BY-LAWS

OF

THE ANNAPOLIS REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE

 

As Amended January 6, 2000

 

ARTICLE I – NAME

 

Section 1.   The name of this organization shall be “Annapolis Republican Central Committee” (hereafter called “ARCC”).

 

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE & DUTIES

 

Section 1.   The purposes and duties of the ARCC shall be to:

 

a.                   constitute an official body to represent Republican voters, and to lead and support the Republican Party in the City of Annapolis, Maryland;

 

b.                   register new voters as Republicans and encourage those voters registered otherwise to change their registration to the Republican party;

 

c.                   cooperate with the Republican Central Committee for the State of Maryland and with the Republican Central Committee for Anne Arundel County, Maryland;

 

d.                   coordinate and assist in all Republican activities in the city of Annapolis, Maryland;

 

e.                   organize the registered Republican voters to be most effective for the Party in elections;

 

f.                    provide assistance for the successful election of all duly nominated Republican candidates, including fundraising programs;

 

g.                   recommend qualified Republican candidates for appointment to municipal offices, boards, commissions, etc.;

 

h.                   submit a list of at least four (4) qualified Republican residents of the City of Annapolis, Maryland for the position of Supervisor of Elections in said City. Such list shall be submitted to the City Clerk after each City General Election and at least ten (10) days prior to the second Monday in September, and;

 

i.                     perform any other activities or promote any other programs for the growth of the Republican Party and the furtherance of Republican Party principles in the City of Annapolis, Maryland.

 

ARTICLE III – COMPOSITION

 

Section 1.   The ARCC shall be composed of nine (9) members, whose membership shall be represented by one (1) member from each Ward of the City and one (1) member at-large.

 

ARTICLE IV – QUALIFICATION OF MEMBERS

 

Section 1.   A member of the ARCC except the member at-large, shall be a bona fide resident and voter of the City of Annapolis, Maryland and Ward which he represents and shall be affiliated as a member of the Republican Party.  Any such member relinquishing residency within the Ward he represents shall be considered to have resigned from the ARCC.

 

Section 2.  The member at-large of the ARCC shall be a bona fide resident and voter of the City of Annapolis, Maryland and shall be affiliated as a member of the Republican Party. Such member relinquishing residency within the City of Annapolis, Maryland shall be considered to have resigned from the ARCC.

 

ARTICLE V – ELECTION OF MEMBERS

 

Section 1.  Members of the ARCC shall be elected at the time of the City Primary Election. Each member shall be elected only by the registered Republican voters in the Ward of his residency, except that the member at-large shall be elected by the registered Republican voters of all Wards of the City of Annapolis, Maryland.

 

Section 2.   In the event that no member is elected to the ARCC by the above procedure for any Ward or at-large, a vacancy shall exist for such Ward or at-large and shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of Article VIII of these By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE VI – TERM OF OFFICE

 

Section 1.  The regular term of office for members of the ARCC shall be four (4) years, i.e. from one City Primary Election Day until the next City Primary Election Day (approximately four (4) years later).

 

ARTICLE VII – OFFICERS & FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

 

Section 1.   At the first regular meeting after the City Primary Election, the ARCC shall elect a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, whose terms shall be for one year.  The Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be members of the ARCC.  The Secretary and/or Treasurer shall not be required to be members of the ARCC but must be registered Republican voters residing in Anne Arundel County, Maryland at the time of their election and throughout their terms of office.

 

Section 1a.   With the exception of the Chairman, members may hold more than one office simultaneously.

 

Section 2.  The Chairman shall preside over all ARCC meetings, prepare an agenda for each meeting, perform liaison activities with elected Republican City officials, appoint all standing and ad hoc committees, file all reports required by law, and represent the ARCC as its chief executive officer.

 

Section 3.   The Vice-Chairman shall act at the direction of the Chairman and shall assume the duties of the Chairman in his absence.

 

Section 4.  The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all ARCC meetings, record attendance at all meetings, inform members of special meetings as provided in these By-Laws, handle all correspondence as necessary, furnish the City Clerk and members of the ARCC a list of the ARCC members and officers including addresses and telephone numbers, and changes thereto, and perform other duties as assigned by the Chairman.

 

Section 5.  The Treasurer shall maintain complete records of all receipts and disbursements, shall disburse funds only after ARCC approval, and shall present to the ARCC in writing at each regular monthly meeting a statement of the ARCC’s finances.

 

Section 6.   All funds acquired for or by the ARCC shall be recorded in the Treasurer’s records.

 

Section 7.  The disbursement of all funds shall be made only by the Treasurer except, in the event that the Treasurer cannot perform such duties, disbursements may be made by the Chairman.

 

Section 8.  The financial accounts of the Treasurer shall be audited annually.

 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII – VACANCIES

 

Section 1. Vacancies in the membership of the ARCC may be filled, at any meeting thereof, by a majority vote of the existing ARCC, from among the membership of the ARCC.

 

ARTICLE IX – REMOVAL OF MEMBERS OR OFFICERS

 

Section 1.   Since all members of the ARCC were elected by the Republican voters of the respective areas which they represent, no member may be removed from the ARCC by vote of the ARCC alone. Should the ARCC, by three-fourths vote of the members, vote to remove any member from membership, it shall not become effective until after fifteen (15) days after the member shall have been notified in writing by the Chairman (or acting Chairman) of the vote for his removal, during which fifteen (15) days the member shall have the right to appeal to the Circuit Court of Anne Arundel County for a decision as to whether, in the opinion of the Court, the vote for removal was justified under the ARCC By-Laws.

 

Section 2.   Just cause for removal of a member from the ARCC shall include the following:

 

a.                   Reprehensible conduct tending to bring disgrace or opprobrium upon the ARCC or its members, or upon the Republican Party;

 

b.                   deliberately working against a Republican Party nominee for a City office in a City general election campaign, or for a nominee of an opposing party or independent in a City election campaign;

 

c.                   conviction of a crime, felony or other offensive conduct, and;

 

d.                   failure to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the ARCC, unless excused by the Chairman.

 

Section 3.   An officer of the ARCC may be removed from said office for just cause by three-fourths vote of the members.   Removal from office shall become effective at the next regular meeting following the vote of the members after the officer shall have been notified in writing by the Chairman (or acting Chairman) of the vote for his or her removal and of his or her right to appeal for reconsideration of the members at the next regular meeting.

 

Section 4.   Just cause for removal of an officer from office shall include the following:

 

a.                   Any of the reasons contained in Section 2 herein, or;

 

b.                   Gross negligence of his or her duties as described in Article VII herein.

 

ARTICLE X – COMMITTEES

 

Section 1.   There shall be standing committees with responsibilities as follows:

 

a.                   PUBLICITY COMMITTEE: This committee shall be responsible for assuring that activities, meetings, actions, etc. of the ARCC receive maximum publicity through newspapers, radio, etc.

 

b.                   FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE: This committee shall be responsible for organizing and conducting all fundraising activities authorized by the membership of the ARCC.

 

c.                   CANDIDATES COMMITTEE: This committee shall be responsible for maintaining up-to-date records of all vacancies that exist on commissions, boards, etc., duly appointed by the Mayor; and shall recommend to the ARCC qualified candidates to be approved by the ARCC to fill such vacancies.  This Candidates Committee shall also be responsible for recommending qualified candidates to fill vacancies that may exist from time to time on the ARCC.

 

d.                   POLITICAL LIAISON COMMITTEE:  This committee shall be responsible for attending and reporting on meetings of other Republican Party organizations, including the Republican State Central Committee of Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

 

Section 2.  The Chairman shall appoint, from the membership of the ARCC, a chairman for each standing committee as specified in Section 1.

 

Section 3.   The chairman of each standing committee shall be responsible for obtaining at least two (2) additional members to serve on his committee, and shall within thirty (30) days after being appointed, furnish the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of such members, at a regular meeting of the ARCC.

 

Section 4.   The Chairman shall appoint ad hoc committees as required.

 

Section 5.   Members of standing committees, and chairman and members of ad hoc committees, need not be members of the ARCC, but must be registered Republican voters residing in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

 

ARTICLE XI – MEETINGS

 

Section 1.   A regular meeting of the ARCC shall be held the first Thursday of every month, September through June inclusive, unless such day is a federal, state or local holiday.  In that event, such meeting shall be moved to the second Thursday of such month.  This change shall be determined at the previous regular meeting.

 

Section 2. A special meeting of the ARCC may be called by the Chairman at any time, and must be called by the Chairman at the request of not less than three (3) members.  At least eight (8) days written notice shall be given to all members of the ARCC of the date, time, place ad reason for a special meeting.

 

Section 3.  A quorum for any meeting shall be composed of not less than a numerical majority of the members of the ARCC.

 

Section 4. Unless otherwise required by these By-Laws, a vote of at least a majority of the members composing a quorum shall be necessary to carry any motion, resolution, or any other proposed action of the ARCC.

 

Section 5.   Voting by proxy is not permitted.

 

Section 6.   Any meeting that cannot be held due to lack of a quorum shall be rescheduled and held within ten (10) days and all members of the ARCC shall be notified of the new date.

 

Section 7.   All meetings of the ARCC shall be conducted as open meetings ad may be attended by any registered Republican voter.

 

ARTICLE XII – ORDER OF BUSINESS

 

Section 1.   Unless modified by the membership attending, the order of business at all regular meetings of the ARCC shall be as follows:

 

a.                   Call to order

b.                   Determination of a quorum

c.                   Introduction of guests

d.                   Reading, correction and approval of the minutes of the last regular monthly meeting and any special meeting(s) held since the last regular monthly meeting

e.                   Reading and acceptance of Treasurer’s report

f.                    Reports of standing and ad hoc committees, including any action to be taken as a result of such committee reports

g.                   Reading of any communications received since the last regular monthly meeting

h.                   Filling of any vacancies in the ARCC or Officers thereof

i.                     Unfinished business

j.                     New business

k.                   Adjournment

 

Section 2.   Unless modified by the membership attending, the order of business at all special meetings of the ARCC shall be as follows:

 

a.                   Call to order

b.                   Determination of a quorum

c.                   Introduction of guests

d.                   Discussion of the matter(s) for which the special meeting was called, including any action to be taken

e.                   Adjournment

 

Section 3.   When not inconsistent with the provisions of these By-Laws, Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised) shall govern all meetings of the ARCC.

 

ARTICLE XIII – AUTHORITY & AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1. These By-Laws shall take effect and be enforced when adopted by an affirmative vote of a majority of ARCC members.

 

Section 2. These By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the ARCC by an affirmative vote of three-quarters of the members present at such meeting, provided the amendment has been submitted in writing at a previous regular monthly meeting of the ARCC.

 

 

 

APPROVED BY THE ARCC:                                     October 13, 1977

APPROVED BY THE ARCC:                                     February 2, 1978

APPROVED BY THE ARCC:                                     September 5, 1991

APPROVED BY THE ARCC:                                     October 3, 1991

APPROVED BY THE ARCC:                                     January 6, 2000