It also seems like a special election should be mandatory to fill vacancies. Having "appointments" made by other officials is asking for trouble. I'm not very savvy about parlimenatary procedures. In the past, in other groups I've been involved with, more experienced people have answered some of what seemed like simple questions to me with logical explanations that changed my thinking. Amendments to bylaws should always be given the utmost scrutiny and open debates should prevail. Bylaw amedments are very serious, and systems are often extremely complex. I'm looking forward to reading more comments about this.