Our local water & sewer provider just can’t seem to overcome unnecessary bedlam, and that might explain why only a miniscule fraction of Holley-Navarre Water System (HNWS) members don’t even bother to vote in the utility’s annual elections.
Last night, just after Pam Hardy, Daryl Lynchard and Carmen Reynolds were elected to the Holley-Navarre Water System’s board of directors, a Section 6 vote took place.
Article VIII Section 6 of HNWS bylaws allow a vote to remove officers and/or directors if charges against them are presented in writing to the corporation’s Secretary-Treasurer five days prior to a meeting.
The community apparently had no idea there was going to be a Section 6 showdown after election results because only 142 votes were cast. That’s right, out of more than 14,000 members, not even 1 percent voted.
But that’s not really a surprise considering the Section 6 vote was poorly publicized, and the utility’s antiquated bylaws are likely not something many members have never read, although that outdated document is often part of the problems with HNWS. Updating the bylaws is arduous because it requires thousands of members to cast a vote to change them.
When some board members appeared to be taking a short cut to eliminate any member-submitted proxies, they got called out.
Director Lynchard last week filed Section 6 charges against five fellow board members who, during a Feb. 10 specially called meeting, voted to “hold and not count” certain proxy forms.
Lynchard pointed out that board action seemingly circumvented not only the corporation’s bylaws but also state statutes and the utility’s own legal counsel.
HNWS Attorney Will Dunaway during that Feb. 10 meeting stated, “Is it required that we use the proxy form that the company puts out, and the answer under state law is no.”
HNWS President David Crumbley, seemingly in retribution, filed his own Section 6 charge against Lynchard and during last night’s meeting became so angered that he resorted to name calling, which drew gasps from attendees. Crumbley argued how Lynchard previously supported only accepting internal proxies via HNWS, not “outside” proxies turned in by members.
Walking into the post-election Section 6 vote, it became obvious that it was a set up aimed for Lynchard. The bloodthirst was palpable.
Supporters of the pro-incorporation group Preserve Navarre, including Wes Siler, who has twice tried and failed twice to get elected to the board, were present. Preserve Navarre’s Chuck Pohlman and other golfers attended.
HNWS President David Crumbley was named 2021 Advisor of the Year for pro-incorporation group Preserve Navarre
New HNWS Board Member Carmen Reynolds was named 2022 Member of the Year for pro-incorporation group Preserve Navarre
HNWS Vice President Mike Matthews was named 2022 Board Member of the Year for pro-incorporation group Preserve Navarre
In the end, only 142 Section 6 votes were cast, and 82 of them were enough to remove Lynchard from the seat he had just won by at least 214 votes.
So what is the big deal with proxies? After all, there weren’t enough proxies to change election results.
According to Lynchard, it really wasn’t about the proxies.
“I have tried several times in my tenure with HNWS to amend the bylaws to remove proxy voting for the board of directors,” stated Lynchard. “Unfortunately no one ever wants to do anything other than complain online and never make any meaningful effort to change them as required by state law and bylaws. What it is about is 5 elected board members, voting, against the advice of their own legal counsel, to violate not only the bylaws of HNWS but actual state laws.”
Wake up, Navarre. It’s time to watch HNWS like a hawk! If a board will take action that appears to circumvent bylaws and state law, what else will might they do with our $150M+ utility??? We need to make sure that when the upcoming vote takes place for a new director that we keep pro-incorporation from gaining another seat on the governing board.
Of the boards current members, half of them (President David Crumbley, Vice President Mike Matthews and Board Member Carmen Reynolds) are currently or previously associated with Preserve Navarre. They need just one more to have a majority voting bloc.
We’re counting on Pam Hardy, Rob Low and Mark Miller to guard members’ interests until another director is named to replace Lynchard.
