Betrayal

[Blue Robinson]

I am president of a board.  We are tenting for termites. I was concerned after talking to a different resident manager that the project didn't go well when they used the same company.  I wrote a letter to the rest of the board expressing concerns that perhaps we need more supervision during this job.  One of our board members shared my email with the owner of the company that was to do the job. Aren't board conversations and emails to be confidential?   I feel this person is sabotaging the rest of the board. What are my options? 

[Gary Novosielski]

Contents of meetings held in executive session must be kept confidential.

Conversations and e-mails outside the context of a meeting are not covered by rules in RONR.  If you have no bylaws or standing rules on the subject, some duties of office which this person could be found to be in dereliction of, or some prior agreement with the recipient that it will be kept confidential then your options are limited.

The subject of discipline is covered in great detail in Chapter XX of RONR.  Even in the absence of custom rules, any organization has the right to discipline members whose behavior rises (or perhaps falls) to the level of "conduct injurious to the organization or its purposes".

Whether this does, and what has to happen next, is not a decision you will be making alone.  Are others as convinced as you are that the forwarding of this message was improper?