A candidate is crying foul after he says he was disqualified from the election for A Pocono Country Place Property Owners Association’s Board of Directors just as voting came to an end. Days before the results of the election were to be announced, an unknown challenger alleged he was not a “member in good standing,” said candidate Joe Kowalski, a Philadelphia resident who has owned property in APCP since 1983. At least one APCP resident and former board member has since challenged the disqualification.
Elections in private communities, which are plentiful across the Poconos, sometimes ignite deep controversy. Arrests came in May for ballot tampering in the Wild Acres Community Association in Dingmans Ferry. Kowalski said Thursday the number of votes cast for him has not been released, but he believes he may have finished first. The election for five seats on the board spanned more than a month starting in May, with ballots mailed to members.
Kowalski said he has been told the disqualification by the judge of elections was because he did not properly fill out paperwork and register the short-term guests who rent his properties. He said he is not accused of missing dues or any other financial issues, and the paperwork issues are minor. The alleged errors were also not enough to disqualify him from the election just two months earlier, he said. Read more: