Guest Jlangford Posted October 13, 2010 at 06:36 PM Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 at 06:36 PM We are a Volunteer Fire Dept Corp. The Directors and officers on the Board of Directors are elected by the general membership (voting residents in the fire district) as required in By-Laws. The By-laws state the acting fire chief is on the board. He is elected only by the fire fighters and confirmed by the board. The by-laws do not use the term ex offico anywhere. We question if the fire chief has full & equal rights as other board members (voting , motions)or is he placed on the board simply to provide input from fire dept needs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmtcastle Posted October 13, 2010 at 06:43 PM Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 at 06:43 PM We question if the fire chief has full & equal rights as other board members (voting , motions)or is he placed on the board simply to provide input from fire dept needs?As far as RONR is concerned, all members are created equal, regardless of their path to membership (e.g. election, appointment, or ex officio). You'd have to find something specific in your rules that says otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Goldsworthy Posted October 13, 2010 at 07:03 PM Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 at 07:03 PM The By-laws state the acting fire chief is on the board. ...We question if the fire chief has full & equal rights as other board members (voting , motions) ...Why do you question whether a sitting board member can vote and make motions?You cited your bylaw: "The By-laws state the acting fire chief is on the board." If that is all your bylaws say, then why do you seek to twist a secondary meaning?Do you doubt your other board members can vote and can make motions?(Why not question those guys, too? Why single out your "acting fire chief" as the weirdo position or as the extra-baggage director?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JLangford Posted October 13, 2010 at 07:36 PM Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 at 07:36 PM Why do you question whether a sitting board member can vote and make motions?You cited your bylaw: "The By-laws state the acting fire chief is on the board." If that is all your bylaws say, then why do you seek to twist a secondary meaning?Do you doubt your other board members can vote and can make motions?(Why not question those guys, too? Why single out your "acting fire chief" as the weirdo position or as the extra-baggage director?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 15, 2010 at 07:11 AM Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 at 07:11 AM We question if the fire chief has full & equal rights as other board members (voting , motions)or is he placed on the board simply to provide input from fire dept needs?A member of the board has all of the rights of membership, including voting and making motions, unless the Bylaws state otherwise. The fact that he achieved membership on the board through a different path than the other board members is irrelevant. If it is the intent of the organization for the fire chief to simply provide input, it would be prudent to amend the Bylaws so that he is not a member of the board, and then the board may invite him to attend meetings and speak as needed. This situation sounds similar to the common problem of organizations placing their Executive Director on the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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