Chairman Pro Tem

[Mary Loose DeViney, PRP]

Must a Chairman Pro Tem of a Mass Meeting be a member of the Mass Meeting?  Must a Chairman Pro Tem of a Convention be a delegate (member of the organization)?  Must a Chairman Pro Tem  be a member of the organization? .

May members of a mass meeting or a convention or a regular meeting, elect a Chairman Pro Tem, who is not a member?  Ask alternatively, may a non member serve as a Chairman Pro tem in a mass meeting  or a regular meeting or  a convention?

[Weldon Merritt]

Yes, any of those types of assemblies  may elect a non-member as chairman pro tem, unless the organization has a specific disallowing it. In fact, a non-member may even be elected to a permanent office, unless the bylaws require that officers be members.

[Josh Martin]

15 hours ago, Mary Loose DeViney, PRP said:

Must a Chairman Pro Tem of a Mass Meeting be a member of the Mass Meeting?  Must a Chairman Pro Tem of a Convention be a delegate (member of the organization)?  Must a Chairman Pro Tem  be a member of the organization? .

May members of a mass meeting or a convention or a regular meeting, elect a Chairman Pro Tem, who is not a member?  Ask alternatively, may a non member serve as a Chairman Pro tem in a mass meeting  or a regular meeting or  a convention?

The Chairman Pro Tem of any assembly, regardless of kind, is not required to be a member of the assembly or even a member of the organization. RONR explicitly notes, for instance, that hiring a non-member professional to serve as presiding officer may sometimes be desirable. While written with meetings of an ordinary society in mind, the advice is equally applicable to conventions and mass meetings. (Although in the case of a mass meeting, a majority vote would certainly be sufficient, since there is no President or Vice President.)

"In certain instances in an ordinary society—for example, if an adjourned meeting or a special meeting must deal with a problem that has intensely divided the organization—it may be that such a meeting can accomplish more under the chairmanship of an invited nonmember who is skilled in presiding. (Sometimes this may be a professional presiding officer.) If the president and vice-president(s) do not object, the assembly, by majority vote, can adopt such an arrangement for all or part of a session. Alternatively, the rules may be suspended to authorize it, even over the objection of the president or a vice-president." (RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 453-454)

Indeed, the assembly is even free to elect non-members as permanent officers if it wishes to do so (unless the bylaws provide otherwise).

"In most societies it is usual to elect the officers from among the members; but in all except secret societies, unless the bylaws provide otherwise, it is possible for an organization to choose its officers from outside its membership. In many legislative bodies the presiding officer is not a member of the body. A large society with complex financial affairs may wish to employ a professional as treasurer." (RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 447-448)

Edited June 6, 2020 at 04:59 PM by Josh Martin