N.Y. Benevolent Orders Law § 4: Terms of trustees

§ 4. Terms of trustees. 1. The persons first elected trustees of such

lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post, if a

lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, or a chapter of Royal Arch Masons,

shall be divided by lot by the officer making the certificate of

election, so that the term of one shall expire on the day of the

festival of Saint John the Evangelist, next thereafter, and another in

one year, and the third in two years thereafter. If other than a lodge

or chapter of Free and Accepted Masons, the trustees first elected shall

be divided by lot by the officers making the certificate of election, so

that the term of one will expire in one year, one in two years, and one

in three years thereafter. One trustee shall annually thereafter be

elected by such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple,

grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or Degree

of Pocahontas council, by ballot, in the same manner and at the same

time as the first three officers thereof severally are or shall be

elected according to its constitution, by-laws and regulations; and a

certificate of such election under the hands of such officers and the

seal of the lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple,

grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or Degree

of Pocahontas council, if it has any, shall be made, and shall be

evidence of such election and entitle the person so elected to act as

trustee. If any trustee dies, resigns, demits, is suspended or expelled,

removes from the state, or becomes incapacitated for performing the

duties of his office, his office shall be deemed vacant. Such lodge,

chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post, tribe,

tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or Degree of Pocahontas council,

may, at any regular communication, convocation, encampment or other

regular meeting, by whatever name known, fill any vacancy in the office

of trustee, by ballot, which election shall be certified in like manner

and with like effect as an annual election, and the person so elected

shall hold his office during the unexpired term of the trustee, whose

place he was elected to fill.

2. In the event that any such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory,

council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or

canton, or degree of Pocahontas council shall, in accordance with the

constitution and general rules and regulations of its grand lodge,

chapter, commandery, council or other governing body to which it belongs

or with which it is connected, and in conformity to its own by-laws, if

it has any, determines to increase the number of its trustees from three

to five, the two additional trustees shall be first elected at the same

time as the trustee elected to succeed whichever of the previously

elected trustees whose term first expires. At such election each of the

three trustees elected shall, by lot, be assigned a term of one, two or

three years, as the case may be. Thereafter all trustees shall be

elected for terms of three years.

3. In the event that any such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory,

council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or

canton, or degree of Pocahontas council shall, in accordance with the

constitution and general rules and regulations of its grand lodge,

chapter, commandery, council or other governing body to which it belongs

or with which it is connected, and in conformity to its own by-laws, if

it has any, determines to increase the terms of its trustees from three

to five years, the trustees hereafter elected shall be elected for terms

of five years each.

4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section,

trustees of lodges of Free and Accepted Masons shall be elected and

their terms commence at the first stated lodge communication next

following the Grand Lodge Annual Communication.