Vice chairman voting

[Guest J. Lally]

The School Committee President is filled by whoever the elected Mayor is at the time. He is acting as a voting member when selecting the Vice President of the school committee. The elected school committee members vote 4-3 for a candidate but the Mayor casts his vote pushing it to a tie vote 4-4. Should the Mayor be allowed to vote to tie and deadlock the committee or should he refrain to protect his impartiality. What happens if no agreement on the vote happens and they keep tying 4-4?

[Josh Martin]

On 1/9/2024 at 2:39 PM, Guest J. Lally said:

Should the Mayor be allowed to vote to tie and deadlock the committee or should he refrain to protect his impartiality.

Yes, the chair is permitted to vote in this matter, for two reasons.

First, a committee or small board frequently uses the “small board rules.” Under those rules, the chair is not required to maintain the appearance of impartiality. The chair is free to vote on all matters, at the same time as other members.

Second, even if this committee is not using the small board rules, the requirement of the chair avoiding casting a vote to maintain the appearance of impartiality is not absolute. Rather, the chair does not vote unless his vote would affect the result - such as making a tie, as is the case here.

See FAQ #1.

On 1/9/2024 at 2:39 PM, Guest J. Lally said:

What happens if no agreement on the vote happens and they keep tying 4-4?

Keep voting until a candidate obtains a majority.