Were it not such a ridiculous situation to begin with, one might appreciate the irony of Ocean Pines Association Director Rick Farr ascending to the presidency two years after his court fight to be recognized as a legitimate candidate was just getting underway.

Even though Farr had been the top vote-getter in that summer’s election, an anonymous phone call to one of the directors contended that Farr was not a property owner, according to association rules, because his residence was legally owned by his family’s trust.

Thus, the 1,629 votes he received did not count, according to the board majority, leading Farr to sue the board that August. After months of legal wrangling, and the board majority’s attempt to conduct a new election without Farr on the ballot, Circuit Court Judge Sidney Campen ruled in Farr’s favor.

He also opined on how absurd the whole situation was, going so far as to suggest the possibility of self-dealing and unconscionable conduct on the part of Farr’s opponents on the board.

Given all that, Farr must find the current board’s unanimous support of his presidency particularly satisfying, not that he has given any indication of his feelings on that score.

Instead, in his interview with this paper this week, he says he wants to establish a collaborative decision-making style in which all board members are heard, and has set what appears to be a pragmatic agenda for the board to follow: addressing golf course irrigation, the need for a new fire house, and continuing the course set by his immediate predecessor.

One might excuse a little bit of a chip on his shoulder after spending $35,000 in legal fees to become a board member, but there’s been no evidence that even a hint of one exists.

It appears that he just wants to get to work, and, backed up by a board that had no part in the legal drama of two years ago, a reasonable board with reasonable leadership that takes on reasonable projects is what residents should expect.