Even split of committee members

There is nothing in principle to stop an non-owner being elected to the committee and thence to an office-bearer role.

However, owners can only nominate one person and only if they are not standing for election themselves.

Officers of the committee are nominated by other members of the committee (or themselves) and are elected by a show of hands at the committee.  The number of votes cast in electing them to the committee have no bearing on the number of votes in their favour for election to officer roles.

Your fiance can only be nominated by a member of the committee so unless you are also a member of the committee, he would have to first get elected and then get nominated by another committee member.  The regulations seem to specify that the nominations have to be by “another member”.

I will look into that and report back here.

You can nominate anyone to act as your proxy provided you do it on the appropriate form (which should be provided with your agenda) and that all your levies are paid up to date BEFORE the meeting.

So, if you are not at the meeting,  the process would be:

1. As owner, you sign the official proxy form (you can download a copy here) nominating your partner as your proxy to vote on your behalf.
2. Your partner would nominate himself for election to the committee.
3. If elected, he would have to be have to be nominated for election as chairman by another member of the committee.
4. That nomination can be made before the meeting (although it seems to assume the person making the nomination is going to be elected).

Here is the relevant section of the new strata regulations:

11. Nominations for officers of strata committee
(1) The written notice of the first meeting of a strata committee after the appointment of the committee is to include a call for nominations for chairperson, secretary and treasurer of the committee.
(2) Any person who is a member of the strata committee may nominate another member for election as any or all of chairperson, secretary or treasurer of the committee.
(3) The nomination is to be made by written notice given to the person convening the meeting that states the name of:
(a) the person nominated, and
(b) the person making the nomination and that the person nominated consents to the nomination.
(4) The person convening the meeting must include any prior nominations in the notice of the meeting at which the election is to take place. Notice of any subsequent nomination is to be given by the convenor at the meeting.
(5) A nomination may be made at any time before the election is held and may be made at the meeting.
(6) If a ballot for the election of a person as chairperson, secretary or treasurer of the committee is required, the election is to be conducted by a show of hands of persons at the meeting.

This is getting more complicated than it needs to. If he has support from other owners, then you should get one of them to nominate him for election to the committee.  There is no need for him to be there as your proxy. Candidacy for the committee is another matter entirely.

However, people can’t be nominated for election to the committee by someone who is standing for election themselves. Assuming you are standing for election again, get someone who isn’t standing for election to nominate him.  That would be better as it would show that his candidacy has broader support and isn’t a power-grab by related individuals.

Once you are both elected to the committee you can nominate him for election as an office-bearer.

Download a copy of Strata Living – the NSW Fair Trading handbook as it explains a lot of this in simple terms. 

Yes to all of the above.

Six people on a committee of a building of six lots is too big.  Try to reduce the number of members of the committee at the AGM to a more manageable three.

Failing that, broker an agreement that one person will take the disputed role for six months while the other takes it for the rest of the year.  This can all be done by a simple vote by the committee and everyone will be able to see who is best at the job.

Can you talk to the other owners? I suggest you foreshadow your concern exactly as you did here. IE ask them in advance to stick with the meeting to get the business finished and to support you in your role as chair.

There are formal procedural motions that can be put by anyone to regulate a meeting. By putting such motions, the others would be saying in a cool, calm, formal way that they support you in imposing an orderly meeting structure. 

Another thing would be for you to announce a time limit on speaking for or against any motion and to take speakers for and against in turn. After a couple of rounds of back and forth you could say that you will only take any further comments before the vote if a person who has not spoken wishes to make a point that has not already been made. 

If people are interrupting or talking over anyone else, stop the speaker, ask the interrupter to desist and very clearly start the clock from the beginning again for the person who was interrupted. 

With luck they will get the message. Bullies are often not used to people standing up to them and sometimes fold surprisingly easily when their victims start to show a little less timidity.