Voting by Honorary Board Member

Started by CookieP • 4 replies • 2292 views

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CookieP (Wisconsin)
Posts: 7

Posted:

Question is whether an Honorary Board Member should be routinely voting at Board Meetings if there is no tie by the Board Officers, i.e., President, VP, Secretary, & Treasurer.

Our by-laws called for an election of the four board officers at our annual meeting, and because it was an even number, an Honorary Board Member was elected. Now this individual is voting at Board Meetings even if there is no tie.

RogerB (Colorado)
Posts: 5,067

Posted:

Cookie, do your By-laws provide for an honorary Board member?
If so, they are allowed to vote on any motion unless the By-laws qualify when they can and can not vote.
If not, they are not a Board member and can not vote on any issue.

CookieP (Wisconsin)
Posts: 7

Posted:

Thank you.

CookieP (Wisconsin)
Posts: 7

Posted:

RogerB.,

I reviewed the By-Laws and there is no mention of an Honorary Board Member. However, the By-Laws state that three Board of Directors will be elected by all unit owners at the annual election. The By-Laws also state that the President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary will be elected by the Board of Directors.

Currently, the four officers regard themselves and vote as though they are the Board of Directors. That is why they wanted an honorary board member.

We are a 16-unit condo association. Three of the units are owned by one person who casts three votes for the Board of Directors at the annual election. He also lives in one of the units he is trying to sell. Is this person allowed to do this?

To follow the By-Laws this year, can three elected Board of Directors vote for themselves for the officer positions? That would leave one not a Board Director but an officer only. Therefore, removing the need for a tie-breaker?

This is the way the By-Laws are written. Thanks.

RogerB (Colorado)
Posts: 5,067

Posted:

Cookie, Don't your By-laws require officers to be elected from the existing Board members? Why would the Board ever elect someone as an officer who is not a Board member? With three Board member normally one is elected President and one of the two others fills two of the three other offices. Non Board members, if allowed to be officers, and the honorary board member in your case are not a member of the Board and may not vote. Personally, if I was on your Board it would be changed immediately. The Board can do this at a Board meeting now.

By-laws usually allow one vote per unit. So if someone owns three units they get three votes.

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