Secretary - important or not?

What is the role of a Secretary in a business? Not the secretary (now so often called an administrative assistant, whether she is or not) ... but the Secretary. The official corporate Secretary.

The Secretary's role is critical to the operation of a business. The Secretary is the keeper of the official corporate documents. The Secretary witnesses the signature of the President, when important business must be transacted. The Secretary holds the corporate Seal and preserves the Minutes of meetings.

What happens when a corporation doesn't have a Secretary? Could business come to a screeching halt?

The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce still does not have a Secretary. Officers were appointed earlier this year, but apparently no one wanted to be Secretary. It could be because that person just doesn't want to write and transcript Minutes of Board meetings or document official business. A clerk can do that, at the direction of the Secretary.

You'd think that the Chamber's lawyer would tell the Board to appoint a Secretary. There is a lawyer on the Board, but he may not be the lawyer for the Chamber.

Surely, all the Board members could read the By-Laws. If they could be found, that is. After all, it's the Secretary's job to preserve the By-Laws. Do they know where they are?

I'm not a Chamber member. Last year I was, in effect, told that my membership wasn't welcome. They didn't like it, when I told them what could be done better.

For example, when the Woodstock senior citizen complained to the Chamber about the Pickle-pa-Looza at the Fairgrounds, I felt she ought to be a response from the Chamber. Any person ought to be due that courtesy. The Chamber didn't think so and said she was the only person complaining (so why respond to her complaint?).

Customer service at its best; right? That's exactly what is wrong.

Of course, it wouldn't have been the Secretary's job to answer that complaint. That's the job of the Executive Director of the Chamber.

Chamber Board members would be well-advised to read the By-Laws for the members who are authorized in the By-Laws to hold offices, such as President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Apparently, the Board members haven't. On the other hand, maybe By-Laws are just pesky forms to be left in a drawer someplace and never referred to.