BY-LAWS OF THE RED BANK DEMOCRATIC MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE
PO Box 2306
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Kate Triggiano, Chair
Wilson Beebe, Vice Chair
Pat Pinto, Secretary
Sarah Corrado, Treasurer
January 30, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preamble
Article I – Members
Article II —Officers
Article III – Elections
Article IV – Meetings
Article V – Officer Duties and Responsibilities Article VI – Ad Hoc Committees
Article VII – Vacancies
Article VIII – Personal Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy Article IX – Impeachment
Article X – Amendments
By-Laws of the Red Bank Democratic Municipal Committee
PREAMBLE -- The objectives of this Committee shall be to further the principles of the Democratic Party, to aid in the election of Democratic candidates for public office, and to assist in the promotion and development of good government at the local, county, state and national levels.
ARTICLE I – Members
The members of the Red Bank Democratic Municipal Committee shall be comprised solely of those persons elected to the office of Democratic County Committee in Red Bank. (Hereinafter referred to as “Municipal Committee.”)
ARTICLE II – Officers
The Officers of the Municipal Committee shall be the Chair, the Vice Chair, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The Officers, with the exception of the Vice Chairperson, shall be appointed by the Chair at the reorganization meeting of the Municipal committee, held on the third Saturday following the certification of results of the primary election of members of the County Committee as provided for by state statute.
The Chair and Vice Chair, who shall be Members, shall serve for a term of two years to correspond with the statutory term of the County Committee Members. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair.
The Chair shall, with the exception of the Vice Chair, fill Officer vacancies.
The Secretary and the Treasurer shall not be required to be Members and, accordingly, shall not be entitled to vote unless they are Members.
ARTICLE III – Elections
The Municipal Committee shall elect the Chair and the Vice Chair at the reorganization meeting of the Municipal Committee.
Any Member of the Municipal Committee interested in being a candidate for the positions of either Chair or Vice Chair are encouraged to submit their names and voting address in writing to the outgoing Chair no later than ten days before the reorganization. The foregoing notwithstanding, nominations will be accepted from the floor at the reorganization meeting.
If there is no contest for either office, the election shall be held by voice vote.
If there is a contest for either office, election for that office shall be by secret ballot as determined and conducted by the Secretary by such means as accommodates both in-person and remote voting.
If no candidate achieves a majority vote on the first ballot, there shall be a second ballot between those candidates who have received at least twenty-five (25 %) percent or more of the ballots cast.
If no candidate receives a majority vote on the second ballot, there shall be a third ballot between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes. The candidates receiving the greater number of votes as between the two candidates shall be deemed elected.
ARTICLE IV – Meetings
Regular meetings of the Municipal Committees shall be held at the direction of the Chair, at which all members shall endeavor to attend.
Meetings of the Municipal Committee may, at the discretion of the Chair, be in person, by telephone or video conference, provided however that in the case of in-person meetings, the Chair shall endeavor to provide an option for remote participation.
All meetings of the Municipal Committee shall require written notice of at least 72 hours prior to the time and date of the proposed meeting at the last known email address of the Members and shall be accompanied by the minutes of the previous meeting and the proposed agenda. Upon request of a Member, the meeting notice and required attachments may be delivered by other means at least 48 hours prior to the time and date of the proposed meeting. In the event of a failure to provide the required notice, the business of the Municipal Committee can proceed with the unanimous written consent of all the Members.
The Chair is solely responsible for setting the agenda for Municipal Committee meetings.
The Chair shall call a Special Meeting when requested in writing by two-thirds (2/3rds) of the Members of the Municipal Committee.
Special meetings shall be called no later than fourteen (14) days after receipt by the Chair of a valid written request.
The Municipal Committee shall not make any recommendation to cause any person to appear on any ballot, or fill any vacancy in any elected office, or otherwise endorse any candidate, without the majority vote of the Municipal Committee members present and voting in a meeting called for said purpose as provided herein.
All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order except where these By-Laws provide otherwise.
The Members of the Municipal Committee shall not convene a meeting or take any official action without the consent of the Chair unless the Chair has failed to act pursuant to Section 5 of this Article.
The quorum necessary to conduct business shall be 50% plus one (1) of the Members then holding office.
No photography, or audio or video recording, of any meeting shall be permitted without the express permission of a majority of the Members present and voting.
ARTICLE V –Officer and Member Duties and Responsibilities
The Chair shall:
Be the leader of the Party and its official representative to all county and state level events;
Report all pertinent information to the county and state party and election officials;
Preside at all meeting of the Municipal Committee;
Serve ex officio on all Committees;
Faithfully execute the decisions of the Municipal Committee;
Together with the Treasurer, approve all expenditures;
Set the agenda for Municipal Committee meetings;
Retain professional services as needed;
Possess the authority to enter into and execute in the name of the Red Bank Democratic Municipal Committee, contracts or other instruments in the regular course of business, provided however that neither the Chair nor the Treasurer is authorized to enter into any indebtedness on behalf of the Committee without the express affirmative vote of the Municipal Committee as provided for in Article IV.
Exercise any powers not specifically prohibited to him/her nor reserved for the Municipal Committee by these By-Laws, Monmouth County Democratic Committee By-Laws, or state statute; and
The Vice Chair shall:
Perform all duties assigned by the Chair;
Serve ex officio on all Committees;
Assume all of the duties and responsibilities of the Chairperson in the absence of the Chair;
In the event of the death, resignation, disqualification or incapacity of the Chair to discharge the duties of the office, the Vice Chair shall become vested with the authority and responsibility of the office of the Chair and shall perform such duties until an election is held in accordance with these By-Laws.
The Secretary shall:
Prepare all documents necessary to facilitate meetings;
Keep full and correct minutes of the proceedings of the Committee;
Ensure that the required notice period for meetings is observed;
Keep a complete roster of all contact information for all members of the Committee;
Supervise all miscellaneous correspondence and duties requested by the Chair or the Municipal Committee;
The Treasurer shall:
Keep full and complete accounts of all moneys received and disbursed; Together with the Chair, approve all expenditures;
Prepare and file such financial statements as may be required by law and to report thereof to the Committee at the first meeting following such filings;
Prepare and keep budgets for various events as requested by the Chair or the Municipal Committee.
General Duty Provision. All Officers, and any Member, shall, at the expiration of the term of office or upon removal from office for any reason, deliver all Committee property in his/her possession or control to his/her successor in office within ten (10) calendar days. For the purpose of this provision, “Committee property” shall mean, but not be limited to, any and all records, property, cash, securities, bank accounts, credit and debit cards, and any digital assets such as social media accounts, databases, web sites, shared document sites and all credentials associated with access thereto.
Municipal Committee Members shall:
Be the chief party representatives within their respective municipal districts; Develop party positions and policies relevant to the Borough of Red Bank; Advocate party platforms, policies, and candidates to their constituents; Assist the municipal party with election and campaigns;
Be entitled to explicitly approve any public communication using their name that purports to originate with them; and
7
Endeavor to attend all Municipal Committee meetings.
ARTICLE VI – Ad Hoc Committees
The Municipal Committee may establish Ad Hoc Committees.
These committees shall be created by action of the Municipal Committee and shall be in existence for a term to be prescribed in the action establishing each Committee.
If no term is prescribed for an Ad Hoc Committee, it shall expire following the next reorganizational meeting of the Municipal Committee unless otherwise dissolved sooner.
The Chair of an Ad Hoc Committee, who shall be a Member, shall be appointed by the Chair and shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair.
Membership in Ad Hoc Committees shall be voluntary and open to Members of the Municipal Committee.
No Committee shall act without the explicit authority of the Municipal
Committee.
The Municipal Committee may dissolve any Ad Hoc Committee by a simple majority vote.
ARTICLE VII – Filling Vacancies
A vacancy in the Municipal Committee caused by death, resignation, failure to elect or otherwise, shall be filled by the existing Municipal Committee for the unexpired term as provide for by State Statute.
A Vacancy in the office of the Chair shall be filled by the Municipal Committee at a meeting held within sixty (60) days of the vacancy.
The Vice Chair shall serve as Chair in the intervening period.
A vacancy in the office of Vice Chair of the Committee shall be filled by the Municipal Committee at a meeting held within sixty (60) days of the vacancy.
The Chair may appoint a Vice Chair to serve in the intervening period.
Vacancies in any other office may be filled by appointment from the Chair.
ARTICLE VIII – Personal Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy
The Municipal Committee believes that fostering community in Red Bank, ensuring the safety and well being in our community, and building a stronger, more inclusive
8
Democratic Party, requires that no one is excluded or harassed regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion, and that the general conduct of participants in events sponsored or organized by the Municipal Committee is expected to be respectful of the participation of, and opportunity for participation, of all.
These provisions apply to any member, officer or advisor or consultant of the Municipal Committee, and any attendee, participant, vendor or guest at any event sponsored or organized by or under the auspices of the Municipal Committee.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion;
Sexual images in public spaces;
Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or followings;
Harassing photography or recording;
Sustained disruption of talks or other events, including verbal and other conduct that displaces the opportunity for others to be heard and to express their views on matters being discussed at any gathering, or which are designed to attack an individual rather than to merely express a difference of opinion;
Inappropriate or unwanted physical contact;
Unwelcome sexual attention; or
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Any person asked to stop any harassing or intimidating behavior is expected to comply immediately.
If a person engages in harassing or intimidating behavior, the Officers of the Municipal Committee retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the Municipal Committee or from any events or other roles related thereto.
With regard to any event sponsored or organized by or under the auspices of the Municipal Committee, the Officers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.
Any incident that makes a person uncomfortable should be reported as soon as possible to one or more of the Officers of the Municipal and County committees. These reports may be made either personally or anonymously.
ARTICLE IX -- Impeachment
9
A vote of seventy-five (75%) percent of the Municipal Committee shall be sufficient to remove any Officer for failure to complete duties and responsibilities placed upon them by these By-Laws or the Municipal Committee .
ARTICLE X – Amendments
The confirmation of two-thirds (2/3rds) of the Municipal Committee present and voting shall be sufficient for the establishment and amendment of these By-Laws, provided however that at least ten (10) days prior written notice of the changes, along with a copy of any of the proposed changes, is received by members of the Municipal Committee.
The Chair shall have the power to propose amendments to these By-Laws, subject to passage in accordance with Section 1 of this Article.
Upon amendment, these By-laws shall become immediately effective and shall supersede all previous Bylaws of the Municipal Committee.
10