With the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors heading into its last few days, the traditional approach would be to endorse candidates. In this case it would be endorsing three of the six people running for the three vacant seats on the board.

Acknowledging that the persuasiveness of these endorsements is questionable in the best of circumstances, given that most voters have known for some time who they like and who they don’t, it’s doubtful that our editorial embrace of any these hopefuls at this stage of the process will have much in the way of a positive impact.

Not that some people don’t deserve to be seated on or even returned to the board, it remains that the board leadership in the year ahead is more critical to the smooth and open function of government than who among the half-dozen hopefuls is called on by the community to represent their interests.

That was the case under association presidents Doug Parks, his successor Larry Perrone, and his successor Collette Horn. Suffice to say that a candidate can have ideas but having them and convincing leadership to pursue their practical application is a different thing altogether.

Besides, and this is the truth of the matter, beyond candidates’ individual personalities, a couple of turns in the limelight, and other ups and downs during the course of their time in the community, we just don’t know what any of them will do if elected.

The forums, as well-conducted as they were, along with our own interviews failed to establish to our satisfaction how any of them would respond on actual critical matters rather than those deemed critical by virtue of the volume of debate.

And it is precisely who can keep a fair and steady hand on that volume control while also standing up for the public that’s more important than the individuals elected to serve under him or her.