Dawn, good question, legitimate one too.

that sort of scenario is PRECISELY the reason we have inserted into our bylaws, that running for office you must not only have paid your membership dues, but must be a member in good standing.

A bounced check happens and is innocent, but full payment should follow in short order once the error is realized.

I think ordering things that you know you dont have enough $$$ to cover for it at the time payment is due (the payment plan would infer that), would not be considered 'good standing' at our school, good intentions and payment plan and all the other points well taken above, not withstanding.

I understand those views too, but if i were a voter at your school, i would cast my vote as i saw fit.

but to answer your question, as per your blywaws, sounds like you have to let her run for office. you can cast your vote as you see fit.

Pres Jim,
The board probably cannot decide when she takes office- "possibly have the President request the board to vote that she not officially take over until this debt is fully paid."
That's spelled out in the bylaws under "terms of office". Even the membership can't undo the terms without an amendment to them.

DawnM,

Let me ask you this...

This person who owes money is running for a position that was held by the same person for the past two years, correct?

According to your Bylaws if anyone (in this case the person paying off the debt) wants to run then the person who has held the position for the past two years must step down, correct?

So if shw is not allowed to run because of this debt then the person who has held the position for the past two years will be unopposed and allowed to keep the position?

It seems, and I am sorry if this comes across as further "bashing", that the rules are being looked at in an attempt to try to prevent a fair election.

Now having said that I will say that a $350 debt is a lot, and the fact that she has only paid $15 of that since December is information that IMO is important in this decision. If she only owed $100 and has been paying back $10 or $15 a month, then I would not have any problems. But now that you explained the situation a bit more I can definitely see that there is a problem.

I would recommend having your current President talk with her and explain the worries. Another option, depending on your Bylaws, would be to have the two members who have held the positions for two years straight swap (unless they were co-Presidents). Many Bylaws state that the same positiuon can't be held for two years straight. So if one was President and the other Vice President then they could swap.

Worst case you could possibly have the President request the board to vote that she not officially take over until this debt is fully paid. This way she could still be elected fairly, but the worry could be addressed. As far as whether she would be trusted handling funds it sounds as though the Treasurer and/or the Vice President would need to ensure that things are being handled correctly.

Also as CrewChief asked, let us know more about your Bylaws. Maybe there is something else that you can do.

Good luck and let us know how things work out.

PresidentJim

I understand you concern. She has a large debt to the PTO and you question whether her level of ethics would harm the role that she seeks in the election. You would think she would have cleared up the debt before seeking election, however, there may be something that you are unaware of. It is your Treasurer's job to followup with her in regards to the debt. However, if the debt is only known to a few "insiders" then the majority of those voting don't know of this situation and will vote based upon her personality and level of participation in the PTO. However, if she has not volunteered, then your concern should be directed in whether she would be a good candidate for either position given that she is not a volunteer, does not know the inside workings of the PTO and has no experience at the easier positions.
Since you shouldn't start gossiping about this woman, the voters will have to decide who is best for the position based upon their PTO experience. In our elections, if 2 or more are running for a position, they make a speech before the election. If someone is running against her that is experienced, your voters will have to use their judgement and hopefully vote for the more qualified candidate.

This woman has a right to run for an office.
But you- as someone who has info that has a direct bearing on whether she is ethically fit to hold office-may debate the nomination of this woman. It is not out of line to speak the truth.
Bouncing a check for 350. and paying back at a rate of 15.00 would mean to me that 350. isn't an amount that she ever had in her checkbook in the first place. If she had immediately paid it back in full- that would mean something else.
What fudiciary responsibility would she show with the money of your organization if she shows such a lack with her own?

Dawn, no one is trying to bash you- and if you got that impression, sorry. We are all honestly trying to answer your questions with the info you provided. You did say she " has been gradually paying us" for example...

Sometimes it's REALLY hard to give the right answers from an objective perspective when we ONLY have the small amount of info that is provided by the poster. we have NO clue about any of the players, or the history.. only the few words that are provided.

Based ONLY on what you said, there is no reason why this person should not be allowed to run.. that was the question you were asking.. But I think, in seeing what else you wrote about her and her kids running around and the fire thing, it's clear that you think this woman is not a viable candidate for the job.. and that's OK!!! We ALL have those kinds of people in our schools...

so now, the question may be.. " how do we tactfully encourage this person to take on another role?"

There's a lot of value in not settling for "2nd best" as a President. It's OK to tell people they aren't the best match for the JOB.. and it's just that.. It's a full time job - and to be good and effective, you have to have certain skills.. and you know that.. otherwise you wouldn't be here looking for help..

So let's refocus and help you figure out how to find a BETTER candidate!

How about personally approaching some GOOD candidates and ask them to run? Personal invites are the best way to get people..