Another Columbia Association board member resigned

Less than a year after becoming the Hickory Ridge village representative to the Columbia Association’s board of directors, Micajah “Mike” McGarity is leaving his post.

McGarity said in an interview Tuesday that he has accepted a job at Pennsylvania State University. He and his family are moving to Pennsylvania by the end of the year.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to serve as the representative if I am no longer a Hickory Ridge resident,” McGarity said.

McGarity was elected Hickory Ridge’s representative on the association’s board of directors in April, unseating Skye Anderson, who held the position for three consecutive years.

Although Columbia’s population makes it Maryland’s second-largest city after Baltimore, it’s unincorporated. Instead of a government, Columbia is overseen by an outsized homeowners association as envisioned by pioneering real estate developer James Rouse when he designed the planned community in the 1960s.

Ten villages make up Columbia, and each has its own village board and a representative on the Columbia Association board of directors.

The Hickory Ridge Community Association announced McGarity’s resignation Tuesday morning. He will step down Dec. 1. He submitted his resignation letter to the community association Monday.

“Hickory Ridge is grateful to Micajah for his dedication to the role and his leadership,” Tuesday morning’s email said.

The Hickory Ridge village board chair did not respond to a request for comment.

McGarity wrote in his resignation letter that it was a privilege to serve and represent Hickory Ridge on both the association’s board and his village board.

“I wish both organizations continued success into the future in promoting the health, safety, common good and social welfare of the people of Hickory Ridge and Columbia and their environment,” he wrote.

This has been a year of shakeups for the association’s board. Three members were kicked off the board in April after being accused of weaponizing the association’s ethics policy and not cooperating with an outside investigation. A fourth member left the board in May for personal reasons.

The trio’s seats are still unfilled on the association’s board. They have since sued the association in an effort to be reinstated.

The chair of the board of directors and an association spokesperson referred requests for comment to each other, and neither provided a comment.

Hickory Ridge residents interested in taking over for McGarity can submit letters of interest to the village manager by Nov. 20. Interviews will take place the following Monday, Nov. 23.

The eventual winner will serve out the remainder of McGarity’s term, which ends on April 30.

“We need effective leadership in the Columbia Association for good advocacy for the villages, and so I would encourage people who believe that they could be effective in the role to apply,” McGarity said.

The association’s board is set to meet Thursday night.