The Florida Volume 34, Number 1
February 2014
Theme:
President’s Message
“REACH OUT”
Motto Step up your game in the New Year!
“Let all things be
Shirley J. Brodbeck, RP, FSAP President
done decently and
I didn’t know many new residents on my street and pondered ways to reach out. A few weeks back, I invited all neighbors to a meet and greet, to dress “Christmasy” and bring an ornament to decorate a tree. We had a grand time figuring how to decorate a unique step ladder “tree,” especially placing the top piece. We not only worked as a committee to decorate the “tree” but learned a bit about each other and left feeling a part of the neighborhood.
in order.” I Corinthians 14:40
Presidents Message
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Annual Meeting Notice
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Questions and Answers
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Mary Bearss Article
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Dorothy Demarest Article
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Just as I reached out to my neighbors, it’s time to step up your parliamentary game. I invite each of you to resolve to take one or more steps to: 1. Increase your parliamentary knowledge. 2. Lead an Education on an unfamiliar motion. 3. Invite someone to attend the unit meeting with you and offer them a ride. 4. Write a short article for The Florida Parliamentarian. 5. Write an Op/Ed letter to promote your unit or Parliamentary Law Month in April. 6. Celebrate Henry M. Robert’s birthday in May. 7. Look for O’Henry candy bars to give out to others as a conversation starter on RONR.
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Like the rungs of a ladder lifting the eyes of passer’s by to the top ornament, so must each of us lift parliamentary procedure to new prominence in Florida. Use your creativity and let’s get stepping into 2014!
The Florida Parliamentarian is the official publication of the Florida State Association of Parliamentarians, published four times a year; February, April, September, December. Subscription rate: $20 per year. © 2005 Florida State Association of Parliamentarians
Shirley Brodbeck, RP, Editor-in Chief DEADLINES FOR COPY February issue > > > > Dec 31st April issue > > > > > Mar. 1st September issue > > > > July 31st December issue > > > > Oct 31st
941-722-2281 E-mail: sjbrodbeck@aol.com Karen Price, Editor 941-697-8000 E-mail: craftyksp@ewol.com
SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO: Nancy Watkins 1903 Bayshore Blvd Tampa, Florida 33606-3107
Patricia McDougle, PRP, Associate Editor 954-791-5957 Email: patmcdougle@att.net
Nancy H. Watkins, PRP, Circulation Manager 813-254-3369 nwatkins@robertwatkins.com
FSAP WEBSITE http://www.flparliamentarian.com
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Mark your calendar now !!!
FSAP Spring Annual Meeting, May 2 – 4, 2014 Holiday Inn Lakewood Ranch – Sarasota Exciting education involving everyone. NAP Vice President Mary L. Randolph, CPP-T, PRP of Washington will be our national representative. Watch our next issue for an article on Mary L. Randolph, NAP Vice President FURP Annual Meeting, May 4, 2014 Sunday 8 AM Meeting Followed by an Educational Workshop
Welcome Full Time Student Members Joseph L. Miller – Bradenton MAL Robin L Baratt – Sarasota MAL Stephen Richardson – Bradenton MAL Jordan C. Meyer – Bradenton MAL
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Questions and Answers Associate Editor All page numbers are references to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th edition unless otherwise noted. Send your questions to the Associate Editor: Patricia McDougle, PRP , Email: patmcdougle@att.net Q&A
Disclaimer: The questions answered in this column are answers to questions on parliamentary procedure. If you are a member of a Florida condominium association, homeowner’s association, etc. the answers might not be applicable because of the Florida Statutes, or the bylaws of the home owners association. Florida statutes, bylaws of the association and in the case of governmental bodies have rules which have precedence over Robert’s Rules of Order FLORIDA PARLIAMENTARIAN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR FIRST QUARTER 2014 Question 5. My understanding is that adopting the motion previous question stops debate. Does this guarantee that the vote will be taken immediately and that no further debate is permitted under any circumstances? Answer 5. No, adopting the motion Previous Question does not guarantee that a vote will be taken right away and that there are no circumstances that would permit further debate? On taking the vote immediately: secondary motions may intercede to delay the vote . . . e.g. Lay on the Table, any of the higher ranking privileged motions and some of the incidental motions - Point of Order and Appeal come to mind. On permitting no further debate under any circumstances . . . A member who voted on the prevailing side of the Previous Question can move to reconsider the vote on the Previous Question. If the reconsideration prevails, the question covered by ordering the Previous Question becomes debatable. (Caveat: Reconsideration of an affirmative vote on Previous Question can only be made in the very brief interval after Previous Question is ordered and before any vote is taken under the order, p. 205, ll. 16-21). In conclusion, ordering the Previous Question does not guarantee that a vote will be taken immediately and further debate can be restored under certain circumstances. Question 6. Must the member who made the original main motion be the one to make the motion to rescind it? Answer 6. No. Any member may make the motion to rescind (p. 307, ll. 22-23). Further note that in contrast to the motion to Reconsider, a time limit does not apply and it matters not how the member voted on the original main motion. An urban legend continues to exist that the maker of a main motion owns it forever. For example, consider the “friendly amendment” which should be handled by making the motion to amend, securing a
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Continued from page 4 second, and taking a vote on the amendment. What we frequently see in the real world is the maker of a motion being asked to accept a “friendly amendment” to his motion. For the record, Robert says that “After the question has been stated by the chair, the motion becomes the property of the assembly and its maker. . . ” can neither modify nor withdraw his motion without the consent of the assembly (p. 40, ll. 10-12). Question 7. Why isn’t 50% + 1 the definition of a majority? We had a big argument about this at our last board meeting. Answer 7. Mathematically, 50% + 1 does not always arrive at the correct number for a majority, the simple definition of which is more than half. The math works when applied to an even number but not when applied to an odd number. Take a school board or a city commission of nine members. It is pretty easy to figure that a vote of five to four is a majority – five being more than half of nine. However, 9 * .50 = 4.5, add 1 = 5.5, and this rounds up to 6. 50% + 1 as the definition of a majority is another of those urban legends that just won’t fade away.
Jacksonville Unit by Debbie Laury
The Jacksonville Unit of the National Association of Parliamentarians meets quarterly at the Regency Square Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library on the second Saturdays of the months of January, April, July and October. If attendees at any of our meetings include either guests or provisional members, at the conclusion of those meetings we spend approximately a half an hour reviewing portions of the 300 Study Questions in order to help our guests and our provisional members to prepare for and take the NAP membership exam. Because our unit covers such a wide geographic area and our membership is relatively small, at this point it has not been feasible for us to create study groups. However, we are working hard on membership recruitment with the hope that as our membership base increases, it will be possible to set up study groups in the future.
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Mary Bearss in her own words January 3, 2014 By Nancy Dauster, PRP
Mary Bearss
Since I moved to Florida fifteen years ago, it has been rare for me to meet someone who was born and raised in Florida. Mary Bearss and her husband Paul met at church and were married in Tampa. Paul Bearss, who is now deceased, was a very successful citrus grower. To this day Mary and several of her relatives live on the grove property. Paul built their current home in 1941. My husband and I were lucky enough to visit Mary and get a tour of her home and grounds. Mary joined NAP in 1964. She was active with the Parlia-mentary Law Club of Tampa. (Evidently there was as phrase, Parlia-mentary, that we no longer use but you may see it again.) When the unit dissolved she transferred to the Florida Alpha Parliamentarians. She was active in PTA when her children were in school. “Mary writes “The PTA County Council President at the time asked me to be her parliamentarian, I said yes – then I realized how little I knew. My 7th and 8th grade teacher taught us a little. (Yes, we had two classes in one room.) I met the PTA County Council President one day a number of years later and she said I had to thank her for starting me on a new career and I agreed. I asked her why she appointed me, and she said, “I thought that was one way to shut you up!” “The National PTA sponsored an eleven hour class, taught by Mrs. Vinsant of Indiana, a former NAP President. I took that class in Orlando. Dr. Leonardy, the first President of FSAP used to travel the state teaching classes for a week. I continued to take classes from her. At that time, to become a member of NAP you needed to successfully complete twenty hours of classes taught by Registered Parlia-mentarians.” “In 1969, three Alpha members took the registration examination. Grace Caldwell, Marjorie Park, and myself. The exam was quite different from now! We had a number of questions to answer and had to write the answers on plain paper. We had to list the subsidiary and privileged motions in order; write a set of bylaws and minutes; and the rules for certain motions. Example: the rules for Objection To The Consideration of a Question. The examination was based on Robert’s Rules of Order Revised, 1915 Edition. I had a portable typewriter so managed to finish the first day but Grace and Marj went back the second day. We all passed.” “Dr. Leonardy was a firm believer that every person should take part during the lessons and each of us had to go through the procedure of presiding, serving as parliamentarian, making a motion, etc. We used to do skits. I can still see Renatta Cochran “lying on the table”, literally, to demonstrate the motion.”
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Mary has a long history as Parliamentarian for Organizations, Conventions, Parliamentary Instruction, and Bylaw Consultation. Her Parliamentary Education includes: NAP Registration 1969, Approved, Institute of Teachers and Speakers 1971, Parliamentary Specialist, Academy of Parliamentary Procedure and Law – 1971, (All of these required examinations and oral testing.) Professional Affiliations – NAP National Parliamentarian 1989 – 1991, Membership Committee 1981 – 1985, Education committee 1985 – 1987 Registration Examiners and other committees Academy of Parliamentarians Procedure & Law Charter member and President Florida Affiliations: FSAP President 1983 – 1985, Florida Alpha Parliamentarians President 1952, and FURP President 1989 - 1991 Professional Experience Teaching: University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Local, state and national workshops, Hillsborough County Commission and staff, City of Tampa Council and staff. Advanced: local, state, national workshops & private classes. Convention Parliamentarian: National FTD Florists Transworld Delivery Association – 18 years National Society Daughters of the American Revolution – 6 years State: Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida
Federation of Woman’s Clubs, 18 years State Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 8 years Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, 4 years State Society Daughters of the American Colonists, 2 Years Dental Hygienists Association, 4 years
If you added the national and state organizations years in the groups Mary was Parliamentarian, for a total of 60 years. “One time when Dr. Leonardy was in Tampa setting up classrooms and I was taking registration, I learned that there was séance in the next room. Dr. Leonardy said she always wished she could have asked General Robert a question about the motion to withdraw. My immediate thought? Maybe we can go next door.” “I have kept the Florida Parliamentarian containing the new members, Mrs. N. J. Stickeler, later NAP President 1989 - 1991 and Mrs. Paul Bearss. I can still remember typing the State Yearbook – my first job, given to me by Mrs. Leonard Shear. Yes, I said typing. No computers then!” One thing that really bothers me now is the fact that we had much larger FSAP conventions during our earlier years – as we have asked – why are members not coming? Do we need a standing rule specifying where the conventions shall be held in the State? We try to plan programs and classes that we all want and need.
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" Read a glowing parliamentary public relations article from the editor of Skating Magazine about FSAP's current parliamentarian and CCPU member Dorothy Demarest's role as the presider and parliamentarian for the past 10 U.S. Figure Skating's Governing Councils. The article was published in Skating Magazine's July 2013 issue." Skating Magazine is sent to many thousands of US Figure Skating members, some of whom are current or past National and Olympic Champions."
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