(June 23, 2016) Eleven of the 12 candidates for the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors were expected to take part in a forum at the community center on June 22, after press time.
One candidate, Larry Perrone, was out of town and asked to play a short video clip in lieu of attending.
Running the event were the members of the OPA Elections Committee, who met to develop the questions and forum format last Thursday.
Chair Bill Wentworth and committee members Steven Smith and Judy Butler, with help from board liaison Tom Herrick, came up with about 15 questions, whittled that list down to eight, and then grew the list back up to 12.
Written questions ranged from the big issues – bridges, the yacht club and the Manklin Meadows racquet sports improvements – to broader topics like top priorities if elected, methods of funding capital improvements and the ever-popular “why are you running?”
The plan was to ask each candidate two questions, following opening remarks. Questions would be randomly drawn about an hour before the forum, and only repeated once.
Then, each candidate would be given three minutes to make a closing statement.
“Those candidates, if they’re smart, will use their three-minute [closing statement] to pick up on anything in those questions that they want to discuss,” Butler said. “Then we’ll let them have time afterward to interact with the public.”
At the end of the forum, each candidate would be asked to stick around and answer individual follow-ups from the remaining members of the public.
During the committee meeting, Wentworth repeatedly worried about the perception of fairness from those running for office.
“My concern is about the candidates feeling that they got a fair shake with how the questions are,” he said. “I don’t give a hoot in a hell storm about what the public thinks. My only concern is, with regard to the candidates, that they feel that you got easier questions to answer [than another candidate].”
“You can never stop that,” Herrick said. “Some questions are harder than others. It’s just the luck of the draw, and that’s how it’s going to have to be.”
One committee member, Frank Danowski, apparently resigned from the group by email before the meeting. Another, Cheryll Bissell, was not present during the meeting, but was expected to help run the candidate forum.
The committee also revealed that mailed election materials would in fact contain a 200-word statement by each candidate – which became a hot topic during the candidate draw on June 9. The summer edition of the Ocean Pines newsletter will also include the same 200-word statements.
One candidate, Larry Perrone, was out of town and asked to play a short video clip in lieu of attending.
Running the event were the members of the OPA Elections Committee, who met to develop the questions and forum format last Thursday.
Chair Bill Wentworth and committee members Steven Smith and Judy Butler, with help from board liaison Tom Herrick, came up with about 15 questions, whittled that list down to eight, and then grew the list back up to 12.
Written questions ranged from the big issues – bridges, the yacht club and the Manklin Meadows racquet sports improvements – to broader topics like top priorities if elected, methods of funding capital improvements and the ever-popular “why are you running?”
The plan was to ask each candidate two questions, following opening remarks. Questions would be randomly drawn about an hour before the forum, and only repeated once.
Then, each candidate would be given three minutes to make a closing statement.
“Those candidates, if they’re smart, will use their three-minute [closing statement] to pick up on anything in those questions that they want to discuss,” Butler said. “Then we’ll let them have time afterward to interact with the public.”
At the end of the forum, each candidate would be asked to stick around and answer individual follow-ups from the remaining members of the public.
During the committee meeting, Wentworth repeatedly worried about the perception of fairness from those running for office.
“My concern is about the candidates feeling that they got a fair shake with how the questions are,” he said. “I don’t give a hoot in a hell storm about what the public thinks. My only concern is, with regard to the candidates, that they feel that you got easier questions to answer [than another candidate].”
“You can never stop that,” Herrick said. “Some questions are harder than others. It’s just the luck of the draw, and that’s how it’s going to have to be.”
One committee member, Frank Danowski, apparently resigned from the group by email before the meeting. Another, Cheryll Bissell, was not present during the meeting, but was expected to help run the candidate forum.
The committee also revealed that mailed election materials would in fact contain a 200-word statement by each candidate – which became a hot topic during the candidate draw on June 9. The summer edition of the Ocean Pines newsletter will also include the same 200-word statements.