Bella Vista association voting begins Results set to be announced May 19

The names of the candidates were announced in January. Only one incumbent is running, David Brandenburg. The seats currently held by Ruth Hatcher and Jim Abrahamson will also be filled.

BELLA VISTA — Even with members staying home to avoid covid-19, the Property Owners Association election will go on.

Each year three seats on the nine-person board of directors are filled by a vote of the membership. The ballots can be mailed, or voting can take place online beginning this week. The results will be announced May 19.

According to the governing documents, one vote is issued for each lot that is current with assessment payments. The ballots and information about online voting went out Monday. An outside company, The Inspectors of Election, handles the process.

The names of the candidates were announced in January. Only one incumbent is running, David Brandenburg. The seats currently held by Ruth Hatcher and Jim Abrahamson will also be filled.

Usually, a candidate forum is organized by the association’s Election Committee, but this year the event was canceled because of the virus. The committee decided to send six questions to each candidate and limit responses to 200 words, committee chairman Tom Throne said. The answers are posted on the association website, bellavistapoa.com/election/ via a link under each candidate’s picture. All six participated.

The questions ranged from division among the membership and the need for unity to the greatest challenge the association is facing.

Some of the posted answers seem universal. None of the six candidates said they were in favor of closing any amenity, although several pointed out they didn’t yet have all the information needed to make that decision.

Most of the candidates felt communications could be improved between the board and members. Sandy Fosdick said there are too many closed meetings and both John Hudec and John Goodman said technology, including social media, can help expand communications.

“Transparency and fiscal responsibility are of great concern,” Joy Sawyer wrote about the greatest challenge facing the association. Both Sims and Brandenburg said healing divisions among the members is the biggest challenge.