2026 Election · SB 406
Archived record of the 2026 board election — the nine questions, every candidate’s answers in their own words, the signed forms, and Georgia’s SB 406.
🗄️ ARCHIVE — THE 2026 ELECTION IS OVER
Results were certified August 5, 2026 and the new Board took office August 25. For the vote counts by community, the quorum math, the seated Board and the election calendar, see the certified results page → The candidate questionnaire below is kept as a permanent record of what each candidate said before the vote.
Archived downloads: Candidate scorecard (PNG) · Blank questionnaire (PDF) · Candidates’ official CRRA bios
Did we reach quorum? YES — 802 ballots. The Association’s official Facebook announcement (“Election update,” July 30, 2026) reports 802 electronic and paper ballots received — above the ≈780 (20% of ≈3,900) required, a margin of roughly 22 ballots, and below 2025’s 833. Certified totals and results by community are on the results page. For the record, here is what it took: Every returned ballot counted toward the 20% of eligible votes required for a valid election — 780 of ≈3,900 — the Association’s own publicly stated figure (July 13, 2026). In 2024, turnout was about 17% — short of quorum; in 2025, 833 ballots were certified as just enough.
Certified August 5, 2026. 802 ballots were cast against a certified quorum requirement of 791 of 3,955 eligible votes — valid by 11 ballots, a turnout of 20.28%. Vote counts by community, rejected ballots and the seated Board are on the certified results page →
Figures now reflect the Association’s own public statement of July 13, 2026 (780 of 3,900) alongside published records (Nominating Committee Minutes 8/16/2021: “753 ballots = 21%”; By-Laws 20% quorum); The Association’s certification data of August 5, 2026 superseded these estimates; corrections are always welcome.
Voting closed July 17, 2026; mailed ballots were accepted through July 27 and the results were certified on August 5. See the certified results →
Candidate responses
| Candidate | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Q7 | Q8 | Q9 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard StonecipherBeaver Forest | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Returned |
| Thomas “Grahame” AnthonyBeaver Lake | Provided at the Meet & Greet – pending | |||||||||
| Chris GonyeauBeaver Lake | Withdrew | |||||||||
| Betty ReeceBeaver Lake | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Returned |
| Cary BeattyEagle Mountain | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Returned |
| Frank DarrowEagle Mountain | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Returned |
| Robert HepferEagle Mountain | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Returned |
| Mike PadgettEagle Mountain | Provided at the Meet & Greet – pending | |||||||||
| Leah GodfreyEagle Mountain Campground | Provided at the Meet & Greet – pending | |||||||||
| Ross MacLarenBeaver Bend (write-in) | Invited — form open to all | |||||||||
| Susan DeckerBeaver Bend (write-in) | Invited — form open to all | |||||||||
| Jonathan MeyerBeaver Forest (write-in) | Invited — form open to all |
The nine questions
Ethics & Conflicts
- If elected, will you sign a written ethics / conflict-of-interest pledge?
- Will you recuse yourself from any vote in which you have a direct financial interest, consistent with O.C.G.A. §14-3-860?
- Do you currently own, operate, or profit from a short-term rental within the Resort?
- Will you publicly disclose any personal conflict of interest before voting on a matter it affects? (i.e., a personal or financial stake in the matter being voted on — not a disagreement with another person.)
Transparency & Records
- Will you honor members’ right to inspect records under O.C.G.A. §44-3-231 and §14-3-1602 within the statutory deadlines?
- Will you support posting meeting minutes, the annual budget, audited financials, and major contracts where members can access them?
- Will you limit executive session to purposes the bylaws and law allow, and record the reason each time it is used?
Georgia POA Bill of Rights (SB 406)
- Are you familiar with SB 406?
- Will you support implementing its member-protection provisions ahead of the January 1, 2027 effective date?
The questionnaire form
Every candidate received this same form, which carries a clear UNOFFICIAL notice at the top.
The blank questionnaire is open to every owner and every candidate — download it right here from this website. No request or permission needed.
⬇ Download the blank questionnaire (PDF)Candidates: the form is yours to download above. If for any reason you don’t have it, just reach out — email svhawk@ellijay.com or text (706) 591-8538 and I’ll get it to you. To have your answers appear on this page, complete and sign the form and send it back — it’s posted on receipt.
About SB 406
The Georgia Property Owners’ Bill of Rights Act (SB 406) was signed into law on May 12, 2026, with most provisions effective January 1, 2027. It requires homeowner/property-owner associations to register with the Georgia Secretary of State — an unregistered association forfeits its power to collect fines and fees, file liens, or foreclose — and it creates a complaint-and-hearing process so owners have a lower-cost way to challenge association conduct without going to court. Filing a complaint also pauses collection of the disputed fines while the matter is reviewed. In short, the law adds oversight, transparency, and accountability requirements for associations.
Signed forms received
The completed, signed questionnaires returned so far (personal contact information redacted):
Outstanding candidates & corrections
Meet & Greet: I personally handed a questionnaire to all eight candidates who attended — five were completed and returned on the spot, and the other three kept their copies (listed below). Chris Gonyeau withdrew and was not present.
Pending correction — Robert Hepfer (Q4): Robert has indicated, through a third party, that his “No” on Q4 may have been an error and that he would like it changed to “Yes.” Nothing official has been received from him yet, so his answers remain shown exactly as returned until he confirms the change in writing.
Still awaited when the campaign closed: Mike Padgett, Grahame Anthony, and Leah Godfrey were handed the questionnaire in person at the Meet & Greet. Write-in candidates Ross MacLaren and Susan Decker (Beaver Bend) and Jonathan Meyer (Beaver Forest) were never handed the form directly; it stayed downloadable on this page and the invitation stayed open to all of them. As of the last update before the vote, none of these six had returned one. The questionnaire closed with the 2026 election — this page is the record as it stood.
🗄️ ARCHIVE
Kept for the record — older material and the underlying documents. The 2026 election closed July 17, 2026; results were certified August 5 and the new Board was seated August 25.