The Unwanted Parliamentarian By John R. Berg, PRP
Unsolicited advice has an interesting characteristic: The wise don’t need it, and the fools won’t heed it. A parliamentarian occasionally feels unwanted when a foolish chair thinks they are too wise to benefit from a parliamentarian. It is also said that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. Exactly when is a parliamentarian needed? The 1951 6th Edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Revised contains the following on the inside back cover, which is omitted in later editions: “The parliamentarian should not be an elected officer. … The president may be the best parliamentarian of the organization. It is absurd and embarrassing to elect an advisory officer, when that advisor may know less about the subject than the officer he is supposed to advise.” Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.) (RONR) does not specifically state that the
parliamentarian should not be elected, but simply states that the parliamentarian should be appointed. Rather than advising against a parliamentarian less qualified than the presiding officer, it simply recognizes that a parliamentarian may not be needed at all meetings. (p. 465, ll. 17-21, 30-33). Some organizations, by rule or custom, require a parliamentarian at all their meetings. This may be unnecessary for a small local organization when the business is not complex, as stated above. Because of the cost of hiring an outside parliamentarian, a member often serves as the parliamentarian in such situations. This practice prohibits the member parliamentarian from participating in debate. It could also be used to silence a member who may be perceived as a threat or hindrance to the intents of the presiding officer because of the parliamentarian’s www.parliamentarians.org
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