Referendum results temporary situation

Regardless of the spending limit referendum vote totals Friday, the one thing Ocean Pines residents and officials should acknowledge is that the results aren’t permanent.

If anything, victory is temporary for whichever side won the argument over the board of directors’ authority to spend more than $1 million on a capital project without voter approval. After all, what one referendum delivers, another referendum can just as easily take away.

That’s no different than the directors themselves, who come and go according to the will of the voting public (and a limit of no more than two successive terms): change is guaranteed.

Chances are, this spending debate will continue over the years, as facilities age, priorities shift for the board and association members, and the buying power of dollar continues to slide in the face of rising expenses.

That’s why any celebration that follows the voting tally Friday ought to be muted to a certain degree. The rules have been set or validated … for now.

This impermanence is something the candidates in this year’s election ought to keep in mind as well, as they prepare to solicit support from the public and any allies they might have on the board.

The composition of the board, like the public mood, can shift without much notice, all of which can make long-term objectives somewhat more ephemeral than most everyone would like to admit.

So count the ballots, accept whatever course voters dictate for capital project spending, and go out on the campaign trail, all while taking into account that what’s taking place today is a fact, but what happens tomorrow is anyone’s guess.