened to sue her, etc.   

She was unable to attend last month's meeting and an hour before the meeting she suggested (online) that we do not elect officer at the meeting, and later she said she did not receive the post card the city mailed to all addresses in our neighborhood and that the 2 weeks notice she got online wasn't enough because her work schedule is set 2 months in advance and she wasn't able to get anyone to cover her shift at the hospital.  

This woman's behavior toward me is really concerning because I have been severely cyber stalked/harassed by a man who is a complete and total stranger to the point that I did get an anti-harassment order of protection against him and his wife and now the police are investigating him for felony cyber stalking.  

One of my concerns is this lady will start saying untrue and disparaging things about me during the nomination process.  I feel like I could win the election, even if she ran against me but I'm worried if she begins to mistreat me or talk about me in unjust ways I will be triggered and have a difficult time presiding over the meeting.  I believe I have accomplished a lot for our neighborhood and the association in the short amount of time I've been involved in reactivating the association and sine I have been elected President.  My worry is my neighbors are fairly conservative and I'm very progressive and that she may say enough to trigger the trauma of being harassed and I may not handle it well and then I may lose the election.  

Her and I are part of local political groups and we have had serious disagreements that turn ugly which has prompted me to tell her to leave me alone repeatedly.  To the point, I blocked her on Facebook so she could no longer comment on my posts, etc.  Even months after I blocked her on Facebook, she was still contacting people we know and having them contact me about whatever problems she said she had with me, etc.  As recent as July she was telling people in our political groups that I threatened to sue her. Her behavior reminded me too much of the man that would not stop contacting me online and who would create new accounts just to get around me blocking him, etc.  

Any advice on how to handle this?

Our charter/bylaws:

http://www.cityofvancouver.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_manager039s_office/neighborhood/8329/parkside.pdf

[Joshua Katz]

Disclaimer:  I have not read the charter and bylaws.

1 hour ago, Guest President Parkside said:

After the meeting, the very first President of the association said we would have to hold elections again after October 1st.

Did the previous President say this for any particular reason?  Is there a rule of some sort requiring it?

If yes:  then no, you can't just decide to skip a required election and leave the current officers in place.  You might notice that one way to paraphrase your question (the way your potential opponent might describe it):  Can we skip an election because someone might run against me, and might say things during the campaign that would cause me to lose?  I think if you ask it that way, you can see why the answer is no.

 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Were the elections held in accordance with the procedures in the bylaws, including giving proper notice?

[Guest Zev]

Hieu, I don't think it really makes any difference since the October 18 date is so near and apparently no one has raised any Point Of Order concerning the legality of the election held in August.

Guest President: Just follow the rules and hold the expected election. Keep your cool. They can say whatever they want during the nominating process except that no personal attacks are allowed in debate. Show everyone that you are the better person. And good luck.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

If the elections were properly held, they don't have to be done again.

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

On 9/10/2017 at 8:40 PM, Guest President Parkside said:

After the meeting, the very first President of the association said we would have to hold elections again after October 1st.

We have the date for our next meeting set for October 18th which happens to be just after our fiscal year of October 1.  Is there a motion someone can make to reaffirm all the elections from our last meeting or do we have to open up nominations again and go through the entire process again?

The Very First President is correct. Your bylaws state that (1) officers' terms expire at the end of the Annual Meeting, (2) the Annual Meeting is the first meeting of the Fiscal Year, and (3) the Fiscal Year begins on October 1. Therefore, you and the other newly elected officers will only hold office until the end of your meeting on October 18. You cannot change the term of office without amending the bylaws.

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

I should add that your bylaws appear to require election by ballot. Even with unopposed candidates, it is not in order to elect by acclamation when a ballot vote is required. The reason is that voters may choose to write in a different name.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

So they are having an annual meeting two months after the previous annual meeting?

[Josh Martin]

On 9/10/2017 at 10:40 PM, Guest President Parkside said:

Is there a motion someone can make to reaffirm all the elections from our last meeting or do we have to open up nominations again and go through the entire process again

The elections must be held again. A motion to "reaffirm" the previous elections is not in order.

In retrospect, perhaps you should have just waited a bit longer before holding a meeting.

1 hour ago, Hieu H. Huynh said:

So they are having an annual meeting two months after the previous annual meeting?

Yes, that appears to be the case. This is due to the combination of the following facts.

• The society has not met for several years, and the last meeting they held was therefore the first (and only) meeting of the fiscal year.
• The society's bylaws provide that the first meeting of the fiscal year shall be the annual meeting.
• The society's last meeting was held shortly before the end of the fiscal year, and the next meeting will be held shortly after the beginning of the new fiscal year.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

That makes sense. I suppose the same officers could be elected again while following the procedures in the bylaws for the election process.