The committee first was going to send the names of two recommended contractors to handle the election to the Board of Directors and ask the board to select what one it wanted.

This would be totally in violation of Resolution M-06 Elections and Referendums Procedures that specifies the Committee shall approve the contract for the Election contractor, not the board. The idea of M-06 is to keep the Board of Directors totally out of any influence in the handling of board elections.

It appears the board has told the Committee to follow the Resolution and select the Election Contractor.

Does the committee chairman Steve Randell then do so, and call for a meeting of the Committee to vote on who to select?

Of course not. An impeccable source tells OceanPinesForum.com that instead, Ransdell called each committee member individually to ask which one of the two qualified and previously "recommended" contractors they would vote for.

The two bidders involved are ACE Printing in Berlin and MK Elections out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ACE's bid is $18,685; MK's bid is $31,539, the highest bid from five vendors. MK is also asking for a three year contract. That should not happen.

If ACE indeed met the bid requirements, as reported in the Ocean Pines Progress, why would the company not be given the contract? ACE handled OPA election ballot printing for decades until a few years ago when the first out-of-state contractor, in Washington State, was selected.

Last year, the ballots from MK ended up at Ransdell's home, another violation of the Resolution. Word is Ransdell is also blaming OPA staff for some inability of the committee to meet.

The board should appoint someone else as committee chair.