Piney Orchard to Elect Board Members

The Piney Orchard Community Association Tuesday night will hold its annual meeting and elections to fill three positions on its board of directors.

Property owners in the planned community can vote for up to three people among the six candidates running. The election begins at 7 p.m. at Piney Orchard Elementary School, with the annual meeting to follow.

Candidates for the board include acting president Peg Waters, treasurer Jeff Andrade and residents Josh Korbelak, Joy Zalaznick, Ron Grossman and Dawn Miller.

The candidates are expected to offer one final introduction to residents before voting begins.

The community is holding elections even as the eligibility of one candidate, 14-year-old Korbelak remains a subject of debate.

While his eligibility to run was confirmed by Piney Orchard’s property management company last month, board members and other residents have continued to express concern over whether, as a minor, he should be permitted to serve.

Andrade, who serves as the board’s treasurer, said in an interview with Patch that he was concerned that Korbelak would not be permitted to sign any contracts approved by the board. Andrade said he also is concerned that Korbelek does not have the knowledge needed to serve effectively. 

“I don’t even think every adult can do this job,” Andrade said. "I would like to think that people will take a look and say 'this is not a good match.'"

Patch contacted Andrade after he wrote a detailed explanation of his position on a community messageboard. 

According to Andrade, the board’s legal council advised Property Management People (PMP) that it did not recommend a minor serve on the board. Andrade also said the underwriter for the association’s liability insurance warned against the idea, with the board’s agent cautioning that the association might not be able to renew the policy with a minor serving.

PMP officials met with Korbelak and his parents at the end of March to outline some of the legal objections that had been raised and to make sure they understood the responsibilities of serving on a board.

But, the company said it found nothing in the community bylaws or other statutes that made it illegal to run due to his age, and permitted him to remain in the race. Andrade said PMP “did not use common sense” in its decision.

"Concluding that a [14-year-old boy] can serve on the Board of Directors solely on 
the basis that there is no specific age prohibition in the [bylaws] is a logical 
fallacy," he wrote online. "Using that logic would mean a [2-year-old] or even an infant could serve on the Board."

In a response on the community messageboard, Josh Korbelak’s mother, Stacy, said her son had no intention of dropping out of the race simply because he might later be ruled ineligible to serve.

“I realize that if Josh is elected, someone could challenge his ability to serve on the Board–just as they could challenge any of the winning candidates for various other reasons,” she wrote. “I don't believe that a ‘possible challenge’ is a reason for any candidate to drop out of this race.

“What residents need to keep in mind,” Stacy Korbelak continued, “is that the Board as a whole is the [decision-maker] here in Piney Orchard–not Josh as an individual. Josh is simply offering to bring a unique perspective to the existing nine-member Board.”

Andrade said he would encourage Josh Korbelak to serve the association in some other way, perhaps in a newly created position representing the young people in Piney Orchard. 

Andrade also said he will push for changes to the community bylaws to clarify who is eligible to run.