PART 3: Section 10-15, Ring of Trustees (Directors of the Society)

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10. Ring of Trustees (Directors of the Society)

10.1 The trustees are the directors of the society as defined in the Society Act. The trustees carry out both the Witan's and the Althing's directives, so long as the directives are in keeping with the Freehold purposes and are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

10.2 The trustees shall consist of a minimum of five members, or a greater number set from time to time at thing or althing, including at least the speaker, the hoarder, the ombudsman, the writer and the freyr or freya.

10.3 Any wita, including a newly elected wita who is not yet confirmed, is eligible for election as a trustee.

10.4 Trustees will be elected at thing or althing from candidates fielded or endorsed by the Witan, or if the trustees themselves comprise a majority of witan, then they may be nominated by any voting member.

10.5 Except for the freyr's or freya’s office, separate elections must be held for each office to be filled unless a 75% majority of all voting members is in attendance at thing or althing, in which case it may be by acclamation.

10.6 The term of any wita elected to the office of trustee, whether or not he or she is currently a gild drighten, shall be one year, and shall retire from the trustee office at each althing.

10.7 There is no limit to the number of times a trustee may be reelected.

10.8 If a successor is not elected, the person previously elected or appointed will continue to hold office.

10.9 In the case that the number of trustees fall below five members, the Witan, with a unanimous vote, may temporarily appoint any fosterman or trothed Freeholder who is willing to fill the vacancy until the conclusion of the following althing.

10.10 An act or proceeding of the trustees is not invalid merely because there are less than the prescribed number of trustees in office.

10.11 Voting members, with a 75% majority, may remove a trustee before the expiration of his or her term of office and may elect a successor to complete his or her term of office. However, such a removal does not also remove the former trustee from the Witan, or from any position on the Witan he or she may hold such as drighten, aethling or ealdorman.

10.12 A trustee must not be remunerated for being or acting as a trustee. However, a trustee must be reimbursed for all expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by the trustee while engaged in the affairs of the society, as soon as possible for the society, except where that trustee has waived the right to reimbursement, in which case expenses incurred will be regarded as a monetary donation made by the trustee to the Freehold.

10.13 In any case, the trustees must submit receipts and an expense report for their offices in the previous year, if any, to the hoarder³² at least eight weeks before althing.

11. Freyr / Freya (President of the Society)

11.1 The freyr or freya is the president of the society as defined in the Society Act, and is the chief executive officer of the Freehold.

11.2 The freyr or freya presides at all meetings of trustees and the Witan, and also at thing or althing.

11.3 The Witan is obliged and empowered to elect from amongst themselves one man or woman whom for a term of one year shall act as the sacral head of the Freehold and the warder of its luck.

11.4 There is no limit to the number of times a freyr or freya may be reelected.

11.5 If a successor is not elected, the person previously elected or appointed will continue to hold office.

11.6 Whomever fills this stead, let the cognate of his or her tribe be their title for their term. Thus, a Norse woman would be the "freya", a Norse man "freyr", an Anglo-Saxon woman "freo", a man "frea", a German woman the "frau", and so on.

11.7 As sacral leader of the Freehold, the freyr or freya is to granted membership in the Weoh Gild and is so empowered to lead the Freehold at its holy rites.

11.8 If called upon to do so by a majority of witan at Witangemot, or a majority of members at thing or althing, the freyr or freya may set Freehold thew, custom or policy as he or she deems fit, so long as such deemings are consistent with these bylaws.

11.9 The freyr or freya may also be asked by disputing parties to mediate a dispute or preside over a maethel, as per Section 3.

11.10 The freyr or freya is empowered to declare, in extraordinary circumstances, that a thing or althing must be held if he or she deems it in the best interest of the Freehold.

11.11 In the unlikely case that all the other trustee offices are not currently filled, the freyr or freya may appoint members to fill the vacancies until the next althing.

11.12 In the unlikely event that all trustee positions, including the freyr's or freya’s become vacant, the Witan, or voting members at thing or althing must elect one of themselves to act as freyr or freya, and four others to act as trustees, until the next althing. In any event, there must always be a freyr or freya in office.

12. Law Speaker (Legal Secretary)

12.1 The speaker or law speaker is elected at thing or althing and fulfills those duties of the secretary as defined in the Society Act which are not the responsibility of the writer.

12.2 In the event of the freyr's or freya’s absence, the speaker must carry out the duties of the freyr or freya.

12.3 The speaker is elected at thing or althing and shall:

(a) become intimately familiar with Freehold law and thew, and answer inquiries regarding it,
(b) correspond with governments or other officials regarding, and keep custody of all records and documents of the society pertaining to, Freehold law (this constitution and bylaws),
(c) oversee and coordinate the process of bylaw amendment (according to these bylaws),
(d) keep one of the common seals of the society, if any,
(e) act as the default public spokesperson for the society, unless otherwise resolved from time to time by the Witan, thing or althing,
(f) act as executive editor for the official society newsletter.

13. Writer (Membership Secretary)

13.1 The writer fulfills those duties of the secretary as defined in the Society Act which are not the responsibility of the speaker.

13.2 The writer is elected at thing or althing and shall:

(a) conduct all correspondence of the society except that being conducted by the speaker,
(b) have custody of all the records and documents of the society, except those required to be kept by the hoarder and the speaker,
(c) keep minutes of all meetings of the society and trustees,
(d) maintain the register of members,
(e) act as publisher of the official newsletter,
(f) keep one of the common seals of the society, if any.

13.3 In the event of the absence of the writer at a meeting, the trustees or the witan must appoint another person to act as writer.

14. Hoarder (Treasurer)

14.1 The hoarder is the treasurer as defined in the Society Act and is elected at thing or althing, and shall:

(a) keep the financial records, including books of account, necessary to comply with the Society Act, and
(b) render financial statements to the Witan, members and others when required,
(c) be responsible for a yearly inventory of physical assets belonging to the society,
(d) produce a consolidated report from the reports of the gilds and shires, if any.

15. Ombudsman

15.1 The ombudsman is elected at thing or althing, and shall:

(a) act as the ambassador of the Witan among members, and be available to answer new member inquiries of any sort,
(b) be a point of contact, and a representative on the Witan, for those members not already represented there by any gild or shire,
(c) keep record of official complaints, and official judgments, if any, regarding past or present Freehold members,
(d) coordinate the mediation process between disputing members if called upon to do so,
(e) coordinate any maethel that is declared, as per Section 3.