At the 2010 Fall meeting, there was brief discussion about amending the procedures for “reappointing” officers. In hind sight, I can see how the current procedure might not be appropriate. :tongue: I think the prudent thing to do would be to discuss these procedures prior to the upcoming spring meeting, and amend the bylaws accordingly since officer elections will be on the agenda.
Fortunately, Ken agreed to make suggestions (albeit reluctantly :lol: ). Certainly others should feel welcome to make suggestions as well.
Please keep in mind that my intent behind this wording was to streamline the process as much as possible to save time at the meeting, and to avoid the hassle or awkwardness of having the vice-chair temporarily take over the meeting to conduct a vote when there is only one candidate. Obviously, if there is an issue with the chair or more than one candidate (or other objections), then a vote must be held. I yield to the committee’s thoughts on this one.
Here is how Section 3.04 of the Bylaws currently reads:
Section 3.04 – Officer Reappointments
Officers may be reappointed by unanimous consent. The Chairperson shall notify any officer whose term is due to expire of their pending reappointment. If the officer does not consent to a new term, then normal election procedures shall be followed to elect a replacement. If the officer consents to a new term, then the Chairperson shall notify the Committee via regular meeting announcements. Any Member may object to the unanimous consent at any time prior to reappointment. If there are no objections, then the Chairperson shall reappoint the Member to a new term of office. If any Member objects, then time shall be allowed for discussion, and a vote shall be taken. If a majority vote for reappointment is not achieved, then normal election procedures for a new officer shall commence.
Please leave your comments below. We don’t have to approve this now. I will put it on the agenda at the meeting for discussion and voting.
I tried to find the discussion points, but they werent in the minutes. Was there a particular concern?
As I recall, the discussion was pretty brief. I think the concern may have been with the chair “reappointing” the chair??? lol Sounds kinda silly looking back on it (when I wrote that section). To be honest, I don’t remember the primary concern. We may have to wait for Ken’s comments, or someone elses, to refresh our collective memories (I realize you weren’t there). I did have a note written down some where that said “committee voting on reappointment”. I think the concern was with the chair “reappointing” officers rather that the committee voting on it. The way I look at it, the committee does vote, by unanimous consent, and has the right to force a vote at any time by objecting to the unanimous consent.
Billy, below is a wordy attempt to remove a few awkward moments where officers may be reluctant to reinstall themselves . . . of course the following isn’t exactly polished, either. But may open up some better ideas. [……] Just didn’t feel this was polished enough to go to the committee . . . if ever.
All the best,
Ken
Section 3.04 – Officer Reappointments
Officers may be reappointed by unanimous consent.
The Chairperson shall notify any officer whose term is due to expire of their pending reappointment. At least two weeks before every election time, the Chairperson shall appoint a Committee member to serve as Director of Election, Appointments and Reappointments (the DEAR) and shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair. The DEAR shall be responsible for finding out the Committee’s desire to reappoint term-expiring officers; then, subsequently relay the Committee’s decision to the existing officers’ and, if appropriate, ascertain the officers’ desire to extend their term. Ifthean officer does not consent to a new term, then normal election procedures shall be followed to elect a replacement. If the officer consents to a new term, then theChairpersonDEAR shall notify the Committee via regular meeting announcements. Any Member may object to the unanimous consent at any time prior to reappointment. If there are no objections, then theChairpersonDEAR shall reappoint the Member or Members to a new term or terms of office. If any Member objects, then time shall be allowed for discussion, and a vote shall be taken under the auspices of the DEAR. If a majority vote for reappointment is not achieved, then normal election procedures for a new officer shall commence and, upon completion, the DEAR position dissolved.May need some polishing, but sounds to me like a good solution to the problem. Thanks Ken.
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My primary concern regarding officer elections or reappointments is the amount of time it takes to administer yearly elections. The reason for the verbiage in the current bylaws is to allow for as simple a process as possible to handle this task every year. I can see how the current arrangement may not be totally appropriate, however, and I welcome suggestions.
Considering the current cirumstances, I would make the following comments/suggestions, and aslo have some random thoughts.
Lets use the current procedures to reappoint the officers for this year, and until a new procedure has been created and approved.
Lets discuss this (maybe briefly) at the next meeting, and assign a sub committee to devise a new procedure and propose an amendment to the bylaws to the full committee at their will.
We meet once or twice a year, and must hold elections every year. I think this is excessive.
Whatever is decided, my hope is that great consideration will be given to the simplicity of the procedures to save time.
Perhaps the officer term needs to be changed to every 2 or 3 years, or even indefinitely. I would expect that, if an officer needed or wanted to resign the position, then they could do it at any (convenient) time. On the other hand, if the committee wanted a change at either position, then they should be able to initiate elections independently of the chair. And, if no change is necessary, or desired, then the process to continue as chair or vice chair should be as simple as possible, with as little yearly hassle as possible.