Dismissing a Committee Member

Started by MarianneJ • 8 replies • 5483 views

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MarianneJ (Arizona)
Posts: 2

Posted:

I am the Chair of our HOA Landscape Committee. I have a situation with a member of the committee that involves several issues: Lack of attendance for Meetings,non-supportive of any committee proposals and involvement in spreading predjudicial rumors regarding a fellow member of the committee to the Membership via emails.

My Question: As Chair of the Committee, may I remove this individual from the Committee Roster without the vote of the Committee Members themselves for the above reasons?

DavidW5 (North Carolina)
Posts: 565

Posted:

In our HOA the board appoints individuals to the committees and committee members serve at the pleasure of the board. Therefore, they can be removed, with or without cause, by vote of the board. Each committee has a board member designated as the liaison to the committee. As a practical matter the full board supports any appointment or removal recommendation agreed to between the committee chairman and the board liaison.

You should check on how committee members are appointed in your HOA. Whoever has the authority to make the appointment should also have the authority to remove a committee member.

MarianneJ (Arizona)
Posts: 2

Posted:

Thank you for your response.

Our Committee Members are volunteers. The Committee,however,was formed by the President of the Board and the Chair reports directly to him on any recommendations. These recommendations are then presented at the Board of Directors Meetings by the Chair.

We did have a Board Liaison, who also was a member of the Committee, however, she was not re-elected, consequently we are at present only guided by the President.

Then,would the President of the Board be the only avenue to remove a member?

KellyM3 (North Carolina)
Posts: 2,239

Posted:

Committee members are easy to remove as described but consider the disruption and distraction to your committee and the board by moving forward with a committee-member's removal, especially if your committee is actively working on a regular basis.

First, this person isn't attending your committee meetings, which keeps them away when you're doing business.

Second, the spreading of rumors implies this person has available time to engage in volunteer projects. Put him/her to work on a certain piece of your project list, as a leader with the duty to report back to the committee on progress being made. This approach is most effective as the person will eliminate himself/herself from the equation to dodge the work.

The forum seems to relish discussions of how to boot people from HOA activities when removals can make any problem worse and vindicate those spreading misinformation, which no amount of HOA votes will stop. Your challenger is acting from ignorance. Enlighten them on what it takes to serve on your committee, if you're an active committee.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MarianneJ on 10/26/2012 5:43 PM

non-supportive of any committee proposals and involvement in spreading predjudicial rumors regarding a fellow member of the committee to the Membership via emails.

As Kelly pointed out, removing the this member won't stop any of this activity (it might even make it worse).

PaulT6 (California)
Posts: 409

Posted:

We had a similar situation when I was Chairman of our Covenants Committee. We had a Committee member that was lying to a Board member about my handling of the Committee, trying to negate Staff's actions, and the list goes on. I suggest you document everything very carefully, and if appropriate, have a little talk with her, including
what she must do to stay on the Committee. If that doesn't work, submit your request to have her removed from the Committee PRIVATELY to the President of the Board and let the chips fall where they may. Your Governing Documents should spell out the chain of command. I doubt that you need the other committee Member's approval, in our case I didn't and kept everything private.

I was just about to present our President with a huge package of documentation about our rogue member when she up and quit on her own. I think she knew what was coming.

Paul T

CarolR11 (Colorado)
Posts: 2,563

Posted:

I, too, would take kelly's observations into account. But your Bylaws should specify who may dismiss a committee member. If silent, your state's corporation code may be a good source.

PaulT6 (California)
Posts: 409

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KellyM3 on 10/27/2012 4:55 AM
Committee members are easy to remove as described but consider the disruption and distraction to your committee and the board by moving forward with a committee-member's removal, especially if your committee is actively working on a regular basis.

First, this person isn't attending your committee meetings, which keeps them away when you're doing business.

Second, the spreading of rumors implies this person has available time to engage in volunteer projects. Put him/her to work on a certain piece of your project list, as a leader with the duty to report back to the committee on progress being made. This approach is most effective as the person will eliminate himself/herself from the equation to dodge the work.

The forum seems to relish discussions of how to boot people from HOA activities when removals can make any problem worse and vindicate those spreading misinformation, which no amount of HOA votes will stop. Your challenger is acting from ignorance. Enlighten them on what it takes to serve on your committee, if you're an active committee.

Kelly,

Agree that you should do whatever is possible to solve the problem before removing the person. In our case, however, my talks with her had absolutely no effect. We had an excellent Staff person threatening to quit and major discontent within the Committee.
It was my call to remove her which I was just about to do, when, as mentioned earlier, she quit. In my 16 years of being Chairman we had a few people, who had an agenda as a reason for joining the Committee, who were disruptive. In all cases when they couldn't have their way, they quit.

Paul T

BradP (Kansas)
Posts: 2,640

Posted:

Marianne

back on your subject, your correct course of action would be to take your concerns to the board and if you want them removed ask them to remove this person from your committee. Unless there is something in your documents that gives you as the chair of the committee this right it ultimately is a board decision.

However, if you are going to ask for their removal i think a prudent step would be to have a replacement(s) in mind and offer that as well.

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