By-Laws

Of

The Portland Republican City Committee

As Revised March 25, 2019

Article I: Name

                The name of the Committee shall be the Portland Republican City Committee, hereafter referred to as the City Committee.

 

Article II:  Purpose

                The City Committee is organized for the purpose of supporting and strengthening the Republican Party in the City of Portland.  It will accept contributions and make expenditures in order to influence the selection, nomination, election and appointment of Republicans to federal, state and local public office.  In carrying out these purposes, the Committee shall encourage all legal voting age residents of the City of Portland to register to vote, enroll in the Republican Party and to vote in all elections.  The City Committee shall encourage qualified Republicans to seek office and shall support qualified Republicans who seek elected office. The City Committee shall cooperate with the County and State Republican Committees in carrying out these duties.

 

Article III:  Members

1.             Membership

                All enrolled Republicans registered to vote in City of Portland as of the date of ratification of these by-laws by the municipal biennial caucus shall be members of the Portland Republican City Committee. In order for a new member to become a member of the City Committee, a registered Portland voter enrolled as a Republican must, upon motion duly made and seconded, be elected either individually or as a part of a slate by simple majority of those members of the City Committee present at a monthly meeting called in accordance with these by-laws.  Election of new members need not be announced in advance of motion made.

2.             Removal of Members

                To remain a voting member of the City Committee, a member must have attended at least 1 of the last 4 meetings in order to vote unless excused.  For the purposes of this subsection a meeting shall be defined as monthly or special meetings; other excusals may be given at the discretion of the Committee Chairman. In such cases as it is deemed by the City Committee membership that an officer or member of the City Committee has acted in such a way as to inhibit, prevent, or undermine the stated purpose of the City Committee, any member of the Committee may bring forth charges at a normal meeting of the Committee and state his or her grievances. The Chairman shall establish a review committee of no fewer than three members who shall, at the next regularly scheduled meeting, present their recommendation to the Committee Membership. In the event the Chairman is the member charged, the Vice Chair shall appoint the aforementioned review committee and follow the previously outlined procedures.  Then, following due discussion and by simple majority vote, the membership shall have the power to remove the offending officer or member. No person who is charged shall be eligible to serve on the committee investigating that member.

 

Article IV:  Officers

1.             Officers of the Committee

                The officers of the City Committee shall be a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Finance Chairman and a Program Chairman.  All officers must be members of the City Committee prior to election and during their tenure in office.  These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these by-laws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the City Committee. All officers are expected to observe strict professional decorum and act in such a manner to reflect credit on the City Committee.

2.             Nominating Committee

                A Nominating Committee of at least three members shall be elected by the City Committee at the regular meeting held on the fourth Monday in January following the general election year.  It shall be the duty of this committee to nominate candidates for the offices to be filled at the meeting in March.  The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates at the February meeting with notice provided through the committee’s communication vehicles to all members soon thereafter.  Additional nominations from the floor shall be permitted.

3.             Terms of Office

                No member shall hold more than one office at a time. A vacancy in an office shall be said to occur when that officer submits his or her resignation to the Chairman in writing. In the event of the Chairman’s resignation the notification shall be submitted to the Vice-Chairman.

 

 

4.             Elections

                The officers shall be elected to serve two years or until their successors are elected.  Their term of office shall begin at the close of the meeting at which they are elected.  In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Chairman, a special meeting shall be called within 14 days by the Vice-Chairman for the sole purpose of election to fill that vacancy. In the event of a vacancy in another office, an election to fill that position shall be held at the next regularly scheduled City Committee meeting. Nominations to fill such positions may be put forward from any member of the City Committee.

 

5.             Standing or Ad-Hoc Committees

                The Chairman shall have the authority to form standing or ad-hoc committees in order to assist in the functioning of the City Committee or the Executive Committee as the Chairman shall deem appropriate provided that each member of such standing or ad-hoc committee meets the criteria for membership as outlined in Article III, Section 1.

 

Article V:  Duties of Officers

1.             Powers and Duties of Chairman

                The Chairman of the City Committee shall preside at all meetings of the City Committee and of the Executive Committee meetings, and is ex-officio member of all committees.  The Chairman shall be the official spokesperson for the City Committee, and have the authority to delegate or direct others to act to conduct official correspondence. Additionally, the Chairman may provide direction and support for other officers and committee chairmen and acting to further the principles and ideals of the Republican Party at the city level.  In the Treasurer’s absence, the Chairman may disburse funds approved by the City Committee and/or the Executive Committee. 

 

2.             Powers and Duties of Vice-Chairman

                The Vice-Chairman of the City Committee shall act in the absence of the Chairman and at his request.  In such cases the Vice-Chairman shall assume the full authority of the chairmanship. The Vice-Chairman may also perform other duties as directed by the Chairman or the Executive Committee.

 

3.             Powers and Duties of Secretary

                The Secretary shall disseminate meeting notices, preserve all records and maintain an accurate record of the proceedings of the City Committee.  The Secretary shall be responsible for making minutes of meetings available to the entire City Committee membership prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. The Secretary shall provide, upon request of any member and with approval of the Chairman, previous records of minutes and records of membership for the duration of that elected term. All records kept in possession of the Secretary are the property of the City Committee, and shall be passed from one Secretary to the next upon expiration of that term. The Secretary shall preside in the absence of the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman or at the request of either if they are unable to perform their duties.

 

4.             Powers and Duties of the Treasurer

                The Treasurer shall receive and disburse the money of the City Committee, keep accurate records, maintain accounts and pay routine expenses authorized by the Chairman or, in his absence or inability to act, the Vice-Chairman.  The Treasurer shall report the financial condition to the City Committee, or to the Chairman, at any time or request.

 

5.             Powers and Duties of Finance Chairman

                The Finance Chairman is responsible for raising funds for the operation of the City Committee, for the support of candidates for local, county, state and national offices, and for other activities recommended by the Executive Committee and approved by the City Committee.  The Finance Chairman shall supervise all fundraising activities of the City Committee.  The Finance Chairman shall pay all monies received to the Treasurer of the City Committee.

 

6.             Powers and Duties of Program Chairman

                The Program Chairman shall arrange and publicize the regular meetings, time and place, and endeavor to bring interesting and enlightening speakers or other programs for the benefit of the City Committee.  The Program Chairman shall also organize other non-fundraising events to bring attention to the work of the City Committee.

 

Article VI:  Meetings

1.             When

                Meetings of the City Committee shall be held on the 4^th Monday of each month, a minimum of eight (8) times per year, except for December and July.  There shall be a meeting of the City Committee during the month of January of each year.  Meetings may be held on other dates if announced at the previous meeting.

 

2.             Biennial Meeting

                The March meeting of odd year shall be designated as the Biennial Meeting and as such shall be the meeting at which the officers of the City Committee will be elected.

 

3.             Special Meetings

                Special meetings may be called by the Chairman, or by the Executive Committee, or shall be called upon the written request of ten members of the City Committee.  The purpose of the call shall be stated in writing and the meeting shall be limited to the stated agenda.  At least seven days’ notice shall be given.

 

4.             Quorum

Eleven members of the City Committee shall constitute a quorum.

 

5.             Notice

Notice of meetings and events shall be via email and be disseminated at least seven days prior to the meeting or event.

 

Article VII:  Executive Committee

1.             Membership

                The officers of the City Committee, as defined in Article IV, Section 1, along with the immediate Past Chairman, the chairmen of the Voter Enrollment and Candidate Recruitment committees shall constitute the Executive Committee.

 

2.             Scope of Executive Committee

                The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the City Committee between its business meetings, make recommendations to the City Committee and shall perform other duties as are specified in these by-laws.  The Executive Committee shall be subject to the orders of the City Committee, and none of its acts shall conflict with the action taken by the City Committee.

 

3.             Additional Members

                The Chairman shall have the authority to name up to 3 additional members to the Executive Committee provided that each member so named meets the criteria for membership as outlined in Article III.

  

4.             When

                Unless otherwise ordered by the City Committee, meetings of the Executive Committee shall conducted on an as need basis.  The Executive Committee meeting is to be called by the Chairman upon 3 days written or email notice given to all members of the Executive Committee.

 

5.             Quorum

                Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

 

Article VIII:  Standing Committees

1.             Voter Enrollment Committee

                The Chairman of the City Committee shall appoint a Voter Enrollment Committee Chairman, with the approval of the Executive Committee, with the Chairman of the committee having the authority to appoint the members of the committee.  The duties of the committee shall include, but not be limited to, include encouraging Republican enrollment and voting, collecting names of newly enrolled Republicans and reaching out to them to promote the City Committee.

 

2.             Candidate Recruitment Committee

                The Chairman of the City Committee shall appoint a Candidate Recruitment Committee Chairman, with the approval of the Executive Committee, with the Chairman of the Candidate Recruitment committee having the authority to appoint the members of the committee.  The duties of the committee shall be to locate qualified Republican candidates to run for local and state legislative offices, to encourage such prospective candidates to run, and to ensure that general election slates are filled with qualified Republican candidates.

 

3.             Special Committees

                The Chairman of the City Committee or the Executive Committee shall appoint the chairman of other such committees from time to time as is deemed necessary to carry on the work of the City Committee.  The Chairman shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except nominating committees, when formed.

 

4.             Auditing Committee

                An Auditing Committee of three members may be appointed by the Chairman at the City Committee’s biennial meeting in March.  It shall be this committee’s duty to audit the Treasurer’s accounts at the close of the term of the Treasurer, or annually which first ever occurs, with a report due at either of the next two succeeding regular meetings

 

5.             Quorum

                The quorum of any committee formed under this Article shall be half of the committee membership, including the chairman of the committee, but shall exclude any Ex-officio members in any such calculations.

 

Article IX:  Members of the Cumberland County Committee from Portland

1.             Membership

                Members of the Cumberland County Committee (hereafter referred to as the “County Committee”) from Portland shall be elected at intervals directed by the Maine State Republican Party, shall be registered to vote in the city of Portland and enrolled in the Republican Party, and shall be subject to any other eligibility requirements set forth in the County Committee bylaws. 

2.             Vacancies

                When a vacancy in the Portland membership to the County Committee occurs, notification of such a vacancy shall be made to the City Committee by the City Committee Chair (or acting Chair) at the next regular City Committee meeting, and an election to fill the unexpired term of such a vacancy shall take place at the City Committee meeting following the City Committee meeting at which such notification was made.  A simple majority of voting members of the City Committee present at said meeting shall suffice to fill such a vacancy.

 

Article X:  Parliamentary Authority

1.             Robert’s Rules of Order

                The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the City Committee in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these by-laws and any special rules the City Committee may adopt.

 

Article XI:  Vote By Proxy

                1.             No Proxy Votes

                All votes by the members of the City Committee, the Executive Committee, or any other committee existing in accordance with these by-laws must be cast in person.

 

Article XII:  Amendment of By-Laws

1.             Method of Handling

                Any proposed amendment to these by-laws must be presented to the Chairman and the City Committee at least one meeting prior to the meeting at which the proposed amendment will be voted on.

 

2.             Notice

                On the call of the next meeting, the City Committee shall be informed of the proposed amendment to these by-laws by the Secretary or Program Chairman in writing.

 

3.             Passage

                These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the City Committee by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting, provided there has been notice in accordance with Article XI, Section 2 and provided that there is a quorum.

 

4.             Effectiveness

                An amendment to the by-laws goes into effect immediately upon its adoption unless the motion to adopt specifies another time for its becoming effective.

 

Article XIII:  Expenditures

                The Chairman is authorized to incur expenses on behalf of the City Committee so long as the expenses are solely related to the activities conducted by the City Committee and are for the benefit of the City Committee.  The Chairman cannot incur expenses totaling more than $300.00 within any rolling 30-day period without prior City Committee approval.  If there is less than $1200.00 in available funds, the Chairman cannot incur expenses totaling more than 25% of available funds within any 30-day rolling period without prior approval from the City Committee.  These approvals may be in the form of funding an event or program that may raise the funds to pay for its cost or raise money for the City Committee.  The Chairman may designate a member of the executive committee to incur expenses under this Article on an as-need basis.  The executive committee shall be informed of all expenditures made under this Article prior to expenditures made, or within 48 hours after such expenditures are made.

 

Article XIV:  Appeal

                Actions of the City Committee may be appealed through the process described in the rules of the Maine Republican State Committee.