Dear Dinosaur Advice Column

Please note that our office is closed while Ann is traveling in Portugal.
We will reopen on Monday, March 18.

Got a question about Robert's Rules of Order?
First, search our site. We have hundreds of blog entries with quick-and-easy answers.
If you don't find what you need, write to Dear Dinosaur.
Ann Macfarlane is a dinosaur who knows her stuff.

 

Right of directors to share feelings outside board?

Dear Dinosaur: Board directors of our organization want to express their individuality and share their honest feelings with others outside of the board when they were not in agreement with the vote. When they do, those impacted by the vote feel hurt, disappointed, or pushed out. It seems that we are setting up a rift…

Read More...

After rescinding the motion, what next?

Dear Dinosaur:  In your September newsletter, you said that anybody could move to rescind a motion, regardless of how they voted originally. After a motion is rescinded, can a new motion pertaining to the same topic replace it? Answer: The motion to rescind cancels out the original motion and leaves the field open for a…

Read More...

When asked to vote, director does nothing

Dear Dinosaur:  When calling for the vote with our 3-person county board, two directors vote “aye” and the third director does not vote. The director doesn’t vote aye, nay or with an abstention when asked. Just simply, no action. How is that vote then recorded? Answer: Under Robert’s Rules of Order, “to abstain” is to…

Read More...