President and Treasurer is one person

[Guest Sharon]

I’ve read prior comments and I’m still confused.  

I’m in Texas.  I am questioning about the Board of a HOA.  
 

May the roles of president and treasurer be held simultaneously by one person? I understand the voting would be as one person.  
 

Thank you. 

[Guest Anon]

Nothing in RONR prohibits the same person from holding two offices. And you are correct that the person holding those two offices would only have one vote. But your bylaws or applicable law would supersede RONR.

[Gary Novosielski]

While Secretary/Treasurer is a common combination, and sometimes is officially one office, combining the roles of President and Treasurer is comparatively rare.

I suspect that's experience talking.

[Rob Elsman]

On 2/6/2024 at 5:50 PM, Guest Anon said:

Nothing in RONR prohibits the same person from holding two offices.

That is not quite correct.  Being a vice president necessarily precludes the person from simultaneously being president, since the very purpose of the office of vice president is to take the chair when the president is not present or is otherwise legitimately impeded from presiding.

[Guest Anon]

On 2/6/2024 at 8:48 PM, Rob Elsman said:

That is not quite correct.  Being a vice president necessarily precludes the person from simultaneously being president, since the very purpose of the office of vice president is to take the chair when the president is not present or is otherwise legitimately impeded from presiding.

I had not heard that before, though I suppose it makes sense. Suppose, though, that the bylaws give additional duties to the vice president, and the society would like the president to have those duties. Shouldn't they be allowed to elect the president to that office, even though it will deprive them of having a proper vice president? They can elect a chairman pro tem if the president is absent.

[George Mervosh]

On 2/6/2024 at 9:48 PM, Rob Elsman said:

That is not quite correct.  Being a vice president necessarily precludes the person from simultaneously being president, since the very purpose of the office of vice president is to take the chair when the president is not present or is otherwise legitimately impeded from presiding.

I think Guest Anon has it right.  In reality, what you say makes sense and I agree with it, but there is simply no rule precluding it that I've seen.

Edited February 7, 2024 at 04:53 PM by George Mervosh

[Rob Elsman]

Again, the premier duty of the vice president is to preside when the president is not in the chair.  It makes no sense for a person to preside in place of himself.

[Shmuel Gerber]

On 2/7/2024 at 12:22 PM, Rob Elsman said:

It makes no sense for a person to preside in place of himself.

Especially when he's absent. 🙂

[Rob Elsman]

Well, Mr. Gerber, quantum mechanics tells us he is present when he is absent, since he actually exists with some probability over the entire range of possible histories. 🙂

[Guest Anon]

On 2/7/2024 at 11:22 AM, Rob Elsman said:

the premier duty of the vice president is to preside when the president is not in the chair

I have seen a board where the bylaws made the vice president automatically the chair of an important committee. It seems reasonable that the board would consider this the primary (if not premier) consideration in who should hold that office, especially when they can just vote for someone else to chair the board meetings where the President/Vice President is absent. It's an inelegant solution to badly drawn up bylaws, but seems reasonable.

[Rob Elsman]

As a matter of parliamentary law, a committee has the power to appoint a temporary occupant of the chair when the committee chairman (be he the vice president or otherwise) is absent or otherwise legitimately impeded from presiding.  I see nothing self-contradictory about the organization's vice president being the chairman of one or more committees.

[Guest Anon]

On 2/7/2024 at 11:59 AM, Rob Elsman said:

As a matter of parliamentary law, a committee has the power to appoint a temporary occupant of the chair when the committee chairman (be he the vice president or otherwise) is absent or otherwise legitimately impeded from presiding.  I see nothing self-contradictory about the organization's vice president being the chairman of one or more committees.

I understand it's not self-contradictory, but it's preventing the board from having their choice of committee chairman under your interpretation that the president cannot be vice president. If they want the president to chair the committee and serve as board president, they have to elect him board president and vice president. It seems reasonable that the board would consider the choice of committee chairman more important than having a backup board chairman, since the board can just elect a chairman pro tem in cases where he's absent.

[Rob Elsman]

If you are reading my response correctly, there should be no problem understanding that the vice president of the general membership assembly can serve as chairman of one or more committees, but he cannot hold the office of president of the general membership assembly and vice president of the general membership assembly simultaneously without self-contradiction.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 2/7/2024 at 9:28 AM, Guest Anon said:

Suppose, though, that the bylaws give additional duties to the vice president, and the society would like the president to have those duties.

Then the society should amend the bylaws.

[Rob Elsman]

...to authorize the vice president to preside in place of himself? 😁