commentary by Joe Reynolds

During his opening remarks at the OPA Candidates Forum, moderator Bill Wentworth warned the audience not to heckle the candidates as ".. has been done in the past."

I do not recall any Candidates Forum audience heckling or otherwise bothering the candidates. What the moderator failed to do was ask the audience not to applaud after every candidate spoke. Thus over the course of the evening there were about 60 periods of clapping after every instance a candidate said anything. The moderator only asked the clapping to end in one instance when the crowd was applauding candidate Slobodan Trendic.

During his opening comments the moderator reminded the assemblage and candidates of the debate format, including a remark that candidates would be allowed a one-minute closing statement. When Wentworth said this, Trendic's head quickly swiveled to look at Wentworth but he said nothing.

Trendic noticed that the moderator had provided incorrect information about the time for closing statements. The OPA Board of Directors Resolution M-06 Attachment C spells out how the Candidates Forum is to be structured. It clearly says the closing remarks shall be three minutes.

Trendic says he asked Wentworth about the time and was not told it was a simple mistake, rather Wentworth told him, "This is my meeting. I run the show."

At the conclusion of all candidates answering the first Election Committee question, Wentworth then said, "I ask the candidates to answer the question and not to campaign."

The three questions prepared by the Election Committee were the typical milquetoast ones generally dragged out every year in one form or another, rarely if ever addressing actual issues in the community. This was followed by a draw process where each candidate had an opportunity to ask another candidate a question. Unfortunately candidates could not choose the other candidate to answer their question. That was decided by draw.

Then the moderator announced there would be a period where each candidate would have 90 seconds to "rebut" anything said thus far. This caused some confusion, and is not a part of the process spelled out in the board resolution.

The next round was to be questions submitted by association members. As a practical matter, the committee has all but eliminated these questions. No one in the room is allowed to ask a question, even though the board resolution provides for this. The committee did take questions submitted in advance in writing. What happens is the committee looks at submitted questions, decides which ones they think are appropriate, and then mixes and matches as committee members see fit. This resulted in extremely long, laborious questions.

How long and how laborious? Well, by the the time the moderator finished speed reading the first supposed association member submitted question, about one third of the standing-room-only crowd had left their chairs or standing positions and exited the building.

How did the candidates do? Generally, very well. The one exception was a common feeling expressed by all candidates that some magical Comprehensive Plan for an already built-out community was to be the salvation of OPA. Pure nonsense talk, inspired perhaps by "Group Think."

Association members can make up their own minds as to the entire event by watching the video of the Candidates Forum.

Also below: