I suspect that CChiefs reference to "having fun" was just a play on the fact that whoever is doing this receives a certain twisted satisfaction from it. Not that there is truly fun to be had by anyone. If there is a legit concern, I would suspect that with all groups there are legit ways to broach them.
I've been doing leadership type things for many, many years...and there are always folks that for whatever reasons lend an unhappy, malicious voice to issues. I try to always address the "issue" to them, as silly as I might personally feel that it is, from a position of problem solving. "I understand you're not happy with the way we divided up the snacks for the testing program and I wanted to see what your thoughts were on it"...or "I heard that perhaps there may be an issue in your mind with the fundraiser we're doing and since we want everyone's support whenever possible I was hoping we could discuss it." Try to take out the innuendo, or "hurtful" side of things and address the issue in a way that shows your above the fray. Sometimes, just sometimes, there is something of value to be gleened from the criticism, and more likely you can walk away from the conversation-having the other person feel that you are the one in a position of authority and that they vented their concern. The old "I hadn't thought of that but let me take it back to the board for discussion" or "let me put it on the agenda and you can make your point". Now, if the issue is something ridiculous like "I cannot believe she wants to that instead of this" then just disempower the person by not paying attention to it. The folks telling you what is being said are waiting for your reaction and watching how you handle it. Can you deal with this bit of a rift from a leadership position or does it drag you off the curb with the other gal/guy.
This whole approach takes two things:
1. Confidence in yourself--none of us is beyond making mistakes...or doing something downright wrong. It's how we approach the mistake or wrong and having the confidence to say "Yup I blew it". Recently we were distroing some contributions at 12 on Friday when they were supposed to be placed by 3 pm that day. One mom said "In the middle school we do this, this and this....". I simply smiled and said "Man--I guess we're just not that squared away this year". I made it a point to ask for her suggestions via email (when I was thanking all the volunteers) so everyone knew that I acknowledged her complaint and looked for her input to make it better next year (and yes her approach would have been better).

2. Confidence in your programs and your intent--meaning they're well organized, researched and planned...so that a criticism can be either incorporated as a point to improve your program or dismissed as having already been considered and found not applicable...this isn't rocket science but it can get complicated. If you are truly in this without an agenda, then standing behind what you're doing is easy.

I hope that the meeting went well and that you can post some of your feed back. Whatever you do however, don't empower this person -- it is best, in my experience, to acknowledge and almost embrace them so you can make the most of everyone's energy.

Good Luck...dianna

to y'all who seem to agree that some people just say stuff to aggravate...and to those who think its fruitless to even TALK to the person...how about this...imagine someone said something about YOU in the school community,,,and it was not positive, or attributed some falsity to your person, and all assumed there was no point in finding the facts..how would YOU feel... those that that allude to the fact that if a school parent is 'known' to be a 'problem' (First of all, how can anyone know that, there is confidentiality between staff and any one parent's concerns) thats its better to leave things alone.. just imagine you are on the receiving end of unpleasant hearsay. wouldnt you want YOUR SIDE of the story to be heard by staff? pto and parents are a differtent story. i am talking about having SCHOOL STAFF konw the truth.its very sad to hear some of you say sometimes the head of school has no reason to pursue the truth becuase the parent is assumed to be 'difficult' or whatever. boy oh boy, i hope our kids dont learn that message from parents. the facts are ALWAYS important before judging a situation. lets all maybe give the 'baddies' or 'troublemakers' alluded to on these posts, a breather, and imagine that *maybe* some things have been contrived to appear as something they are not. fair play in life just as on this site, is alsways a good thing. just being devils advocate here for the 'problem parents' or 'problem pto leaders' talked about on these blogs...lets all consider the other point of veiw, maybe? just a thought. school should be about finding RESOLUTION, not ostracizing or ignoring a parent with a bad rap in the court of public opinion aka hearsay.

crewchief -- the comment "Their fun comes from causing the drama, not from solving it." assumes that someone is having fun, that someone is voicing a concern for frivolous reasons...that well may be the case at many schools and with many complaints, but i wouldnot think it fair to assume anything, let alone that a parent brings a compliant to anyone in admin, based on premise of trying to have fun. i can tel you from personal experinece that some schools thrive on gossip rumor and innuendo, and the trouble makers MIGHT WELL BE, although not necessarily, not the one bringing forth a legitmate issue, but the ones stirring the pot, the observers/outsiders without all the facts.
ther is an enormouse unregulated world of parent info 'exchange' (ie unconfirmed talk aka hearsay) at manyschools it seems from reading these blogs.....it is truly sad to see how a story can change whne passed form person to person, not unlikke the telephone game we used to play as kids. thats why fact finding is so very important. assuming the paretn is getting fun out of complaining, is a wrong assumption, and unfair, for that very reason. just my opinions. i appreciate everyones opinions on this site. one need not agree, as long as we disagree respectfulyy. here is one of my fav quotes:
If everyone minded their own business ..... the world would go round a deal faster than it does. Lewis Carroll, said by the Duchess, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

thats all well and good, glad it worked for you. each school has its own particular problems it seems, and the facts (and rumors) are as different as the schools are. so what works for one situaiton, might not necessariyl work for another. every situation is different, jst like no 2 fingerprints are alike!
your postings are ALEWAYS insiteful and helpful, you are a true gem to the blogs.....keep up the good work - it is appreciated i am sure by the many who read and DONT post.

Oh, I don't know ??? - I think Clara's got a good point:

Communication is very important, if the principal is avoiding the trouble maker it may be because no matter what the principal says it will not please the trouble maker. There are some people in the world who will simply never be satisfied, they are the ones we try to avoid for peace of mind.

Some people really can't be talked to or 'helped' because they don't want help. Their fun comes from causing the drama, not from solving it. Playing into their game rather than ignoring them can have dire consequences.

Our school also has a particular trouble maker. It seemed there was a huge anti-PTO movement going on in our school. After key people compared notes we realized the same type of comments, sometimes down to the exact wording, was being said to everyone. By discussing it, we came to realize that it really was just one person, with two half-hearted sidekicks, causing it all. Refusing to give her an audience or play into the drama, we all began to ignore her.

So, while she still grumbles and tries to cause trouble, we don't let it affect our work. She knows everyone is finally on to her and will now have to go off and find another venue for her game playing.

Clara - you say your conflict is 'ongoing', and that the issue/person is being 'avoided'...not surprising - problems in life not addressed usually dont just disappear, they sometimes just stew and brew or even escalate. shame for all in the shool coommunity, if people are sharing information and not addressing the matter head on/getting the facts from the source.
GOOD LUCK resolvijg your dilemma, doenst sound like much fun for anyone , or good for anyone, least of all the kids.