Length of term after filling a vacancy

[BBoard]

A board member is elected for a 2 year term. 4 months into their term, they resigned.  Their vacancy was filled by appointment.   6 months after that another board member resigned.  The first mentioned member that resigned after only 4 months was then reappointed to fill the second vacancy.  How long is their term?  Can they legally finish the original term that they resigned from or are they only permitted to complete the unexpired portion of the term they were appointed when filling the second vacancy? 

[Dan Honemann]

3 minutes ago, BBoard said:

A board member is elected for a 2 year term. 4 months into their term, they resigned.  Their vacancy was filled by appointment.   6 months after that another board member resigned.  The first mentioned member that resigned after only 4 months was then reappointed to fill the second vacancy.  How long is their term?  Can they legally finish the original term that they resigned from or are they only permitted to complete the unexpired portion of the term they were appointed when filling the second vacancy? 

The facts you are presenting would be much easier to follow if you would refrain from using a plural pronoun when referring to just one person. 

[Richard Brown]

7 minutes ago, BBoard said:

A board member is elected for a 2 year term. 4 months into their term, they resigned.  Their vacancy was filled by appointment.   6 months after that another board member resigned.  The first mentioned member that resigned after only 4 months was then reappointed to fill the second vacancy.  How long is their term?  Can they legally finish the original term that they resigned from or are they only permitted to complete the unexpired portion of the term they were appointed when filling the second vacancy? 

Someone who is elected or appointed to fill a vacancy serves  for the remainder of the term of the person who vacated the office. 

A person who resigns from a position and is later appointed or elected to fill a vacancy in another position serves out the term of the person he is replacing, not the remainder of his own original term. 
 

[BBoard]

Thanks for your reply.  Is there something in Roberts rule that I can reference? 

[Rob Elsman]

However much I agree with Mr. Honemann about the agreement in number between pronouns and their antecedent nouns, the newest manuals on grammar and dictionaries recognize the use of plural forms of personal pronouns to refer to singular antecedent nouns as standard English as part of the "modern" effort to create "gender-neutral" text.  All my readers know my opinion about this sort of thing...

[Richard Brown]

2 hours ago, BBoard said:

Thanks for your reply.  Is there something in Roberts rule that I can reference? 

Not specifically that I am aware of, but that is the common meaning of the term “to fill a vacancy” and it seems pretty obvious from the way filling a vacancy is described throughout RONR. Nothing in the book indicates that someone selected to fill a vacancy does anything other than complete the term of the person he replaced. 

Why would you think a person who resigned from one position with a term ending July 31, 2023 and is later selected to fill a vacancy in a DIFFERENT position expiring on July 31, 2022 would somehow get to serve another year in that position and stay in the position until 2023?   It is a different position. He abandoned the job (position) that expires in 2023. He did not get that job back. 

BTW, I agree with Mr. Honemann: it is very frustrating to try to figure out what someone is talking about when that person repeatedly uses plural pronouns to refer to single individuals. I personally believe clarity and accuracy is more important than gender neutrality when gender neutrality leads to nonsensical or confusing statements in writings that require clarity. 
 

 

Edited July 24, 2021 at 03:51 PM by Richard Brown
Typographical correction

[Guest Length of term/vacancy]

I do not think for a moment that she should complete her previous term.  I strongly believe the situation exactly as you explained it.  However, the current board feels that she can complete the term she abandoned.  

[Gary Novosielski]

11 hours ago, Rob Elsman said:

However much I agree with Mr. Honemann about the agreement in number between pronouns and their antecedent nouns, the newest manuals on grammar and dictionaries recognize the use of plural forms of personal pronouns to refer to singular antecedent nouns as standard English as part of the "modern" effort to create "gender-neutral" text.  All my readers know my opinion about this sort of thing...

Yes, but it can be presumed that the OP, who is personally familiar with these members, knows their actual gender.

[Guest Term/ vacancy]

It’s not that serious.  My choice of words were specific.  Perhaps the members in this situation Also look to this site for advice and I didn’t want to identify gender either way.  Regardless, I received the guidance I was looking and obviously there was enough clarity to understand the core meaning.  Thanks for the replies and sorry for any confusion.  

[Richard Brown]

Are all these “guests” and original poster BBoard the same person?  This is causing even more confusion. If it’s all the same person can you try to stick to one name so we know whether all the information we are getting is about the same organization?

Back to the original question, unless you have a written rules to the contrary, there is no doubt that the person who fills a vacancy completes the term of the person who vacated that position and not any other term.  And certainly not some term that the person filling the vacancy might have held previously.  As I said earlier, he quit that job and now someone else has it. He now has a new job with a different completion date.  

Good luck!