Weldon Merritt Posted February 3, 2020 at 10:32 PM Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 at 10:32 PM 1 hour ago, Linda Headland said: A fellow member had suggested that I use the word 'please' more often. Probably couldn't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Headland Posted February 3, 2020 at 10:36 PM Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 at 10:36 PM (edited) 4 minutes ago, Weldon Merritt said: Probably couldn't hurt. Yes, and she was suggesting that I specifically use this word, 'please' when addressing the board. Edited February 3, 2020 at 10:37 PM by Linda Headland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldon Merritt Posted February 3, 2020 at 10:48 PM Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 at 10:48 PM 1 minute ago, Linda Headland said: Yes, and she was suggesting that I specifically use this word, 'please' when addressing the board. I will modify my statement a bit. If you are requesting that an individual (such as the secretary) do somthing (such as providing a copy of the minutes), then adding "please" certainly wouldn't hurt, and might help. The same is probably true if you are addressing the board at a board meeting and you are not a board member (I don't recall if you said whether you are, but I think not), which you can do only with their permission. But if you are seeking, at a membershiop meeting, to require the board to do something, then it is appropriate to move that the board be ordered to do it. ("I move that the board be ordered to ....") No need for a "please" in that instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Headland Posted February 4, 2020 at 12:40 AM Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 at 12:40 AM (edited) On 2/3/2020 at 5:48 PM, Weldon Merritt said: I will modify my statement a bit. If you are requesting that an individual (such as the secretary) do somthing (such as providing a copy of the minutes), then adding "please" certainly wouldn't hurt, and might help. The same is probably true if you are addressing the board at a board meeting and you are not a board member (I don't recall if you said whether you are, but I think not), which you can do only with their permission. But if you are seeking, at a membershiop meeting, to require the board to do something, then it is appropriate to move that the board be ordered to do it. ("I move that the board be ordered to ....") No need for a "please" in that instance. Last year I resigned from the board as a longtime committee person. I still do some of this work tentatively. I have not served as an elected-officer since 2013. I resigned because this board has agreed to make changes to this organization without the approval of the assembly. There were no motions, no debates, no voting nor were these changes mentioned in the recent minutes. Though these changes are relatively minor with fee increases and added program restrictions, these changes were not first approved by the membership. The "I move that the boards be ordered to..." Oh, they wouldn't have liked this at all. And it was nearly always just me against the remaining board members Edited February 5, 2020 at 01:59 AM by Linda Headland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldon Merritt Posted February 4, 2020 at 02:14 AM Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 at 02:14 AM 1 hour ago, Linda Headland said: The "I move that the boards be ordered to..." Oh, they wouldn't have liked this at all. And it was nearly always just me against the remaining board members They don't have to like it; they just have to comply if the motion is adopted. You would make the motion at a membership meeting, not a board meetingand if you have enough allies among the general membership, you should be able to get the motion adopted. The board is subordinate to the membership, so if the board doesn't comply, they can be subject to discipline by the membership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Headland Posted February 4, 2020 at 03:29 AM Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 at 03:29 AM (edited) 1 hour ago, Weldon Merritt said: They don't have to like it; they just have to comply if the motion is adopted. You would make the motion at a membership meeting, not a board meetingand if you have enough allies among the general membership, you should be able to get the motion adopted. The board is subordinate to the membership, so if the board doesn't comply, they can be subject to discipline by the membership. "The board is subordinate to the membership ...." Yes, I know. It's just that the board doesn't realize this nor does most of the assembly. During the last meeting the presiding officer said, "(board member name omitted) and I decided to remove the minutes from the meeting." Here they have given the board the authority to decide for the assembly. Yet, they apparently don't recognize this error. Edited February 4, 2020 at 03:30 AM by Linda Headland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldon Merritt Posted February 4, 2020 at 04:19 AM Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 at 04:19 AM If the membership is simply ignorant of their authority, you can try to educate as many of them as you can. This doesn't have to be in any formal setting; you can just talk with them individually. or maybe you could invite some of them to an infomral meeting of your own. If, on the other hand, the membership is indifferent to their authority, there's not much you can do about it. Parliamentary procedure works only for those who are willing to learn at least enough to know their rights, and are willing to exercise them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted February 4, 2020 at 06:23 PM Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 at 06:23 PM 14 hours ago, Linda Headland said: During the last meeting the presiding officer said, "(board member name omitted) and I decided to remove the minutes from the meeting." This also seems to be evidence which undercuts the board’s claim that the membership made this decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Headland Posted February 5, 2020 at 12:56 AM Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2020 at 12:56 AM 6 hours ago, Josh Martin said: This also seems to be evidence which undercuts the board’s claim that the membership made this decision. Only that this statement had not been written but, rather spoken to me during the November meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Headland Posted February 5, 2020 at 01:53 AM Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2020 at 01:53 AM (edited) 21 hours ago, Weldon Merritt said: If the membership is simply ignorant of their authority, you can try to educate as many of them as you can. This doesn't have to be in any formal setting; you can just talk with them individually. or maybe you could invite some of them to an infomral meeting of your own. If, on the other hand, the membership is indifferent to their authority, there's not much you can do about it. Parliamentary procedure works only for those who are willing to learn at least enough to know their rights, and are willing to exercise them. This I suspect is the root of the underlying conflict -- Within the May meeting minutes, published 9/2019 the board has written, 'we (the board) are attempting to make this organization similar to the 'blank' organization (names omitted).' And so, I am concerned that if, these changes might be adopted that, many of the current members will no longer meet the board's new requirements for membership eligibility. Whatever the case, the board would then have the authority (contrary to our constitution) to decide who can and who can't join our organization. As I see it, what this board should be doing is to establish another organization rather, then to attempt to restructure this organization. Edited February 5, 2020 at 01:56 AM by Linda Headland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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