A good PR campaign is needed for OPA
Commentary By Bob Lassahn
The rift between the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) Board of Directors (the board) and the membership seems to be widening with every passing day. Those who visit OceanPinesForum.com with any regularity should sense that the credibility of the board has sunk to a significant low and each day there seems to be some new issue driving the wedge ever deeper.

The messages are fraught with posts from some very disgruntled OPA members lamenting issues such as the board’s continued silence about an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit, an anticipated move to build a pool enclosure at the Sports Core that dodges a referendum and generally just about everything else the board has on its plate. Not a nice atmosphere to be sure and leading one forum participant to post that they had never had such negative feelings about OPA before.

The board is definitely lacking in its responsiveness to member concerns. The IRS issue is a prime example of a missed opportunity to regain a modicum of credibility and respect with a substantial portion of the community. Under instructions from legal counsel and a hired expert to keep the issue somewhat hushed, the board elected to remain almost totally mute on the entire subject, to the point where it has never actually been publicly acknowledged.

It is no secret that the audit exists and certainly not a secret that OPA will be questioning the results. The exact amount and/or the strategy for a challenge to the IRS findings might be sensitive areas, but the board might serve itself well to at least publicly acknowledge the existence and reassure the membership that it is addressing the matter. A carefully worded announcement to the membership (created with input from legal and tax experts working on the matter) could diffuse speculation by the members, which in itself is potentially damaging.

Left to their own devices some OPA members have publicly speculated on the nature and extent of OPA’s potential tax liability with some “armchair auditing” of their own. Whether they are actually close to reality is questionable, but such public speculation could be more damaging in the long haul than the board addressing the issue up front. The stated intent of the board was to keep the matter quiet and not “antagonize” the IRS, but with their total silence they antagonized the membership. With the speculation of some members hitting the media exactly how that plays out remains to be seen.

The proposal to cover the Sports Core pool is another area where the board is taking some heat and it appears very much deserved. Primarily the pet project of Director Reid Sterrett, it was previously diffused when it appeared to be relegated to a “feasibility study,” but indications now are that Mr. Sterrett intends to push the matter forward. For a time Mr. Sterrett was a participant on OceanPinesForum.com, but it would seem that he now avoids discussion with the members since they have criticized his covered pool agenda. It appears when the sentiment turned against his proposal he ceased listening.

With the new community center project still in doubt, the existing community hall requiring $1 million plus in renovations, the Swim and Racquet Club sorely in need of repairs (plus the marina question still open ended), golf and food service losses to be addressed and drainage issues to reconcile, another new project is ill conceived. The board needs to put the finishing touches on something to begin the process of winning back the membership.

Much ado has been made of the fact that the board is not open with the membership on issues with any negative connotation. OPA’s  house publication, the Ocean Pines Report and their website are full of good news, but sorely lacking in keeping the membership informed of problems and potential solutions the board is pursuing. Effective public relations require attention to everything in this information age, because the people will find out and they do not appreciate being kept in the dark when something goes awry.

The board deserves a hit for allowing the situation to deteriorate, but the membership also needs to take some responsibility for the current climate. While the actions of the board may be fodder for criticism some individuals go too far and assign a malevolent intent to the director’s actions. Conspiracy theories and speculation about deals made in smoky rooms have no place in the discussions. The directors are not evil people they just make mistakes at times.

If the board really wants a new project to put on their plate I would suggest that it should be establishing an effective public relations program. The “transparency” issue that forum moderator Joe Reynolds loves to hammer on is important to convincing the membership of the board’s sincerity. People can disagree with a position but still respect someone when the person lays all their cards on the table.

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