HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - December 9, 2022
Published: Fri, 12/09/22
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HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - December 9, 2022
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In this week's tip, we answer a reader's question about whether their manager can serve the role of a parliamentarian.
As we often do with reader's questions, we're starting by backing up. When is a parliamentarian necessary (if ever)? If it's needed, who should serve in that role?
A parliamentarian is a person who attends corporate meetings to advise on the proper meeting procedures, most often under protocols found in things like Robert's Rules of Order. The parliamentarian may offer advice on how to properly conduct motions and how to determine whether participants have the right to speak and, if so, when. The idea is to ensure that meetings are run according to an established set of procedures.
"Years and years ago, we had an attorney at our office who was a licensed parliamentarian," recalls Elina Gilbert, a shareholder at Altitude Community Law in Lakewood, Colo., who has specialized in community association law for 22 years. "Every meeting she went to with crazy owners went amazingly well. So, it's an added value if someone is a parliamentarian.
"The way parliamentarians run meetings, I wouldn't be able to do it," she adds. "I've been advising community associations for a long time, and I still wouldn't be able to do it. I think for really contentious meetings, it's a really good idea to have a parliamentarian. But make sure they're really good, that they've gotten their license, and that they know what they're doing."
On the flip side, an inflexible rules-follower can exhaust others and make meetings seem interminable. "We sometimes run into situations where someone wants to use Robert's Rules of Order, which is a very specific, formalized process for meetings," says Suzette Beck, CMCA®, AMS®, the senior vice president of operations of northern California and Washington for RealManage, a community management company.
"In most cases, we don't recommend it," she adds. "Not a lot of people are familiar with Robert's Rules. Or they think they are, but they aren't. Robert's Rules is massive, and even the condensed version can be hard to follow."
For Daniel Zimberoff, CCAL, a partner at Zimberoff Deutsch in San Diego, who represents dozens of condo and HOA owners in California at any given time and is the author of Avoiding Homeowner Wars, the answer should be tailored to the situation.
Read more, including why our experts think our reader is actually asking a different question than it seems, in our new article: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/4620.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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