[board] email to members re president nominations.

Sat Jul 11 23:49:26 MDT 2026

Paul:

This is a very good message.  You did an excellent job of announcing this at our July meeting. You quickly moved on and did not allow it to be dwelled upon. Thank-you! . 

Personally, I am sensing a renewed level of excitement in the MCBA.  We have seen an increasing amount of commentary on the buzz and on our social media website, hive dives are still occurring, the July meeting was highly attended despite being in the middle of the July 4  holiday period and the MCBA was extremely well represented at the Marin County Fair, including a front page picture on the Marin IJ. (we actually had more volunteers than slots this year.)  Consequently, I think we need to carry that positive energy into our August potluck, 

I have very mixed feelings regarding the timing of this message,  You announced the president vacancy at our July meeting.  Our August meeting is suppose to be a pot luck social, where members are coming to have fun and getting to know each other better.  I am somewhat afraid this message may have the unintended effect of allowing conversations to drift to "so why did the President-elect withdraw?"    Maybe people will be asking about Robert at the meeting anyway...but given the excitement I noted above...maybe not?   Robert resigned, we thanked him and we are moving ahead without him.  Therefore, I see no need or benefit in raising this prior to the pot luck.  

Also, I think we need a position description of the President (beyond the by-laws) to send to our members.   As I mentioned in a previous message the President does not need to be a Beekeeping master.  What we are really needing is someone with good organizational, administrative and team playing skills.  With Justin taking on the heavy lifting in the monthly meeting agendas, the President role is going to be much less "bee-centric" than it has been in the past.  If we needed a beekeeping master, we should have rejected Robert's resignation.  : )
I think it is important message that we emphasize this to our members when soliciting nominations. 

My vote is to wait and solicit nominations after the August pot luck.  We (MCBA) are obviously functioning just fine in the interim.  When we do, we can do it in exactly the matter of fact manner you have stated in your very good message.

Again, that is my opinion but as always I will fully support the Board decision on this matter.

Thanks again!

Gary

On 07/11/2026 2:09 PM PDT Paul Reulbach <paul at marinbees.org> wrote:

SAMPLE EMAIL and AI response to filling vacancy of president. Comments and suggestions so we can get this out this weekend. The August meeting is a social event so do we hold an election via email in August? what is the submission deadline and who gets the nominations? 

EMAIL TO MEMBERS

Dear MCBA Members,

Thanks for an amazing honey harvest meeting last week conducted by Justin Strom and the club team. We hope you were able to experience the process with us. We have a great lineup of educational programs for 2026-2027 season.

Now I would like to relay some club news. 

Our President-elect withdrew his candidacy prior to the beginning of his term on July 1, creating a vacancy in the office of President.

In accordance with the Marin County Beekeepers Association Bylaws (Article VI, Section 6.04), the Board is now accepting nominations from both the Board of Directors and the general membership to fill this vacancy.

We encourage any member in good standing who has been a member of MCBA for at least one year and is interested in serving as President to submit their name for consideration. Members may also nominate another qualified member with that person's consent.

Please submit nominations by [date] by replying to this email or by emailing [email address].

The membership will vote to fill the vacancy at our next membership meeting on [meeting date]. In accordance with our bylaws, the vote may be conducted by voice, written proxy, or electronic vote. The individual elected will serve the remainder of the current presidential term.

Serving as President is an excellent opportunity to help guide the future of our association and support the beekeeping community throughout Marin County. If you have any questions about the role or would like to discuss what the position entails, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your continued support of MCBA, and we look forward to your nominations.

Best regards, 

FILLING VACANCY UNTIL NEW PRESIDENT IS NOMINATED AND VOTED IN

Based on the bylaws you've shared, they do not specify who automatically assumes the office of President if it becomes vacant.

Your bylaws:

    * Describe how to fill a vacancy (Article VI, Section 6.04) by taking nominations and having the membership elect a replacement.
    * Describe the duties of the President, Treasurer, Secretary, etc.
    * Do not include a succession provision (for example, "the Vice President shall become President" or "the Secretary shall serve as Acting President").

Since your association does not have a Vice President, there is no automatic successor.

In your situation

Because the President-elect withdrew before taking office on July 1, there are two reasonable governance approaches:

   1. The outgoing President continues to serve as a holdover until a successor is elected. This is the most common practice for nonprofits and avoids the association being without a chief officer. California nonprofit law generally permits directors and officers to continue serving until their successors are elected and qualified unless the bylaws provide otherwise.
   2. If the outgoing President is unwilling or unable to continue, the Board should meet promptly and appoint one of the existing officers (typically the Secretary or Treasurer) to serve as Acting President solely to conduct the association's business until the membership elects a new President under Section 6.04.

What I recommend

Since your bylaws are silent, the cleanest and most defensible approach is:

    * Have the Board adopt a motion that the current President will continue as Acting President until the vacancy is filled by the membership under Article VI, Section 6.04.
    * Send the call for nominations.
    * Hold the election at the next membership meeting (or by electronic ballot if the Board chooses to use that method consistent with the bylaws).

This approach provides continuity and follows both your bylaws and common nonprofit governance practice.

Paul Reulbach 
Secretary 
Marin County Beekeepers Association
https://marinbeekeepers.org
617-828-2222

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