7/19/2005

Skip Carey bids farewell to OPA with a few suggestions
By Bob Lassahn

As the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) Annual Meeting draws near so too does the end of Director Skip Carey’s tenure as a board member. Mr. Carey was elected to his first three-year term on the Ocean Pines Board of Directors in 2000 and in 2003 secured sufficient votes to fill the remaining two years of deceased board member Al Wylie. July 20 will be his last actual business meeting.

Looking back over those years Mr. Carey points out that he cannot personally lay claim to being the prime mover for anything that the board has accomplished. He says he might have placed a motion or two on the table, but it has been the board as a group that works through the issue, takes the action and in the end deserves any credit for the outcome.

As he leaves the board Mr. Carey says there are several issues he intends to place before the board. Three will be primarily “food for thought” and not something that he sincerely believes will actually be acted upon. One item will be introduced as a motion and he hopes it will receive thorough consideration.

The first item dates to Mr. Carey’s early years on the board and was something that was at least talked about prior to the year 2000, but he readily admits it received little support. The idea he wants the board to think about is a change in the election procedures to make them biennial and elect board members for a single four-year term instead of the two three-year terms currently provided in the OPA By-laws.

He sees some possible advantage since this might, to some extent, alleviate the turmoil and unrest that surrounds the board as a by-product of the elections on an annual basis. He points out that the controversy and campaigning has an effect on both the sitting board members and those newly elected. The off year for board member elections could be used for any necessary referendum questions and the issue would not become muddied by the campaigns of candidates.

Mr. Carey admits there are some issues to be resolved. He says in order to facilitate biennial elections it would likely be necessary to increase the board to eight members. Four new board members would be elected every two years. It creates some potential difficulties since it could be argued that a majority might be elected every four years and the eight-member board might be more prone to tie votes, but he believes these issues could be dealt with.

The potential benefits would include directors that might work more effectively, with a first year to “get their feet on the ground” followed by three productive years. There would be no disruption while the directors made a run for re-election and he feels that “burnout” of an individual would be less likely.

The change to biennial elections and an eight-member board that Mr. Carey suggests would require a By-laws change and a referendum. He does not believe it is likely the item will receive serious consideration, but he wants to keep it alive as an item for the board to ponder.

A second item he intends to revisit before his departure is the longstanding issue of free newspapers delivered to homes in the community, better known to most as “driveway papers.” Mr. Carey states that in spite of promises from some of these papers to generate a “stop list” and not to deliver at unoccupied homes, papers continue to wind up in those driveways.

Mr. Carey says he personally requested one such paper to stop delivery to his own home only to find it there week after week. It seems to have stopped after he hand-carried one of the papers to West Ocean City and deposited it on the editor’s desk.

One reason he feels strongly about the issue is he believes an accumulation of papers in front of a home flags the residence as unoccupied and makes it a target for unsavory elements in society. While he says he has strong beliefs regarding freedom of speech, he also has strong feelings about what amounts to litter.

He does not have objections to delivery of newspapers where the resident has a subscription. He also says that a viable solution has been found regarding free newspapers in The Parke, where a distribution area has been created and free newspapers can make a bulk drop. Those who wish to read the papers may pick them up from a convenient location. Again, Mr. Carey does not anticipate action based upon his suggestion and only hopes to keep the issue on the minds of board members.

Grass cutting on the easements in front of properties is the last of the informal suggestions Mr. Carey intends to present. He believes the time has come to stop the mowing of these easements by OPA personnel and to leave that responsibility to the individual homeowner.

He comments the practice of mowing these easements was relatively simple during the early years of the community, but as more homes were built it became increasingly troublesome. At each driveway the mower must lift and lower the blade and the number of complaints about damage has escalated.

By transferring responsibility to the homeowner Mr. Carey believes it will result in a cost savings to the OPA through reduced cutting time, more efficient use of personnel, fewer complaints and enhanced safety for the personnel involved who must dodge in and out of traffic at virtually every driveway.. He says that it will be necessary to transition into this with adequate notice and an educational program regarding fertilizer use in and around ditch areas.

While he does not expect the measure to move forward anytime soon, Mr. Carey wants the topic to remain a consideration for the board. He says he understands that there will be resistance from some individuals, but notes that many homeowners already perform this maintenance of their own accord and believes it could be effectively implemented.

One item Mr. Carey intends to submit, as a motion to the board, is a name change to clarify the responsibilities of the Architectural Review Committee (ARC), which formulates guidelines for OPA approval consistent with the By-laws and handles requests for variances from homeowners when such decisions are above the purview of employees who are charged with conducting inspections and enforcement of the various regulations established by the OPA.

Mr. Carey is recommending that the department heads, clerical personnel and inspectors who review plans and conduct inspections become the Architectural Review Department, keeping it in line with other employees of OPA that function within a department. He says he has already submitted a letter to Board President Dan Stachurski regarding the motion and requested that all of his items are included on the agenda for the July 20 meeting of the OPA Board.

In closing Mr. Carey commented that he has enjoyed his service on the board and considers it an honor to represent the homeowners as a director. As his term ends he looks forward to some time to get involved with Furnace Town and the living history program, as well as getting his golf handicap, which has gained 12 strokes, back to where it once was.

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