Posted April 23, 2019
Having been approved by the Board of Trustees, the following amendment to the Bylaws of Temple Beth El will be brought for a vote before members of the congregation at the TBE Annual Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 6.8, 7.2, and 7.3, the president serving as of June 1, 2019 shall be permitted to serve as president for one additional year, and the first vice president serving as of June 1, 2019 shall be permitted to serve as president from July 2020 until July 2022.
To review the Articles cited in the amendment, please see the current TBE Bylaws.
Background
Each July, at the first meeting of the newly constituted Board of Trustees, the Nominating Committee presents a slate of officers for election to replace those whose two-year terms are being completed. The TBE Bylaws are quite specific regarding the governance of this process, qualifications for office, term limits, etc.
If one of the officers whose term has ended is the President, it has been the Nominating Committee’s practice to recommend that the First Vice President, who has served a concurrent term with the President and “shadowed” him or her for two years, become the synagogue’s new President. This allows TBE to benefit from a President that is fully knowledgeable about synagogue affairs and has honed his or her leadership skills as First Vice President.
Such is the case this July. Carl Weinberg’s term is ending as President, and Lisa Manheim, TBE’s current First Vice President would normally be recommended to succeed him. Unfortunately, Lisa’s son, Emmet, recently underwent a bone marrow transplant, and she and her family will be primarily focused on his recuperation over the months to come. She would still very much like to serve as President, and has asked for a one-year postponement, at which time she will be able to fully execute the responsibilities of that office. However, certain Bylaws’ provisions do not make this possible.
Both the Nominating Committee and Board of Trustees are supportive of Lisa’s request under these exceptional circumstances and believe this one-year postponement serves the best interests of the synagogue.
Therefore, the Board of Trustees is recommending approval of the amendment, which will permit Carl Weinberg to serve as TBE President for one additional year and Lisa Manheim to serve as TBE President for a full two-year term immediately thereafter.
Please note that the amendment has been crafted to ensure this approval applies to this specific situation ONLY.
