Appointment of a parliamentarian

[Guest Ken W]

Does the appointment of a parliamentarian by the Chair require an approval vote by the body?

 

[Josh Martin]

On 8/10/2024 at 1:05 PM, Guest Ken W said:

Does the appointment of a parliamentarian by the Chair require an approval vote by the body?

No, unless your rules so provide (which they should not). The assembly would, however, have to approve the parliamentarian's fee (if any).

"If a parliamentarian is needed by an organization, the president should be free to appoint one in whom he has confidence. The board or society must approve any fee that will be required, however. If needed for only one meeting, a parliamentarian should be appointed as far as possible in advance of the meeting at which he is to serve, since his main work should be done outside the meeting." RONR (12th ed.) 47:48

The role of the parliamentarian is primarily to advise the presiding officer. As such, the presiding officer should be free to appoint a person of his choice.

Edited August 10, 2024 at 06:49 PM by Josh Martin

[Richard Brown]

On 8/10/2024 at 1:05 PM, Guest Ken W said:

Does the appointment of a parliamentarian by the Chair require an approval vote by the body?

 

 

On 8/10/2024 at 1:49 PM, Josh Martin said:

No, unless your rules so provide (which they should not).

I’m not so sure I agree. RONR says the president “”should be” free to appoint one in whom he has confidence“.  That is not the same thing as saying he “is free“ to appoint one in whom he has confidence. A study of the book Parliamentary Law by Dr. General Henry Robert will show that it is Mr. Robert’s advice that the bylaws provide for the authority of the president to appoint a parliamentarian. I take that to mean that without such authorization, the president does not have that power. 

Edited to add: in fact, Parliamentary Law says on page 324 that a parliamentarian “should be appointed by the president, subject to the approval of the board, in advance of the meeting at which he is to serve“. On page 326 it says “the parliamentarian should always be appointed by the president, subject to  confirmation by the board or the convention.“
 

Edited August 10, 2024 at 10:23 PM by Richard Brown
Added last paragraph and changed Dr. Henry Robert to General Henry Robert.

[Weldon Merritt]

On 8/10/2024 at 3:49 PM, Richard Brown said:

Dr. Henry Robert

Dr. Henry Robert? I am not aware of his having earned a doctorate in any field (but I could be wrong).

A lot of us (particularly those of us with a milt ray background) like to refer to him by his military title, General Robert. But Mr. Robert, as you refer to him later in the same sentence, certainly is not incorrect.

[Richard Brown]

 

On 8/10/2024 at 5:06 PM, Weldon Merritt said:

Dr. Henry Robert? I am not aware of his having earned a doctorate in any field (but I could be wrong).

I agree. I apparently inadvertently referred to General Robert as Dr. Robert. I will correct it. Thank you for catching the mistake! 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 8/10/2024 at 6:06 PM, Weldon Merritt said:

Dr. Henry Robert? I am not aware of his having earned a doctorate in any field (but I could be wrong).

A lot of us (particularly those of us with a milt ray background) like to refer to him by his military title, General Robert. But Mr. Robert, as you refer to him later in the same sentence, certainly is not incorrect.

Not to be confused with "Mr. Roberts" starring Henry Fonda and Jimmy Cagney. 

[Joshua Katz]

In any case, I don't see how (other than by not paying) the body can prevent the chair from consulting with a person if he wishes to do so, which is what the parliamentarian does.

[Dan Honemann]

On 8/10/2024 at 8:15 PM, Joshua Katz said:

In any case, I don't see how (other than by not paying) the body can prevent the chair from consulting with a person if he wishes to do so, which is what the parliamentarian does.

The assembly can prohibit the presence of persons who are not members of the group that is meeting.

[Weldon Merritt]

On 8/10/2024 at 6:30 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

Not to be confused with "Mr. Roberts" starring Henry Fonda and Jimmy Cagney. 

Maybe that's why many of us prefer General Robert.🙂

I have more than once or twice hear heard the General's last name pronounced as "Roberts." And once when I was presenting a parliamentary briefing to a city council in Washington State, one of the council members asked me afterward if Point Roberts, Washington, was named for him. 

Edited August 12, 2024 at 12:49 AM by Weldon Merritt
Corrected typo and eliminated improper line break..

[Richard Brown]

On 8/11/2024 at 6:43 AM, Dan Honemann said:

The assembly can prohibit the presence of persons who are not members of the group that is meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Honemann. I was about to say the same thing, but it carries a bit more weight coming from you! And I don’t think I would have said it quite as succinctly. 😊  

[Guest Ken W]

Thank you all for your inputs.