Board Buzz

Every year the terms of either two or three New Town Residential Association (NTRA) Board of Directors become open for election. This year, the positions currently held by Ruth Burgess, Village Walk and Sommer Wrona, Charlotte Park will expire and those positions will be open for election. 

 

Every NTRA property owner in good standing with the Association is eligible to run for and serve two-year terms on the Board of Directors.  Being in good standing means that the owner’s assessments are fully paid and that his/her property has no outstanding violations.  The NTRA governing documents also require that no more than two Members from a single neighborhood can serve on the Board at the same time. The three returning Board members are from Abbey Commons, Savannah Square, and Village Walk neighborhoods.  It is therefore possible for someone from any of our six neighborhoods to be elected to the 2025 NTRA Board of Directors.  If you are interested in serving on the Board, please send an email to the NTRA Secretary (ntra.secretary@gmail.com) and include a picture and a short paragraph outlining your qualifications and reasons for wanting to serve.  This information will be posted on the NTRA website to help Members make an informed choice for their vote.

 

But, the process for electing a Board member is not as simple as just getting several qualified nominations and holding a vote. The NTRA governing documents also require the Association to take a number of additional actions prior to holding an election. Those actions are described below.

 

The membership must be informed about the election at least 25 days in advance. This year the election of Board members will take place at the Association’s Annual Meeting on December 18, 2024. Information about the meetings of the Association is placed on the NTRA website calendar and publicized on the website. In addition, regular US mail and emails are sent to every Member of the Association announcing the election. Information about the election including an outline of the issues, information about candidates that will appear on the ballot, an actual ballot, and instructions on voting is in the postal mailing.

 

The NTRA uses the EZ Vote Electronic Voting System for all of its elections. However, Members have the option of mailing a paper ballot to the Chesapeake Bay Management Company’s office, delivering a paper ballot to the NTRA meeting room on Tuesday mornings between 10 and 12 when our Community Manager has his local office hours, or voting in person at the specified meeting (Annual or a Special meeting) by turning in a paper ballot or with an oral vote before the election is closed at the meeting. The NTRA's Articles of Incorporation require the use of a secret ballot-only the homeowner’s property address is provided to document voter eligibility. It is recommended that if you use a paper ballot, you seal it in an envelope and identify the envelope as containing an NTRA ballot. This is most important if you provide your signed ballot to a community member who is canvassing for the election.

 

It should be noted that it is possible to nominate a candidate for the Board at any time up until the nominations are closed at the Annual meeting. However, it would be difficult if not impossible for a candidate nominated late in the election cycle to obtain sufficient votes for election as too many Members will have already voted electronically or by paper ballot.

 

It is also possible for an Association Member to give his or her proxy to the NTRA Board President or to any other NTRA owner in good standing. If proxies have been given, the person or persons holding the proxies must vote them at the meeting before the election is closed.

 

Once the election is closed, Chesapeake Bay Management Company will tabulate the votes under the watchful eyes of a group of NTRA owners appointed as election inspectors.  The combination of electronic votes, paper ballots, ballots turned in at the meeting, and any proxies will be tabulated.  Once the counts are finalized, the results will be announced by the NTRA Secretary at the meeting.