June-Early July 2014
410-641-6029
Vol. 10, No.3
www.issuu.com/oceanpinesprogress Clarke discovers error in resolution governing amenities Whether the White Horse Park boat ramp is a public “general-use” amenity that imposes no fee for access is supposedly made clear in the M-02 Ocean Pines Association policy resolution adopted by the Board of Directors in September of 2011. Only it isn’t, Director Marty Clarke has discovered, because the M-02 resolution posted on the OPA Web site is in error, somehow missing the fact that the directors at the time had failed to pass a motion that would have included the boat ramp as a general use amenity exempt from fees. ~ Page 16
Directors consider aggressive stance on problem properties
It’s up to the Board of Directors to determine how much expense the Ocean Pines Association is willing to incur to clean up neglected or abandoned properties in the community, according to longtime OPA attorney Joe Moore. A decision on whether to authorize a more aggressive stance against these derelict properties could come as soon as the board’s regular monthly meeting in June. ~ Page 22
Voters will pick top candidates in commissioner races
THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY NEWS ANALYSIS
Five candidates competing for two OPA board seats
Stevens, Renaud team up in drive to prevail over incumbents Knepper and Mohr By TOM STAUSS Publisher he Ocean Pines Association’s political landscape is shaping up a classic match-up between incumbents versus challengers with five candidates in the race for two seats on the Board of Directors this summer. The salient issue on which the election will be waged is the relationship of the board of directors to General Manager Bob Thompson, with his recent salary increase to $165,000, plus incentives that could boost his compensation to more than $200,000 per year, serving as a related subplot. After the May filing deadline for this summer’s contes, seven Ocean Pines property owners had declared their intentions to run for the two unpaid, three-year terms on the board available this year. But that was whittled down to five by the first week of June, when can-
The challengers ...
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Dave Stevens
Pat Renaud
Lawrence Lee
didates Slobodan Trendic and Dan Moul dropped out because of concerns the anti-incumbent vote would be diluted. [See Trendics’ statement of withdrawal in the Opinion section of this edition of the Progress.] Both candidates then threw their support to former OPA Director Dave Stevens and challenger Pat Renaud,
With six candidates vying for the Ocean Pines based seats on the Board of Commissioners, Worcester County is in the midst of one of the busiest and most contentious election seasons in more than a decade. Both of Ocean Pines districts, 5 and 6, have contested races in the June 24 primary election, with a handful of newcomers seeking to capture the seat being vacated by Judy Boggs and a former elected official seeking to unseat the man who booted her from office. ~ Page 37
Kyle Hughes photo
Jeff Knepper
Terri Mohr
who have the backing of two influential political groups, STOP (Stop Taxing Ocean Pines) and COPE (Coalition for Ocean Pines Equity), in their electoral bids. STOP has been a force in Ocean Pines politics off and on for many years, with OPA Director Marty Clarke identified To Page 21
New Yacht Club’s grand opening
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COMPLETE HVAC SYSTEMS STARTING AT
he grand opening of the new Yacht Club was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and occasionally over-the-top speechifying late in the afternoon of June 10, a couple of weeks after a soft opening of the new, almost $5 million amenity on Memorial Day weekend. A crowd of hundreds showed up for the event, held on the new Yacht Club’s second floor with its grand view of the harbor and the Ocean City skyline in the distance. ~ Page 14
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