The Florida Volume 33, Number 4
November 2013
Theme:
Presidents Message
“REACH OUT”
Motto The NAP Convention in Portland, Oregon, saw 16 FSAP members participating in workshops with Eugene Bierbaum and Timothy Wynn presenting two of them. Finishing their terms on national committees were: Bylaws – Nancy H. Watkins, Webinar – Timothy Wynn, Youth – Patricia McDougle, and Membership & Registration Examiners Committee Chairman, Nancy Dauster. The delegates voted on bylaw amendments, spoke on the floor and helped elect Florida’s Ann Guiberson, NAP president for the 2013 – 2015 biennium. FSAP hosted a chocolate fondue reception in Ann’s honor on the top floor of the hotel while watching the sunlight fade and the moon rise on our new leader. FSAP will continue to support you, Ann.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” I Corinthians 14:40
Presidents Message
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Questions and Answers
4-5
Leadership Report
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Delegate’s Reports
6-7-11
Education Report
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8-9
Credentialing of members was a hot topic and Eugene Bierbaum was appointed chair of the special committee on Credentialed Membership and will report in February and submit bylaw amendments as necessary. Surely everyone in attendance reached out to fellow NAP members at one time or another in meetings, workshop, banquets, travel time, or just in passing. A fellow NAP member drove me to . Vancouver, Washington, to find a geocache. A plaque stated that Ulysses S. Grant raised potatoes to lower the cost of the officer’s mess when he was stationed at Ft. Vancouver. Cost-reducing measures were noted at the recent FSAP Henry M. Robert Day meeting in Lake Mary,Fl. Gene Bierbaum’s hand-held microphone and sound system worked beautifully with the small gathering of 28 attendees.
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The Central Florida Unit provided snacks and Protocol Chair, Barbara Holland, brought the USA flag, and your president brought a lectern. Mind stretching, informative and interactive workshops were presented by Patricia McDougle, Tim and Todd Wynn, NAP President Ann Guiberson, District 3 Director Nancy Dauster and FURP President Barbara Proctor. FSAP members from 10 of the 12 units were represented and the reports of each unit sparked ideas that might be helpful to other units. New Jacksonville President, Deborah Laury, is chairman of the FSAP Presidents Committee and will be contacting presidents via email to help unite units by sharing ideas, concerns and encouraging one another. It saddened us to learn of the death of long-time member Phyllis Wood, PRP, Apollo XI Parliamentary Law Unit. A $25 memorial was sent to the NAP Educational Foundation in her name. “Welcome back, Miami Parliamentary Law Unit!” Having disbanded for lack of the minimum five NAP members, they have returned to a solid membership after Julie Palm monitored the NAP membership test for provisional members. By now all units should have reported their member’s information to Second Vice President, Nancy Watkins, nwatkins@robertwatkins.com, for publication in the new yearbook. Every time personal information changes, you need to notify Nancy or you may not receive the Florida Parliamentarian and e-blasts. FSAP 2014 meeting dates are: May 2 - 4, 2014, Sarasota and October 17 – 19, 2014, Hollywood. Mark your calendars to attend.
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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Congratulations to new NAP members: James F. Colson – South Dade Parliamentary Law Unit ; Preston Marshall, Jr.,- Edith Owens, Sarah F. Russell all of Miami Parliamentary Law Unit; Felicia L Armstrong and Ann Lee of the Plantation Unit and renewing their membership in the Miami Parliamentary Law Unit Elizabeth Bain and Margaret Harris.
From our founding president Dr. Herberta Ann Leonardy to our current NAP president, Ann Guiberson, Florida continues to reach out with parliamentary leaders. Happy 60th Anniversary everyone. FSAP affiliated with the National Association of Parliamentarians on October 1, 1953.
2013 –2015 National Association of Parliamentarians
President Ann Guiberson with her husband at the reception
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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 FOURTH QUARTER 2013 Question 3. The bylaws of our national organization state that a board member vacancy that occurs “midterm” may be filled by presidential appointment with board approval. Three board positions were not filled by the nomination and election process. As the new president, may I immediately appointment members to fill the vacant board slots or must I wait until this term is half over? Answer 3. The Merriam Webster online dictionary definition of midterm that applies is this situation is “the approximate middle of a term of office.” It would seem unlikely that the intent of the bylaws would be to leave positions vacant for half of a full term which could be six months or even a year or more depending on the term of office which should also be specified in the bylaws. Words have meaning, but in this context, “midterm” is open to interpretation. Robert says that “An ambiguity must exist before there is any occasion for interpretation.” (p. 588, ll. 28-29) “The interpretation should be in accordance with the intention of the society at the time the bylaw was adopted, as far as this can be determined.” (p. 588, ll. 31-33) In my opinion, you may go ahead and make the appointments as soon as feasible after taking office and seek board approval. If challenged, ask the board to vote on the interpretation. A majority vote would decide. As the new president, it might be wise to ask for board interpretation first. Either way, a bylaw amendment needs to be proposed to correct the language. Question 4. Is it in order to “call the question” if a motion to limit debate on a pending motion to a specific number of minutes has already been adopted? Answer 4. Yes, it would be in order to “call the question” after adopting a motion to limit debate. “Calling the question” is a non-standard form of the motion Previous Question and all the rules of that motion apply and that includes the statement that Previous Question “. . . supersedes the effect of an unexhausted order limiting or extending debate, with respect to the motions to which it is applied.” (p. 198, ll. 21-23)
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On the other hand, if moved very early in the debate, it could be considered dilatory and intended to preclude an opposition from speaking in debate. “A motion is dilatory if it seeks to obstruct or thwart the will of the assembly as clearly indicated by the existing parliamentary situation.”(p. 342, ll. 12-14) While the presiding officer himself cannot close debate (p. 44, ll. 6-9) he must exercise his best judgment in weighing the stating and putting to a vote all legitimate motions against protecting an assembly against motions that are dilatory (see duties of the presiding officer, #’s 4 and 5 (pp. 449450).
Leadership Conference 2013 By Mary Giddens
As one of 60 participants, I attended the NAP 2013 Leadership Conference before the start of this year’s NAP Convention. For a day and a half we went to workshops and heard from NAP Officers and Staff. Being new at this sort of thing, I expected the discussion around the theme, Reach for the Stars with Excellence in Organizations, to be the usual top-down approach. I was wrong. What dominated discussion was NAP’s eagerness to receive feedback on its roll-out of NAP’s Strategic Plan and its determination to make NAP’s operations more responsive to members’ needs. In addition, the process of developing a strategic plan was often highlighted. The handout material contained valuable resources which will help state associations examine their own needs and develop their own road map to achieve their own definition of excellence. I learned a lot during the time we spent with the new NAP Executive Director, Michael Chamberlain. He gave us information about dues renewal, about changes in NAP’s website and national representative program, about other critical functions carried out at NAP headquarters. I especially appreciated his patience in asking questions, taking notes and being willing to have an open dialogue to improve the executive office function for members. Jim Jones presented the workshop I valued most on the subject of Ethical Decisions – and how unethical leadership decisions and conduct can call into question an organization’s entire effort. The Leadership Conference was a wonderful lesson on the administration of NAP as an organization. In addition, it gave me a chance to become better acquainted with other FSAP members attending and to meet NAP members from other states. I appreciate FSAP’s giving me the opportunity to attend.
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DELEGATE’S REPORT ON THE 2013 NAP CONVENTION By Dorothy Demarest, PRP This delegate: •
attended the NAP convention from September 6 – 9, 2013 in Portland, OR.
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attended all business sessions and offered an amendment to bylaw amendment number 15 to remove the ambiguity of the word “first”: AMENDMENT #15: PRORATED FIRST YEAR DUES Article III. Members. Section 3. Dues. A. Annual Dues. Amend by adding “Dues for new members shall be prorated monthly for the first remaining calendar year of their initial membership and shall be based on the date of application for membership.” Assembly Action: There was a two-thirds vote in the affirmative, and Amendment #15 was adopted as amended. (252 affirmative – 2 negative votes)
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attended 2 workshops: “Working with Government Boards – What’s the Difference?” and the educational requirement session necessary to retain instructor status for the PQC and PRC, where she offered testimony based on her experience as a past professional development committee chairman.
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was proud to attend the Installation Banquet at Florida’s reserved table to honor the newly elected NAP president, Ann Guiberson of FL.
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served as parliamentarian at the FSAP board meeting held during the convention.
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was appointed to and served on the convention minutes approval committee requiring review and recommendations to the 33 page document. Approval has just been completed.
"Before you can learn a new way of doing things, you have to unlearn the old way. So beginnings depend on endings." -- Rick Maurer
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REPORT OF FSAP NAP 2013 CONVENTION DELEGATE By Barbara Proctor, PRP Now is a good time to mark your calendar and to make plans to attend the NAP Training Conference in Oklahoma City August 8-10, 2014 … and the NAP Convention in Washington D.C. September 4-7, 2015. Come early and attend the Leadership Conference … to network with other leaders, receive leadership training, and to get to know NAP board members. The conference started with an open dialogue by the 65 attendees with NAP’s new executive director, Michael Chamberlain, who took lots of notes concerning how NAP can improve its customer service to members … and we already have results. How many of you have visited the newly designed NAP web page? After we reviewed NAP’s Strategic Plan we broke into groups to plan how to facilitate the plan at the local level. It is interesting to note that FSAP has already reached out to develop public awareness, membership retention, and education. We learned that parliamentarians can be fiercely competitive and readily adapt to using power point presentations to demonstrate their desire to win the prize for the best plan – right now I can’t remember what the prize was, but there were several excellent presentations. We spent two full days planning, meeting, listening and discussing leadership skills, recruiting talent, fund raising, membership retention, integrity, and the recipe for excellence. NAP asked us to help keep their database current by updating information about association and unit websites, officers, and members online for better communication internally and to the public. The convention business is always interesting watching fellow parliamentarians in action, giving cause for the presiding officer to consult with NAP’s parliamentarian – we considered all 31 proposed bylaw amendments and elections with the help of electronic keypads purchased by NAP. There was a lot of discussion concerning recertification for RP’s and PRP’s throughout the convention. Good news is first year dues for new members will be prorated. My favorite workshop was “Marketing NAP” led by a marketing professional. In different group sessions we broke down the lofty goals of marketing and education into meaningful actions that can be taken by individuals, leaders, and organizations to make NAP membership meaningful and to create public credibility. Relationships through personal communication, phone calls, and conversations are the key to success. This discussion started with the question, “What song would you like to be played every time you entered a room?”
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REPORT OF FSAP EDUCATION CHAIRMAN October 2013 The past few months have been busy, challenging, and interesting! In accordance with the directives from the Board of Directors, education programs have been selected and designed to Reach Out to members (at all levels) and to the local communities. The vision … is for FSAP to have the reputation of providing excellent education programs people are willing to travel to attend. The goal … is to increase attendance at FSAP meetings and workshops to create a network of parliamentarians around the state qualified to serve their local communities. The plan ……... to select topics in advance with workshops taught by the most qualified parliamentarians available. Morning sessions will be devoted to FSAP members to motivate them and to help them reach out to achieve their goals. There will be two afternoon sessions, one for the public and one for advanced training. In October 2013 we start at the top with NAP District III Director, Nancy Dauster, PRP, who will be encouraging and motivating members to reach out to their communities to encourage others to join local units or become MAL members to learn more about parliamentary procedure, to take the NAP exam, to take the RP exam, and/or to become a PRP. After everyone is thinking about their goals and their future, Ann Guiberson, PRP, NAP President, will inform us as to what resources NAP has to offer to help us achieve these goals. During the afternoon we have Tim Wynn, PRP, and Todd Wynn leading our public workshop utilizing the NAP yellow sheet, and Patricia McDougle, PRP, presenting the advanced workshop which provides RP’s and PRP’s with the planning tools and scripts for the first and second organizational meeting for any organization. Following this weekend, members should have sufficient encouragement to go out and gather new members to help them become better leaders in their own organizations … maybe we’ll have a new unit formed during this administration. May 2014 features “bottom up” education programs at the membership level to give us a different perspective. We seem to always be telling people what they need to know rather than asking what they want to know, and answering their questions. It is the same information given in a different format. The plan is to have a panel of RP’s and PRP’s to field questions from the audience – to understand how they see things from their perspective, to give an opportunity to provisional and primary members and opportunity to lead the discussion, and have questions answered from their perspective. We will have a bank of questions to give to participants as a safety net in case no one can think of any questions.
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Continued from page 8 October 2014 education programs will focus on Condos and HOA’s – by then we should have several programs approved for CAM’s to attend and receive their CEU’s. These workshops will assist FSAP members as well to understand the differences to be prepared to serve these specialized communities. May 2015 we will focus on conventions, at the individual level, delegate level and what RP’s and PRP’s need to serve as a convention parliamentarian. As you can see, the next 2 years are challenging and we need everyone’s support to be successful. Unfortunately I am still too young to retire and have no pension plan. Fortunately I have a job that has some flexibility although it is very demanding. Please email me (askaprp@yahoo.com) or call me (561-756-0570) to join the FSAP Education Committee or with any comments, suggestions, recommendations, etc. The next step is for the FSAP Board, if you have not already, is to select the NAP board member(s) you want to invite to our upcoming meeting(s). Be sure to, on a personal level, plan to participate and encourage other FSAP member to join us. They don’t want to miss out on any opportunity to become a better leader, a better member, a better person.
A view of Portland, Oregon from the 30th floor of a downtown bank building
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National President Ann Guiberson’s program from the installation banquet 2013--2015 THEME FOR NAP
“Create the Future”
NAP President Ann Guiberson with Connie Deford, past national NAP President
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NAP 39th Biennial Convention Delegate Report By Karen Price Thank you FSAP members for electing me as a delegate for the NAP 39th Biennium Convention It is always a rewarding and learning experience to attend the national convention. As your delegate I attended six workshops: Promoting Awareness-NAP Excellence, Starring Role of Governing Documents ; Working with Government Boards; Non-Profit Governance; Care & Feeding of
a Parliamentary Unit; and Leadership in the 21st Century-Embracing Technology.
I will submit in the future issues some recap of these workshops. I also attended all the business sessions of the convention and this is where I gained a valuable experience and knowledge. The convention body adopted the standing rules, which included some bylaw amendments to be on the consent calendar and some bylaws were to be voted on in gross. I was concerned with a couple of bylaw amendments and wanted them sent to committee. I felt compelled to make a motion! So I obtained a motion form, wrote my motion to have the bylaw amendment sent to a committee and submitted the motion form to the proper person. When the bylaw amendments that I was concerned with were read I went to the microphone to make my motion. After reading my motion President Henderson addressed me and stated my motion was out of order. Did I wish to restate my motion? I was now trying to determine what it was that I had done incorrect. Can you guess why my motion was out of order? Learning time!!! I forgot to motion to suspend the rules first. This member will always recall this situation and hopefully will not make this mistake again.
The smallest park in the US located on a city streets of Portland, Oregon Visit this web site to read about it www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6065
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MEMBERS AND HAPPENINGS Change of Address: Congratulations to our newest Professional Registered Parliamentarian: Congratulations to our newest Registered Parliamentarian: Welcome to our newest Provisional Members: Welcome to our newest NAP Members: See page 3 Welcome to Student Members: Welcome MAL Members:
Florida State Association of the National Association of Parliamentarians Nancy H. Watkins 1903 Bayshore Blvd. Tampa, FL 33606-3107
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 1924 TAMPA, FL
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