Q&A

Our president has been accused of misconduct. Can she preside over the meeting and limit speech?

Is it unethical for an officer to preside over a meeting where misconduct of the officer is the subject of the meeting? What do we do about a violation of ethics? Also, if she presides, can she limit the speech of all speakers (except herself which she gives no limit) to 5 mins and 1 chance to speak if that motion was never voted upon?
- firefighter464

The presiding officer's duty is to be fair and impartial. In the situation you describe, I don't see how the president can be impartial, so she should step aside and let someone else chair that part of the meeting. If the charges are serious enough, Robert's Rules prescribes that you form a committee to investigate the misconduct. You do this by making a motion at a general meeting. If the motion passes, the committee investigates by talking to people involved, including the president, and looking at any pertinent evidence.
- Craig
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