May 15, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

CHCA election questioned
by PETE MAZZACCARO

Last month’s election of board members for the Chestnut Hill Community Association came under scrutiny last week after information surfaced that 65 memberships were purchased in cash the night of the association’s election and annual dinner on April 23.

Former association president Ron Recko noted the cash purchase of those memberships and lodged a complaint that the ballot box containing all the ballots cast was removed from the CHCA offices against election procedure. The procedures require the association to keep the ballot box in the CHCA offices for at 30 days. At the time Recko asked to see them, only 14 days had lapsed.

A review of Local’s subscription records shows that 65 memberships were purchased on April 23 and processed several days later by Local staff. The 65 memberships were family memberships. Each family membership gives the holder of that membership up to two votes, meaning that the 65 memberships were worth up to 130 votes. The number is significant, given that only 517 votes were cast in the election.

Because the memberships were purchased with cash, it is not possible to credit the purchase of all 65 memberships to any one individual. There is nothing in the association’s bylaws that prevents the purchase or gifting of membership. Even if one person had paid for all 50 memberships, it would not violate the association’s rules.

Tolis Vardakis, CHCA president, conceded the point that the removal of the ballot box was a violation of the election procedures, but said the move was necessary because the office was not secure.

“We have no community manager now,” Vardakis said. “And it’s not Noreen’s [Noreen Spota, the association’s administrative coordinator] job to police the ballots.”

Vardakis said the ballot box was removed shortly after Recko had asked to review the ballots on his own. Vardakis said Recko had no right to review the ballots and that such a review would violate the privacy of those who cast their votes. Each ballot contains the name and signature of voters. The box, he said, was with election judge Katie Worrall.

“If you have a problem with the election, put it in writing and submit it to the judges of election,” Vardakis said.

Recko said he was concerned that the ballots had moved and argued that prior rules of the association’s election had stated that the ballots were open for review by any association member.

Board member Anne Spaeth, who has written the association’s election rules in recent years, distributed copies of the 2006 rules of election, which included language that stated the ballots were to be kept in the CHCA office where they could be reviewed by members. In 2007, the phrase about review was omitted.

“I must have made a mistake in my rush to get these ready,” Spaeth said. “But that [having the ballots available for review] was the intent.”

Kristina Sullivan, the association’s secretary, said she believed the review of ballots by association members was allowed the past.

But most of the members of the committee were not willing to grant Recko review of the ballots, at least not without the approval of the election judges.

“I have no hesitancy for letting members to look at the ballots in the company of the judges of election,” said Ned Mitinger, vice president of the association’s Physical Division.

“This is something the election judges should decide,” said committee member Ed Berg.

Dina Hitchcock, vice president of operations, said she was alarmed that information about the memberships got out at all.

“I’m very disturbed by the tone of this conversation,” she said. “How would anyone know who bought gifted memberships? This is appalling to me.”

Mitinger said he believed board members were encouraged to give memberships as gifts and acknowledged that he had done so in the past, and that in this last election he had received ballots from people he knew with suggested choices for board members checked off for his signature. That, he said, was often done, though it was against the association’s bylaws.