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RSU 18 board postpones election for chair amid attendance and procedure dispute
Summary
The RSU 18 board voted to delay its annual chair election for two weeks after members debated Robert's Rules, quorum questions and whether absent members should be allowed to affect the outcome.
The RSU 18 School Board voted to postpone its scheduled election of a board chair for two weeks after a contentious procedural debate over attendance and voting rules.
A board member moved "I'd like to make a motion that we postpone for 2 weeks," arguing absent members represented roughly 20% of the board and their voices should be included before electing leadership. The motion was seconded and opened to discussion about whether the nomination already on the floor should be withdrawn before the board considered postponement. The presiding officer said nominations must be closed and a vote taken on motions that are on the floor before new motions proceed.
Board members disagreed on how to interpret their rules and Robert's Rules of Order for an election with a single nominee, with some members saying the body should proceed and others saying the vote should wait for fuller attendance. "I take issue with that," said Lizzie Johnson, a board member who described traveling to attend the meeting and objected to postponing despite having prioritized presence. The presiding officer announced the motion carried and the board will reconvene the organizational vote in two weeks; the delay also postponed the vice-chair election.
The transcript does not record a numeric roll-call tally for the motion to postpone; the board announced only that the motion carried. The board asked the presiding officer to seek legal clarification if uncertainty about majority thresholds persists before future organizational votes.
