The Trapper Creek Community Services Association, or TCCSA, a local non-profit, appointed a new Chair this week. That may have violated the Association’s bylaws.
Voting for the new Board of Directors and Officers began on January 2nd and ended January 20th. Full-time Trapper Creek residents could cast their ballot at the Post Office during that time.
Three candidates for Officers and several for Directors were listed on the ballot. The Officer candidate with the most votes would be elected Chair, per the Association’s bylaws. None of those candidates are now the Chair.
The election was overridden, according to a community member who was present at the meeting and wishes to remain anonymous. During the vote counting process, a community member not on the Board of Directors, entered the meeting and proposed the Board nominate a different candidate.
Lon McCullough was nominated at the meeting and the Board voted 5 to 3 to accept him as Chair, pre-empting the Community’s votes. McCullough did not appear as a candidate for Officer or Director position on the ballot. About 50 community members voted in the elections.
Based on the votes, two people actually tied for the Chair position. One is now Vice-Chair and the other is now a Director. The Association’s bylaws specifically state how elections will operate and how candidates become Officers and Directors. Community members elect candidates to Officer and Director roles by ballot. However, confusing the matter is a statement in the bylaws that says the various Officers will be elected from the Board by the Board, negating the community’s input on who will serve in what roles.
The community’s votes were overridden by the sitting Board at the time of the election, but it is unclear what recourse there is to correct the error or if it will be corrected.
In the interest of full disclosure, this reporter is an Associate, non-voting member of the TCCSA.
