President

[Guest Pam]

I was, up until a few days ago, the President of an athletic booster club at our local high school.  Apparently, a few of the board members met last Tuesday and voted to ask me to step down as President.  The truly did not give valid reasoning behind this and regardless of that, they held an unofficially meeting with just a select few without my knowledge and of course, without me being present.  Two of the board members met with me the following to tell me what had occured and suggested I no longer hold the office of President.  I am new this type of office and by no means no all the rules, but after thoroughly reading our by laws and it referrencing that Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of our club, I'm certain, after reading all I have read today, they did this all wrong and I cannot be removed from office just like that.  Please help to confirm or deny this.  Thank you.

[Gary c Tesser]

Of course I don't know all the details (for example, I have not read the bylaws; and, meaning no disrespect, Guest Pam, it isn't impossible that you missed something, or misinterpreted something), but on the face of it, I'm with you.  For example:  are ("were," as they would have it) you, as the president, a member of the board?  If so, then no board meeting can legitimately be held if you are held unaware of it.  And an "unofficial meeting" takes only unofficial actions. 

Let me meet you at a bar in Midtown at 9  o'clock, and you and I will  vote to  remove all of  them from the  board.  Just as valid.  Probably you and I will have  more fun, though; they sound like a bunch of Pecksniffian  babbits, while you and I are demonstrably  roisterous carousers from the planet Xerxes. 

[Dan Honemann]

"In any case, a board can transact business only in a regular or properly called meeting of which every board member has been notified—or at an adjournment of one of these meetings (pp. 93–94)—and at which a quorum (a majority of the total membership unless otherwise specified in the bylaws or established by the constituting power) is present."  (RONR, 11th ed., pp. 486-87)

It seems rather clear from what you have posted that this event last Tuesday was not a regular or properly called meeting of your board. But perhaps no one is claiming that it was, since you say that the two members who met with you the next day simply "suggested" you no longer hold the office of President.

[Richard Brown]

Guest Pam, some of the board members may have had a meeting, but it was not an official board meeting. But, as long as they are speaking about what they as individuals or even as a group of board members want, there is nothing wrong with it. Any group of people, even members of the same organization or board, are free to get together ant time they want to and to talk about anything they want to. . . including club business.  Any group of members are free to get together and discuss club affairs and to decide that they want the president to resign and even to select a delegation to go meet with her and try to get her to resign.  And that president is free to either refuse or to agree to the request.  

What they cannot do is to surreptitiously meet, act and speak as a board.  As individuals, or as a group of individuals, they have every right to ask you to resign. . . just as you can with your Mayor or Governor or even the President of the United States 

They had the right to speak as individuals, but not as a board. Even if they did, it is merely a request which you can refuse.

Edited October 16, 2017 at 12:44 AM by Richard Brown
Typographical correction

[Joshua Katz]

14 hours ago, Guest Pam said:

Apparently, a few of the board members met last Tuesday and voted to ask me to step down as President.  The truly did not give valid reasoning behind this and regardless of that, they held an unofficially meeting with just a select few without my knowledge and of course, without me being present. 

I would probably tell them "you are free to ask, and my answer is no."  If they don't give a reason you should resign, you don't need to give a reason you refuse to do so.

 

14 hours ago, Guest Pam said:

Two of the board members met with me the following to tell me what had occured and suggested I no longer hold the office of President. 

From what we've heard, they suggested incorrectly.  You might try suggesting to them that they are wrong, since no action can be taken at a non-meeting.  

[Richard Brown]

16 hours ago, Guest Pam said:

. . . Two of the board members met with me the following to tell me what had occured and suggested I no longer hold the  office of President. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Joshua Katz said:

. . . From what we've heard, they suggested incorrectly.  You might try suggesting to them that they are wrong, since no action can be taken at a non-meeting.  

1

I will disagree or quibble with my friend Joshua Katz only on one small point:  The other members of the board are free to meet UNOFFICIALLY and to suggest that Guest Pam do anything they want her to do... even to fly down to New Orleans and take me to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House. And she is free to tell them to stuff it.  I think it is plain that this wasn't official board action.  If those members think it was, then they are simply wrong. They were acting and speaking just as members of the board, but not on behalf of the board. 

And, even it it WAS officlal board action, it was a simple request which she is perfectly free to decline.  But, based on the information we have, I don't see how it could possibly have been a legitimate board meeting or official board action.

Edited to add:  Guest Pam said, in her initial (and only) post that she was president "up until a few days ago".  I assume from that statement that maybe she either agreed to resign or maybe even submitted a written resignation.  However, unless their rules provide otherwise, and unless the board has met officially and accepted her resignation, she may still withdraw it.  So, Guest Pam, if the board still hasn't acted on your resignation,  you may rescind it.

Edited October 16, 2017 at 03:51 PM by Richard Brown
Added last paragraph

[Joshua Katz]

1 hour ago, Richard Brown said:

I will disagree or quibble with my friend Joshua Katz only on one small point:  The other members of the board are free to meet UNOFFICIALLY and to suggest that Guest Pam do anything they want her to do... even to fly down to New Orleans and take me to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House. And she is free to tell them to stuff it.  I think it is plain that this wasn't official board action.  If those members think it was, then they are simply wrong. They were acting and speaking just as members of the board, but not on behalf of the board. 

 

I read this a few times, looking for the disagreement, and have concluded that the only answer must be that my comment was unclear.  I agree fully with Mr. Brown.  Or maybe we have read the initial statement differently as regards "suggested."  I understood "suggested" here to mean, not recommending a course of action, but making a claim.  On the other hand, if they simply said "we discussed it, and we suggest that you shouldn't be President any more and we'd like you to resign," sure, they're within their rights to do that, and Guest Pam is within her rights to say no.

As an old Jewish proverb has it - any rabbi the people don't want to drum out of town is no rabbi.  Any rabbi who lets himself be run out of town is no man.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 10/15/2017 at 7:40 PM, Guest Pam said:

I was, up until a few days ago, the President of an athletic booster club at our local high school.  Apparently, a few of the board members met last Tuesday and voted to ask me to step down as President.  The truly did not give valid reasoning behind this and regardless of that, they held an unofficially meeting with just a select few without my knowledge and of course, without me being present.  Two of the board members met with me the following to tell me what had occured and suggested I no longer hold the office of President.  I am new this type of office and by no means no all the rules, but after thoroughly reading our by laws and it referrencing that Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of our club, I'm certain, after reading all I have read today, they did this all wrong and I cannot be removed from office just like that.  Please help to confirm or deny this.  Thank you.

I would also add that if you were elected President by the membership (rather than by the board) the board might not have any power whatsoever to remove you from an office they did not elect you to.

In any case, check your bylaws for any rules regarding the removal of officers.  If there are no procedures there, read FAQ#20 here, and Chapter XX in RONR.  That should give you an idea of how it has to be done, if it is to have any official weight.