Even if the winners of this year’s Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors election are unknown at this writing — a few hours before the ballot counting begins — it’s safe to assume that the association will continue to follow its current path.

There’s no reason not to, considering that the only possible trouble on the horizon would be a quest to find trouble where none exists. Besides, the OPA has been enjoying a good run under General Manager John Viola, whose presence at the operational helm will continue courtesy of the four-year contract extension the board approved in July.

That’s the big favor the current board did for the incoming directors, whoever they may be. Any new member would find it difficult to impossible to argue successfully for a major change in how things are done, when it appears that association members have been and continue to be generally satisfied with the results.

The only indicator of dissatisfaction would be a massive voter turnout in the current contest, and that seems unlikely given the relatively quiet nature of the spring/summer campaign.

Obviously, that’s speculation, since the turnout percentage won’t be known until the Election Committee wraps up its ballot tally at the end of the day.

Even so, the quiet and calm approach to OPA business of the past couple of years has been so much more effective than it was during the board’s caterwauling bad old days that a return to the latter would seem to be out of the question.

Association members will have to wait and see, of course, as anything can happen in local (or state and national) politics. In the meantime, we congratulate the winners, whoever they may be, while encouraging them to stick to the program that seems to have been working just fine.