Ocean Pines Elections Committee Chairman Steve Habeger, left, last Friday discusses a unique aspect of the upcoming election. Also pictured is committee member Rick Turner.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(April 19, 2018) There’s an interesting wrinkle in the Ocean Pines election this year, according to newly confirmed Elections Committee Chairman Steve Habeger.

After ballots are mailed on July 10, voters may select up to three candidates for the board of directors. However, not all of the winners will serve equal terms.

Speaking at an elections committee meeting last Friday, Habeger said the top-two vote getters will serve three-year terms on the board, but the third-place candidate will serve for just one year. That’s because Brett Hill vacated his seat last year and Ted Moroney was appointed to serve until voters could choose a replacement.

Hill, elected in August 2016, would have had one year remaining on his term.

Habeger also discussed procedures for counting and then immediately announcing votes, an association first.

He said the newly altered Resolution M-06, governing elections, requires the elections committee to announce the results during a live online broadcast on Aug. 10. Results would also be emailed to the candidates and to Ocean Pines members, and announced on the association website, Habeger said.

The results will be validated at the annual meeting on Aug. 11.

“My suggestion … is that when we announce the ballot vote totals, that’s what we announce, and at the annual meeting we speak to the fact that we have a partial term and the bylaws require that the top-top vote getters will receive three-year terms and the third-place vote getter will fulfill the unexpired vacant term that Ted Moroney is currently occupying,” Habeger said.

“There’s a difference between announcing ballot totals and validating the election, and that’s my approach to complying with both of those,” he continued. “I almost see Friday [Aug. 10] as being numbers and Saturday being what they mean.”

Director Slobodan Trendic, the committee liaison, said it is important to cite relevant passages from the association bylaws.

According to Section 5.01(d) of the bylaws, “The election shall fill only those vacant positions included on the ballot. Those candidates receiving the higher numbers of votes shall be elected to three-year terms and those receiving lower numbers of votes shall be elected to serve for the remainder of any unexpired terms in descending order of votes received.”

“That makes the rule very clear, very explicit,” Trendic said. “If you make a point of associating the bylaws … it’s going to help the community to understand what’s going on – what’s so different about this election versus previous elections.”