Election of HOA Board Officers

Started by MjO • 6 replies • 2939 views

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MjO (utah)
Posts: 10

Posted:

What are the pros and cons about the Board electing their own officers vs. the Homeowners electing their President, VP, Sec., Treas ??? I hear comments about the Board should elect their own officers because they know the board members better. The other side of the issue is..."how did so-n-so get to be President" he/she doesn't know how to run a meeting or is offense to homeowners? I would appreciate hearing from those that have the Homeowners elect the officers and from those whose Board elects their own officers.

GlenL (Ohio)
Posts: 5,491

Posted:

Ultimately it comes down to what is required by your governing documents. If they specify that the BOD elects their own officers then you would have to change the documents to allow direct elections.

Studies show that 5 out of 4 people have problems with fractions

MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043

Posted:

MjO,

There are pros and cons for both ways. As you stated, oftentimes members will say "how did so-and-so get to be Pres, he doesn't even know how to run a meeting". In many instances, so-and-so was elected to the position by the board because no one else wanted the job! On the other hand, if the members are charged with electing individuals to particular positions it often becomes even more difficult to get individuals to run. You may have 3 people who wouldn't mind running for Sec, but no one wants to run for treasurer or Pres. Then what do you do? IMO, its much better to have the members elect the directors and the board choose which directors will hold the officer positions. But, as Glen has advised, it really depends upon what your docs call for.

SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202

Posted:

Our HOA elects the officers first (4) and then 5 members at large and fills any vacancies until the next election.

Con: what if no one is willing to run for an officership position? (that almost happened about 5 years ago when no one volunteered for the Secretary's job)

Pro: we now have a nomination committee and they make sure that there are candidates for all positions.

Con: a nominee who does not get elected as an officer is sometimes overlooked as an candidate as a general member.

GloriaM (North Carolina)
Posts: 829

Posted:

Mjo:

The reason for the board members nominating themselves into the officers positions is because if I was elected onto the board and I was not a good public speaker and I was a bit timid in front of a crowd; then President would not be the office for me. However, if my typing skills and my detail and organizational skills were exceptional then being the Secretary would be the right role for me.

The offices should coincide with what you do best, because the duties of each office varies. If I was not good at all with numbers then I would not want the Treasurer's role but if I was exceptional at social skills then perhaps Member at Large would better suit me.

Of course you need to read your Bylaws because sometimes the officers are elected into that particular role.

DanielL3 (Louisiana)
Posts: 65

Posted:

I am a proponent of the membership electing the Officers of the Board, mainly the President and Vice-president. Why? The members of the community select the person who will lead their Association. If the President or VP resigns, the people again elect the replacement, not an appointment to the Board then possibly fill an officer position by election from the Board itself.
We do not have a problem with available candidates since many residents are
very interested in their community investment. We did have resignations from the President and VP this year and the Board appointed new Board members, then proceeded to elect those appointed members to the President and Vice-president.
So now we have a President and Vice-president who was not even elected by the membership to the Board.
Let's have Congress elect the President and Vice-president of the U.S. What would the people of this country think?

MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043

Posted:

Daniel,

If you don't like how the system works, then you need to get a group of like-minded members together and set about to change the bylaws or CCRs (whatever doc governs this particular issue). That is the only way this method of electing board members/officers will be changed. Good luck!

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