Position of Past President

[Guest diana]

In our not-for-profit organization, there are 15 directors stipulated in the by-law. The position of "Past President" is also stipulated in addition to the directors.

A couple of questions.....can a past president serve as a director at the same time?

Secondly, and unrelated to the above question, can the Past President resign from that position? If so, does the position become vacant, or would the previous president re-assume the position of 'past president'?

Thanks!

[George Mervosh]

1) No rule in RONR prohibits a member from serving in two positions.

2) Logic dictates if you're the last person who was President, you'll remain that until the current President steps down.

Zip over to http://parliamentarians.org/nppast.php and order a few copies of our own Mr. Fish's article entitled "What To Do with Your Immediate Past President." in the Third Quarter 2006 issue. It's very enlightening.

[jstackpo]

If your bylaws really say "Past President" and not "Immediate Past President" you could have a problem coming up.

Presumably your association has more than one person in it who has served as President. How do you decide which one is the "real" Past President?

In my personal view, setting up an "official" Immediate Past President (IPP) position is not a particularly good idea. The most telling argument is the real possibility of a close and bitter race for the presidency, with the current president running (for a second term) against an "outsider". And the outsider - the "reform candidate", perhaps - wins but is still stuck with the thorn of the IPP on the Board in a position to snipe at the new president. And perhaps attempt to undermine the new president's plans.

If the erstwhile president is a "good guy" the new president can (usually, depending on the bylaws) appoint him to a pre-existing committee - or even have him chair one, which might put him on the Board - as the new president sees fit. That way the IPP's experience and value can be put to good use, when needed, without the danger of setting up an adversarial situation which would require a bylaw amendment to get out of.

Here's some more reasons:

1) The President resigns and wants nothing to do with the organization.

2) The President simply doesn't run for election again because he's had enough, and never shows up at a board meeting.

3) The President is booted out of office for being incompetent, or for something more nefarious.

4) The President dies.

5) The President resigns and moves (wants to help but isn't around).

6) Even worse is the bylaw assignment of the IPP to chair a committee - such as nominating. Then he dies/quits/leaves town, &c. You are then stuck with an unfillable (by definition) vacancy.

[Guest diana]

1) No rule in RONR prohibits a member from serving in two positions.

2) Logic dictates if you're the last person who was President, you'll remain that until the current President steps down.

Zip over to http://parliamentarians.org/nppast.php and order a few copies of our own Mr. Fish's article entitled "What To Do with Your Immediate Past President." in the Third Quarter 2006 issue. It's very enlightening.

[Guest diana]

Thanks.

So what that means is that if the PP chooses not to be active at all, he/she is still the PP and the on previous to him/her doesn't become the PP. There would just be an inactive PP, but that person's name would continue to appear as the PP.

Is that correct?

[hmtcastle]

So what that means is that if the IPP chooses not to be active at all, he/she is still the IPP and the one previous to him/her doesn't become the IPP. There would just be an inactive IPP, but that person's name would continue to appear as the IPP.

Is that correct?

Pretty much (with the addition of the "I"). You may have many past presidents, but you have only one immediate past president.

The long-term solution, of course, is to amend your bylaws to remove the IPP's ex-officio status.

[Guest diana]

Thanks very much.

Great website!