In a debate-filled special meeting called on Wednesday, March 28, Ocean View Town Council members considered three possible resolutions that would determine the qualifications of candidates vying for two seats on the council in April’s election.
In the end, candidates Eugene C. Brendel and Gordon E. Wood Sr. were designated as qualified to contest as representatives of the town’s District 1, alongside Roxana Davis and Richard Nippes. But coming to that conclusion was not simple, and the problem that caused the lengthy debate Wednesday was nothing but complex.
Ocean View is one of the only local towns of its size that bases council membership on designated districts. Citizens of the town are only eligible to run for a position on the council representing their district, though voters can vote for whichever candidates they wish, regardless of geographical residence within the town.
In 2003, four districts were mapped out to accommodate equal population distribution in the town. The accompanying ordinance that was passed, however, did not match the map and created a variation within boundaries of District 1 and District 2 that neglected a considerable portion of residents. Both Brendel and Wood are residents within this area. Prior to the 2003, this area was part of District 2.
This year, council member Eric McGill, representing District 1, will retire from his seat due to term-restrictions, having served the maximum of two three-year terms on council.
Wood and Brendel, as well as Davis and Nippes – two candidates who are clearly residents of District 1, according to both the map and ordinance – all planned to run for McGill’s seat.
Ocean View Councilman Bill Wichmann, meanwhile, is eligible to seek re-election for a second three-year term as a representative of District 2, and was expected to run unopposed, as no other candidates filed to run in that district by the filing deadline.
The contradiction between the map and ordinance had gone unnoticed for nearly four years, due to the fact that no one running for candidacy had previously resided in the blurry area of the town. Then, awareness of the situation dawned last week, after the candidate filing deadline – a fact that prevents Brendel and Wood from re-filing as residents of a different district, even if it is their correct one.
So the town council held a special meeting Wednesday, March 28, to determine qualifications of the candidates for the council. Going into the meeting, the members of Council were faced with two choices, as advised by Town Solicitor Dennis Schrader: (1) permit the two candidates to run for election in District 2, against Councilman Wichmann, or (2) deny candidacy to both Wood and Brendel in April’s election, seeing as they were not, in fact, residents of the Council district that they seek to represent, as noted by the ordinance’s qualifications.
Bill Olsen, chairman of the town’s Board of Supervisors of Elections, noted at the meeting that the intent of the 2003 ordinance was to include the undeclared region of town as part of District 1.
“The boundaries of District 2 are clearly defined in the ordinance,” said Wichmann, who had anticipated running unopposed. “This would be the biggest sham I’ve seen if we were to move the candidates into a district they are not part of according to the ordinance.” The motion to grant the two men candidacy in District 2 was denied in a 3-2 vote of the council.
On the motion to deny the men any candidacy in this year’s election, Wood voiced his opinion. “Elections are the very foundation of this country,” he said. “The integrity of elections and of this Council will be blemished if residents of this town are denied the right to run.” Once again, the motion was denied, 3-2.
Against Schrader’s legal advice, a motion was made to allow the men to vie for the seat representing District 1.
“We need to do what’s right for as many people as we can,” said Mayor Gary Meredith. “We can’t please everyone, but I think these candidates truly believed they represented and lived in District 1.”
In a very emotional 3-2 vote, Wood and Brendel were granted candidacy in District 1.
Thomas was insistent throughout the process that Wichmann should recuse himself from such decisions, as he was an unopposed candidate in District 2 and was directly affected by the votes. Wichmann did not do so.
Following the election, the council plans to address the compliance of the ordinance with the map to avoid such conflicts in the future.
A Candidate’s Night is still scheduled for Thursday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall. Eligible candidates will be present at this forum to present their platforms, answer any questions, and, if time permits, meet with residents after the formal session.
All residents of Ocean View are being encouraged to attend, though only those who have registered to vote in the town of Ocean View are eligible to cast ballots in the April 14 elections. For information, call Ocean View town hall at (302) 539-9797.
See next week’s Coastal Point for in-depth coverage of the Ocean View election district snafu and the debate over how the problem should be handled by the town.