How to remove a committee chair?

[defend11]

If cubscout packwide den leadership is dissatisfied with the committee chair, how do we go about having him removed and replacing him?

[Scoutfish]

Talk to the COR ( Charter Organazation Representative) , Either he or the IH ( Institutional Head) of the church have to do it.

 

But don't go to council, the DE or SE. They are not in a position nor have the authority to do it.

[moosetracker]

Welcome! what a major topic for a first post!!

 

Easiest way is to talk to the COR (Charter Organization Rep, they can fire with a stroke of a pen..) Or the Institutional Head who is above COR, but you are going over the chain of command if doing that, and I would only recommend to start with them if your Committee chair is your COR..

 

A little more difficult is the committee can vote them out.. But, you would still need your COR to back your decision, because your COR can reinstate them with the stroke of a pen.. Kindof hard to have a vote to eliminate the CC by committee with the CC in the room also.

 

Our troop had to fire a CC once.. The COR pretty much made up their mind that he had to go, and could have done so with a stroke of a pen. But, she did not want the move to divide the troop up.. So she called an emergancy committee meeting (including SM,ASM's), and told us why she felt it was needed and got our unanamous support.. Really it was supporting her decision, and a validation that there would be no inner war over the decision. The the CC was terminated..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

[defend11]

Thanks for the responses. We leaders have a good relationship with our COR. I believe he would be sympathetic to our cause. We leaders have found the pack leadership (committe chair and cubmaster) less than supportive of our dens and activities. Worse yet, we helped raise alot of pack funds but we haven't a clear understanding where all the money has gone. We've asked for an accounting, but to no avail.

 

As den leaders, we have organized a lot of fun and meaningful acitivities for our boys and our year to year retention rates and recruiting successes at the tiger cub level show this. Our retention rates are so good the local council wants us to mentor new scouting groups this year. We simply need pack leadership that is on the same page as the dens.

[moosetracker]

One thing to make the COR more able to side with you is to have someone willing to step up to do the CC position.. Many dislike leaving a vacancy of a position that is required for rechartering, and have no idea how to fill it.. They tend to leave the deadwood in place because it is a name, if nothing else.

[Scoutfish]

It would also be a great idea to get a treasurer who gives monthly details at leadership meetings about what has been brought in, spent, set aside, etc..

 

And it really does help if you have somebody who is not only willing, but ready to step up immediately in the CC and CM positions.

[defend11]

I completely agree. This would be a package deal. We'd name an immediate replacement if this were to happen at all. BTW, does rechartering typically happen during the summer months?

[BadenP]

moose

 

Just to clarify your comment, the committee does NOT have the authority to remove any volunteer on their own, that power rests solely with the COR or IH. Thats why it is a good idea, if your unit is having problems, to make sure the COR is present at your committee meetings to resolve these issues.

[moosetracker]

Different councils have different times of the year when their recharter happens, but I would find it odd if done in the summer months, given many units become inactive or meet just for a monthly event, so it would be hard for units to organize the rechartering in those months.. Unless your unit pays for all your dues, most people know when their recharter time is because you are asked to cough up some money for it..

 

BadenP. - That is strange, I have been told on numerous occasions by a few DE's, and about 3 different trainings about committee, or unit organizations, that the COR can fire people, and the CC can act on a committee vote to fire people (normally this is stated for the fireing of a CM or DL or whatever..) But, since the CC must act on a committee vote regardless of their personal veiw, if the committee votes to fire a CM or DL, they need to carry it out.. I would assume they would also need to carry out firing themselves if the committee voted on it.. But, as stated much easier to terminate a CM or DL through committee vote then a CC..

[Scoutfish]

The pack is owned by the CO, The Co is ( in a way) using any and all BSA programs, literature, and logo's Etc.. with the approval of BSA through a charter agreement.

 

After that point, it all is owned by the CO. The leadership - while having to follow BSA rules,guidelines and requirements - still works for the CO. They are there to serve the CO in running the unit whgich is owned by the CO.

 

Committees cannot vote members off.

 

Now, the CO may choose to allow the CC or CM act as an authority in such matters, especially if the COR is on paper only.

 

And a good COR will support the committee and leadership if the entire group shows that the CC or CM are not doing a good job.

 

But the COr can also reject the Committees recomendation to get ruid of the CC, CM or any other members

 

And as it is, The CC and CM work together to look for a worthy person to be a leader. They then can reccommend to the COR, tt person be allowed to work in that position..

 

But let's be frank here. It is all up to each particular CO and how they run things.

 

BSA can say that "This is an ideal way to do it" but that's as far as BSA goes.

 

If the CO, COR, or IH are totally screwing up a unit and BSA doesn't like whats going on, it can revoke the charter, but that's about it.

[BadenP]

moose

 

It is like scoutfish said, think of it this way, the COR and IH are the only ones who can approve any unit leader, approve the adults application, and sign the charter agreement, NO ONE ELSE. So in essence only they can hire and fire any adult leader.

 

There are NO special circumstances in any BSA policy that allows a committee or gives them the authority to remove anyone. The only exception is if your CC is also your COR then they can approve a committee request to remove an adult, but it is the COR who signs off or approves the action. The CC/COR is the only unit dual registration allowed and those are my current positions in my crew.

[moosetracker]

True - what you say about the COR, which is why I originally said the COR can reinstate anyone the committee votes out..

 

But, Wow.. I even remember a training video a long while back probably VCR not on-line.. Showing the electing of positions by the committee, where there is a huge room of committee folks and you have 4 or 5 people all wanting the same committee position.. So the committee listened to their campaigne & voted the best candidate in.. I laughed at the whole notion as normally you are out begging for somebody to take on some vacant position.. "You want it, You got it.. Whoopie!"

 

With our troop, our COR chose the CC & the SM, but with everyone else at the committee table, someone would say, we have position xyz open.. They look around the table & say "You, will you do it?" if you agree, then there is a committee vote to accept you in the position.." Or we look around the table at who is not present, say So-&-So is not here, I nominate him.." The committee votes them in, and we call them on the cell phone to tell them, that since they were abscent, they were voted into doing xyz..

 

And then after all that committee voting, you fill out a form and our COR signed it in..

 

The only one we fired was the CC.. And event thought we knew the COR could do it, it was still done, through Committee vote.

[Scoutfish]

What's a VCR?

Nah, I'm just kidding! I saw one once...it had the crank handle on it and .......

 

 

LOL!

[Scoutfish]

" then there is a committee vote to accept you in the position.." Or we look around the table at who is not present, say So-&-So is not here, I nominate him.." The committee votes them in, and we call them on the cell phone to tell them, that since they were abscent, they were voted into doing xyz..

 

And then after all that committee voting, you fill out a form and our COR signed it in..

 

WEll, it stil comes down to the COR signing off if he approves, or rejecting if he doesn't. And somewhere in all of that, there should be a background check . BSA will do one even if the COR or CO doesn't.

 

 

But , that's how our pack works. Mostly.

 

As far as Den Leaders and ADL's , the leadership lets the me( CM) feel out leaders and assistant leaders.

 

I talk to the potential leadrs, see if the will agree to accept, and at the leaders meeting, I will say something along the lines of : "THis is Mr/Mrs "X". I have asked them to be "whatever" leader. What does everybody think?"

 

 

So far, the leadership has agreed to my choices. But I have told them that I welcome a vote on any person if that's what they want.

 

I could pick, but I prefer there to be a majority agreement. At this point, we turn it over to the COR who trusts us enough to follow along as long as the background check works out. Well, our COR is also really active and was the founding CubMaster and ScoutMaster way, way way back before even VCR's were invented! Same with our CC, he can do all the buisness stuff, and technically, the adult leaders do not have to be voting members of the meeting, but we all work together and all have an equal say.

 

Again, our COR has the ultimate authority, but he's cool enought to let everybody work as a team.

 

 

[Eagle92]

Moose,

 

BP is 110% correct on this matter, only the IH and COR can remove a person, the committee and the unit leaders have no vote in the matter. Further if the COR removes someone, the IH can reinstate them.

 

I don't know when your DEs went to PDL-1, but that is mentioned there.

 

And yes pros do not get involved in unit matters except in extreme situations.