(July 7, 2016) Members of the Ocean Pines Association Elections Committee say a change in the way ballots are counted is unlikely during the current election cycle.
That is partially because of time constraints. A change in the rules, written in resolution M-06, would require a first and second reading before a vote could take place. With the ballot count occurring in early August, members of the committee say there’s just not enough time.
Director Jack Collins introduced a motion during the June 25 board of directors meeting to remove the words “in closed session” from the language in M-06 that addresses where and when votes are counted.
Collins and others argued that the count needed to be opened in order to be more transparent. While he insisted he was not alleging any wrongdoing on the part of the committee, others, including Chairman Bill Wentworth, disagreed.
“You are challenging the ethics of myself and the members of this committee, and you will not challenge our ethics,” Wentworth said during the meeting.
The directors eventually agreed to table the motion and asked the by-laws & resolutions committee, which apparently brought the issue up, to meet with the elections committee to form a recommendation.
After an elections committee meeting on June 29, however, that meeting seemed unlikely.
Wentworth said the committee makes recommendations for changes in the elections process to the board of directors after each election cycle. That, he said, is the appropriate time to talk about changes to the rules.
“We’re in the middle of [an election],” Wentworth said.
“We will give our report [after the election], and if we feel there are some M-06 changes necessary, then we will recommend that to the board,” committee member Judy Butler said.
Butler said M-06 was last reviewed in 2009.
While the notion of continuing to count in a closed session has resulted in criticism of the committee, others praised the group for running what was largely seen as a successful candidate forum on June 22.
“It went very well,” Wentworth said. “Everyone cooperated but one person, and I had to reprimand him several times. You can’t control everyone’s behavior.”
Wentworth added that it was likely the first time “technology has really been used” during a forum, referring to the videotaped statement of candidate Larry Perrone, shown during the event. Perrone could not attend the forum, but was allowed to prerecord a three-minute opening statement.
“It worked out well,” Wentworth said. “Teresa [Travatello] and our in-house IT guy did an excellent job keeping that thing on. We didn’t have a hiccup with it.”
That is partially because of time constraints. A change in the rules, written in resolution M-06, would require a first and second reading before a vote could take place. With the ballot count occurring in early August, members of the committee say there’s just not enough time.
Director Jack Collins introduced a motion during the June 25 board of directors meeting to remove the words “in closed session” from the language in M-06 that addresses where and when votes are counted.
Collins and others argued that the count needed to be opened in order to be more transparent. While he insisted he was not alleging any wrongdoing on the part of the committee, others, including Chairman Bill Wentworth, disagreed.
“You are challenging the ethics of myself and the members of this committee, and you will not challenge our ethics,” Wentworth said during the meeting.
The directors eventually agreed to table the motion and asked the by-laws & resolutions committee, which apparently brought the issue up, to meet with the elections committee to form a recommendation.
After an elections committee meeting on June 29, however, that meeting seemed unlikely.
Wentworth said the committee makes recommendations for changes in the elections process to the board of directors after each election cycle. That, he said, is the appropriate time to talk about changes to the rules.
“We’re in the middle of [an election],” Wentworth said.
“We will give our report [after the election], and if we feel there are some M-06 changes necessary, then we will recommend that to the board,” committee member Judy Butler said.
Butler said M-06 was last reviewed in 2009.
While the notion of continuing to count in a closed session has resulted in criticism of the committee, others praised the group for running what was largely seen as a successful candidate forum on June 22.
“It went very well,” Wentworth said. “Everyone cooperated but one person, and I had to reprimand him several times. You can’t control everyone’s behavior.”
Wentworth added that it was likely the first time “technology has really been used” during a forum, referring to the videotaped statement of candidate Larry Perrone, shown during the event. Perrone could not attend the forum, but was allowed to prerecord a three-minute opening statement.
“It worked out well,” Wentworth said. “Teresa [Travatello] and our in-house IT guy did an excellent job keeping that thing on. We didn’t have a hiccup with it.”