Cook Responds to Venit

Note: Below is a letter from OPA Director Heather Cook. It was sent to OceanPinesForum.com with permission to publish. The letter is a response to OPA Director Mark Venit's letter to Heather Cook about her comments in a recent Independent story that blamed problems with the 2005 election on Venit and OPA Director Dan Stachurski.

Mark,
 
It has been brought to my attention that you have written a response to me in the OP Forum regarding this week's OPA election article in the Independent.  As you know, I do not participate in the Forum's chat room, so I would not have known that you were so concerned over disjointed statements that led you to believe that I blamed you and Dan for the election debacle.  That is not the case and I stated very clearly at the beginning of the Elections Ad Hoc Committee meeting on Wednesday that the meeting was not about pointing fingers or placing blame.  I have no interest in that kind of exercise.  If you surmised that, then I apologize.
 
The purpose of our meeting was to learn from this year's experience so that we could improve the process for next year.  I believe we had sufficient discussion (which you contributed) for me to make recommendations to the Board at our next meeting.
 
As Board members, we are constantly contacted by the Press for our opinions and input on topics of current interest to the public.  That's what they are interested in and that is what helps to increase their readership.  But sometimes things are written out of context and "imply" something that is not intended.  That was the case here.  I am sure you have experienced this same situation many times in the past two years.
 
Case in point, the recent headline story in The Progress  regarding your accusations that the Board is cutting you out of the loop by deliberately scheduling meetings when you are not available.  That was an absurb accusation.  As Secretary, I was the one who set up those meetings.  I discussed with you by email numerous times the problems we were having getting meeting space for the town meeting.  There was no one date when all Board member would be available when adequate meeting space was available.  Dan (without knowing who could be available on which dates) decided to go with the earlier date in order to get input from the community sooner rather than later and avoid going into the Thanksgiving holiday season when the Board will be involved in a referendum issue.  I think Dan made a wise decision.  In the meantime, I bent over backwards trying to accommodate your travel schedule. 

There was only one meeting out of 5 that we could not accommodate your schedule and that was the Town Meeting on October 26.  You never put on your January schedule that you were going out of the country, but in fact, you are available the second week in January for budget discussions.  Your issue that the Board changed the September meeting when you were not available was not due to your schedule, but in fact due to the President's wife being scheduled for knee surgery. As President, I think we should accommodate his schedule too.  He has already canceled his vacation in October in order to be at the Town meeting. 

The reorganization meeting and orientation meetings in August were announced at the July Board meeting and you were present for that announcement. It wasn't until after the election that you notified us you were not available for those dates and asked that the meeting be postponed.  As was communicated to you by Dan, the Board was obligated by our by laws to conduct the reorganization meeting within 2 weeks of the election. Again, it had nothing to do with your availability.
 
So Mark, not everything is as true as what is reported in the press.  That's life in Ocean Pines and as a Director.  Let's put this argument aside and focus our energy on the real issues that face the Board this year.  The Board worked well as a team last year and it would be my hope and expectation that we will continue to do so and be professional in handling our responsibilities.
 
Sincerely,
Heather Cook