In my experience, the best way to deal with such owners is to make sure that all OC decisions are made exactly according to the OC Act. If they are, then even the Strata Manager should be supportive of them.
So download a copy of the Act and check that your processes are correct. Especially consult Part 4—Meetings and decisions of owners corporation. And s.74 Who can convene a special general meeting? As the committee chair resigned, consult s.104 Casual vacancies on a committee first if you wish to appoint a new chair.
Depending on the amount of the special levy, a special resolution of the OC might be needed. That’s in s.24 of the Act.
If a special resolution is not needed, even the committee usually can strike the special levy. And certainly an ordinary resolution of the whole OC is valid.
All meetings can be by poll and via email but correct notifications must be given and communication methods used. As per the OC Act, the Electronic Transactions (Victoria) Act 2000 allows email communications but an owner must have consented to use email. As per the Electronic Transactions Act, that consent can be inferred – meaning if an owner has previously corresponded by email with the OC, they have inferred that email is acceptable.