||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON |||
EWUA is asking members to vote in an election with two unopposed incumbents and no alternative candidates.
This lack of choice was not inevitable. The Board adopted a policy disqualifying former EWUA employees from serving as directors. Another interested member was excluded after submitting an application approximately one hour past the deadline.
EWUA has stated that at least 10% of the membership must participate for this uncontested election to reach quorum. If you support the incumbents, vote for them. But if you do not want to endorse the candidates or legitimize an election that offers no meaningful choice, you are not required to participate.
Abstaining may not automatically remove the incumbents, but it declines to provide the participation EWUA says it needs to validate the election.
Members have another constructive action available: sign the petition requesting a Special Membership Meeting and a vote on whether EWUA should begin a formal, nonbinding feasibility study with the Eastsound Sewer and Water District.
Signing does not approve a merger or transfer. It asks EWUA to gather the facts members need to decide whether public ownership would provide a better path forward.
Sign the petition:
https://www.signwell.com/new_
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Without disrespect to the two incumbents “running” again for their current seats, an election with no competition has a farcical quality. There are surely EWUA members who would make good directors, but observed what happened to directors who questioned too closely the organization finances, actions of the manager, and decisions of the Board, with the “recall” fiasco a couple years ago.
So I’m not voting this time around, let’s see who might be “running” next year.