BENTON COUNTY — It’s not entirely clear what motivated Bob Evans, Nancy Owens and Susan Wyatt to run for the Bella Vista Property Owners Association Board of Directors in the first place.
What we do know is that these three campaigned together, won together — and finally, resigned together.
This is the group that was referred to as the “dream team” by its supporters.
Less than halfway through their three-year commitments, the dream team announced at the beginning of a closed-door board meeting last week that they were vacating their POA board positions. The next day, each one issued separate, e-mailed statements to the media and others explaining their reasons for leaving.
Our intent here is not to delve into the particulars of POA politics (that could take all day); however, if we were to briefly summarize the grievances of the defecting three, we would say that they were dissatisfied with POA General Manager Tommy Bailey and his contract. They also were upset because they perceived that Bailey ran the board, rather than the other way around.
Clearly, these three did not see eye to eye with their fellow board members on every issue.
Then again, name us a board of directors, city council or quorum court where all the members agree 100 percent on every single issue that comes before them, and we’ll present you a pink unicorn that sings show tunes.
Point being, when adults come together in any organization to decide policies, a certain amount of dissension and head-butting is inevitable. For the good of the organization, they learn to work through their differences and pick their battles judiciously. Those who expect to get their way all the time need not apply.
Evans, Owens and Wyatt obviously were disappointed at the results of this year’s POA election, when a similar “team” of three candidates — who, we presume, shared the other trio’s way of thinking — was rejected by Bella Vistans. At the May meeting during which those results were announced, Evans, Owens and Wyatt made a show of walking out before the meeting had adjourned, then tried to convince us all that their early exit wasn’t any kind of protest — just a misunderstanding.
Yeah, right. It was an appalling display, the kind of behavior we’d expect from 5-year-olds.
After that incident, we recommended that if Evans, Owens and Wyatt felt they couldn’t live up to the responsibilities of being a POA board member, they should step aside. It’s probably for the best that they did.
And from now on, Bella Vistans should be leery of any POA candidates who agree to run as a “team.” Because not every dream is a good one.
Casualties Of War
To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Benton County Daily Record is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.
Staff Sgt. Justus S. Bartelt, 27, of Polo, Ill., died July 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Sgt. Justin B. Allen, 23, of Coal Grove, Ohio, died July 18 in Zhari, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot by insurgents while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Gunnery Sgt. Christopher L. Eastman, 28, of Moose Pass, Alaska, died July 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.