Q. Mr. Chairman,
Should Lodge Officers have a vote on the LEC or should it just be chapter chiefs?
Yours in Service,
Christian
A. Dear Christian,
Thank you for your question.
The answer is: it is recommended and usually the case, but it is up to the lodge...The Guide to Officers and Advisers says on page 8 that "The executive committee of the lodge - a key group - consists of the youths serving as lodge officers (including the past lodge chief), lodge operating committee chairmen and their advisers, the staff adviser, the lodge adviser, and the Scout executive." This is then followed one sentence later by "If there are chapters in the lodge, the chapter chiefs and chapter advisers are members of the lodge executive committee." Based on this I would say that all the lodge officers should be voting members.
Beyond that quote from the Guide to Officers and Advisers, I reference the paragraphs on the LEC on page 8 of the GOA. This section defines the composition of the LEC to include the lodge officers, chapter chiefs, past lodge chief, operating committee chairmen, advisers, and Scout Executive. There is no specific statement about who can vote (except we all know that adults cannot vote). There is a statement at the end of he first paragraph: "Any lodge member is welcome to attend executive committee meetings as an observer." This means that the observers cannot vote or participate; they are there to "observe".
So who gets to vote? The answer is implied. The second paragraph says:
"The executive committee is the steering committee of the lodge. It faces the problems, studies possible solutions, and then, through the lodge or chapter committee organization, acts. It carries on the business of the lodge, coordinating the work being done by officers and operating committees. Regardless of any executive committee decision or undertaking, the lodge must operate within the policies established by the national Order of the Arrow committee."
Properly appointed operating committee chairmen are members of the LEC and they participate in the decisions. It would be impossible to do without them having a vote.
I hope this helps you in your work with our Order.
Ray