President's Rights

[forsythia]

At our last meeting a member of the BOD became very agitated; started yelling, turning red, sweating, banging on the table. I am President of the BOD and I told him to control himself, he leaned over the table and called me a "filibuster" All this because I invited a guest speaker (President of a similar organization) that he did not want to listen to. Can I have this member of the BOD removed for the remainder of the meeting?

[jstackpo]

If he persists in his disruptive behavior (after being admonished to stop), yes. See Chapter 20 of RONR or FAQ 20 on this b-board.

[hmtcastle]

On the other hand, the president, alone, can't permit a non-member to speak at a meeting without the (at least implicit) consent of a majority of the assembly.

[forsythia]

On the other hand, the president, alone, can't permit a non-member to speak at a meeting without the (at least implicit) consent of a majority of the assembly.

Good to know. I did run it by some of the BOD but not all of them, the ones I asked were fine with it.

[jstackpo]

Oops, "running it by" ahead of time is not really enough. It is AT the meeting that a majority can invite someone to speak. Or not.

"Running it by" is not a bad planning device (AKA, get your ducks in a row) but the final decision (and only one that counts) takes place at the meeting.

[Josh Martin]

I am President of the BOD and I told him to control himself, he leaned over the table and called me a "filibuster"

That doesn't even make sense, since the term "filibuster" refers to the tactic itself, not the person who uses it. Nor does it seem that the tactic itself has any meaningful application to the situation at hand.

If he's going to insult people he should at least make an effort to be comprehensible.

If he persists in his disruptive behavior (after being admonished to stop), yes. See Chapter 20 of RONR or FAQ 20 on this b-board.

I'm sure you mean by this that if he persists in his disruptive behavior, the board may order the member removed. The President does not have this authority on his own.

[hmtcastle]

That doesn't even make sense, since the term "filibuster" refers to the tactic itself, not the person who uses it

Though those of us of a certain age will recall one Phineas T. Bluster.

No relation to Phil I. Buster.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

... very agitated; started yelling, turning red, sweating, banging on the table.

If this were the 1960s, we'd label this the Nikita Khrushchev syndrome.

Add one shoe, and you've got it all!

[Gary Novosielski]

If he's going to insult people he should at least make an effort to be comprehensible.

Oh, I don't know. I think I'd just as soon be insulted by someone incomprehensible. It can be all the more entertaining.