Tied vote makes farce of tourist board election
(From The Orcadian dated December 13, 2001)

Orkney Tourist Board’s attempt to appoint two directors at their annual meeting turned into a fiasco this week because they have nothing in their constitution to cope with a tied vote.

Four people had put their names forward for the posts of other business sector directors – former tourist board chief executive Mr Gareth Crichton, Mrs Sandy McEwan, Mr Mark Ridgway and Mr John Hinckley.

But when the first three candidates tied with 30 votes each, business ground to a confusing halt – all in front of the chief executive of VisitScotland, Mr Philip Riddle, who was in Orkney for a flying visit.

New chief executive, Mrs Barbara Foulkes, three months into the job and hosting her first tourist board annual meeting, suggested pulling a name out of a hat, but this led to murmurs of disapproval.

Then other members wondered whether they were entitled to vote twice because they had paid more than one membership fee. This led to further disagreements with no-one able to provide a satisfactory answer.

One of the candidates, Sandy McEwan said that she hadn’t voted and asked if it would help if she then voted for herself, but this idea was squashed because other members may not have voted either.

Mrs Foulkes had to admit that there was nothing in the constitution to deal with a tied vote because it had never happened before and it was agreed that another vote by post should take place, to decide between the three candidates. (Mr Hinckley received 25 votes.)

The business got back to normal, until the end of the meeting when Mr Crichton announced that he was unhappy with the whole procedure.

“I feel slightly uncomfortable with the tidiness of the election and for that reason I am willing to stand down,” he said.

Objections again rumbled through members and after some toing a froing, it was agreed to stick by the previous decision to have postal vote with the three names.

However, speaking on Wednesday morning, tourist board chairman Bob Sclater – who is standing down after two years in the post – said everything had changed overnight and had been put on hold.

He said no vote would take place until the legal issues had been resolved, and today’s board meeting had also been cancelled as a result.

“I have taken legal advice on this whole fiasco with the voting,” he said. “I have had discussions with OIC chief executive Alistair Buchan, Malcolm Burr (assistant chief executive) and David Thompson (chief legal officer) and also Bob Shaw who is the tourist board lawyer.

“What we are doing is trying to tie up the whole system of voting and the way forward when we have votes that are tied.”

The issue of someone, for example with two hotels, having two memberships would also be resolved, he said, to find out whether they would be allowed two votes or not.

“We are looking at that procedure as well to make sure everything is done and there is no grey area.

“There seemed to be a lot of grey areas last night as far as I could see.

“Nothing like this has happened before. These things only come to light when there is a problem like this.

“Everything has been put on hold so there will be no postal ballot. Nothing will happen until I have got full legal advice on what should be done.”

He added: “The way it was last night, there was no way we could get a proper answer.”

myles.hodnett@orcadian.co.uk