Controversy surrounding the OPA Elections Committee was a point of major disagreement during the Board of Directors meeting of 6/15/2024.

Director Stuart Lakernick made a motion near the end of the meeting to appoint Steve Ransdell as chairman of the Elections Committee. Director Monica Rakowski seconded Lakernick's motion.  

Subsequent board discussion of the appointment saw Director Steve Jacobs make an impassioned argument for not appointing Ransdell as chairman.

Jacobs began with: "I've always been of the opinion that we need to value volunteers who step forward to take on added responsibility and I continue to believe that."

Jacobs then said he was concerned about Ransdell's participation with a particular Facebook page, stating, "A Facebook page that holds itself out as being parody. My own view is that it passed parody several stops ago. The content is much closer to being insulting, demeaning, and generally repulsive. And it focuses, frankly, on three women in particular who are residents of Ocean Pines."

Jacobs suggested the problem with appointing Ransdell as chairman of the Elections Committee is that Ransdell in the past indicated he liked a number of these comments about women. Jacobs then asked, rhetorically, "Why is that a problem?"

Jacobs then answered, saying, "The problem is this. Two of the three women who have been targeted by this Facebook page are now candidates for the election. Mr. Ransdell has indicated his view of these people who are running for the board and he now is the chairman of the Elections Committee. It is apparent to me that this is a clear violation, potential if nothing else, conflict of interest between his own views and our ability to hold an election."

Jacobs also said the last three elections were "mired in controversy." He believes a better course of action this year is a different chair than Ransdell. Lakernick took strong objection to Jacobs saying the past three elections were mired in controversy. However, the facts are with Jacobs.

Three years ago the election ended up in court when the board tried to keep Farr off the ballot. Two years ago the Elections Committee mishandled the return ballots so badly that as many as 200 valid lot votes were not counted in an election that saw Rakowski elected by about a 13-vote margin after a controversial recount. Last year, the Elections Committee selected a company on the West Coast to print and handle the ballots. It was so messed up that OPA had to postpone the annual meeting by a week or more.

Finally, Jacobs said, "We can do better.... Having spoke with two of my (board) colleagues, we agreed this Facebook page is repulsive."

Repulsive may be a mild description. Many posts from the Facebook site in question contain the most vile, gross, and disgusting words in the English language... used repeatedly and frequently in written, public attacks on Ocean Pines women for nearly two years.

No woman or man should be subjected to vile public attacks on Facebook simply because of their political views on OPA management or board actions.

Of interest is the other six board members seemed to defend not only Ransdell but the Facebook site on the premise it is a "freedom of speech" issue; or the notion that the Elections Committee chairman cannot do anything to influence the election; or that Ransdell acted professionally at the Candidates Forum. All six voted to appoint Ransdell chairman of the Elections Committee.

Ransdell is a strong supporter of the current six-member majority on the Board of Directors, as is the operator of the Facebook page in question.

Related to all this is the recent resignation of another Elections Committee member who was also a strong supporter of the current board majority. This individual was involved on the same Facebook site as Ransdell. He announced his resignation publicly, indicating it was due to the influence of the Elections Committee and their concern about his involvement on the subject Facebook site. He wrote that he resigned "to ensure an election process unbiased in anyway," adding, "It was never my intention to agree with negative comments on a person."

So, two members of the Elections Committee get involved in a Facebook page attacking women in Ocean Pines with obscene comments. One is more or less forced to resign; the other is promoted to Chairman of the Elections Committee.

Collegial discussion, even disagreement, is an important part of governing. This commentator witnessed many votes on Board of Director motions over the past 35 years. Board members frequently disagree on whether to pass or not pass some particular motion.  Saturday’s vote is the only board vote in my 35 years living in Ocean Pines to make me ashamed of our Board of Directors.