OPA apparently has court trouble. For a change - on, not in.

Racquet Sports Manager Tim Johnson walked off the job last week. His self-described "abrupt departure," apparently without notice, came as a surprise to racquet sports members, many of whom praise Johnson's expertise, management, and people skills.

This week, Johnson met with General Manager John Viola. Johnson not only departed the meeting re-hired but also holding a newly created position of Director of Racquet Sports and a commitment from the General Manager to meet with him regularly, according to an OPA news release.

Johnson obviously knew how to put on a full-court press and rush the net, to mix sports metaphors. Just as obvious, Johnson successfully courted the racquet sports membership. Association members, overall, knew little of what was going on but can judge for themselves based on what what transpired.

Asked shortly after Johnson left about what was going on, one long-time racquet sports member replied, "I have no idea. It caught all of us by surprise. He had just completed a very successful Pickleball Oktoberfest tournament and was happy with how it all went. Then, two days later..... resigned."

Johnson is also reported to have said he was "tired of banging heads" with the Director of Public Works over a fence Johnson wanted at the complex.

Based on all currently available information, Johnson was well-liked and doing a great job, but how he chose to exit his position last week is somewhat troubling. Rather than communicate his concerns directly to the General Manager, Johnson chose instead to just walk off the job and subsequently write an email explaining his decision to several racquet sports members who then sent the missive out to many others.

Johnson wrote, "Why waste my time at a workplace that is satisfied with second-rate courts, shabby facilities and porous borders, because they won't even respond to my numerous pleas?" Interestingly, the OPA racquet sports complex is one of the finest on the Eastern Shore, and some $600,000 or more of OPA capital expense dollars was spent there fairly recently.

Johnson went on to reference the "dysfunction that is a hallmark of this administration." He also expressed doubt anything would come from an "exit interview" he would have with the General Manager after racquet sports members more or less forced the meeting by inundating the Board of Directors with over 200 emails, essentially blaming the General Manager, and saying "give Tim whatever he needs to get him back."

Johnson even belittled GM John Viola in his exit rant, suggesting Viola would hire a "schlub" - a derogatory word for a talentless, unattractive, or boorish person - to replace him.

Here is the full transcript of what Johnson wrote after walking off the job:

"Dear friends,

"I realize my abrupt departure may have been cause for concern, but if you recall, I have spoken ad nauseum about my frustration and disappointment with the OPA consistently saying no to my proposals that I know are in the best interest of the members. So first, know that I have not suffered a psychotic break, no family tragedy, and no health issues. I simply became fed up with the administration trying to convince me they know better than I what we need to make our place amazing. Apparently we are not a priority, and I realized they don't care about my qualifications, my expertise, or my contributions to the life of our club. Given that, I had no option but to resign.

"Why waste my time at a workplace that is satisfied with second-rate courts, shabby facilities and porous borders, because they won't even respond to my numerous pleas? Funny Dale that you mention the fence and John says it's in next years budget proposal - I have talked about this for months and he never mentioned this to me. This is just one example among many of the dysfunction that is a hallmark of this administration. Once I realized this is how things are, I had no choice but to resign. You may think this decision was precipitous, but I have been waiting since April for some of these issues to be addressed, so to me it has been a long time coming.

"I meet with John (Viola) for an exit interview on Tuesday (today). It may be superfluous, since I understand they are already preparing a job description for the next schlub, but if I can convince him to do the right thing by us, I would come back to finish this amazing voyage we have started. If you are so inclined, please let the GM and the Chair know that, if they want what is best for us, they will learn to trust that I know what I am doing and they should support us rather than dismissing our concerns."

Here is the full text of the OPA 10/10/2023 news release announcing what is apparently not only a rehiring, but a promotion to a Director position for Johnson:

"The following is a communication from Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Viola:

"'I had a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10 with Tim Johnson to discuss some misunderstandings and a lot of misinformation in the Ocean Pines Community regarding the Racquet Sports operation.

"'We had a very positive discussion about some of the issues that had been encountered and, based upon this meeting, I’m pleased to announce that Tim will be promoted to Director of Racquet Sports effectively immediately, and he will report directly to the GM. I have committed to regular meetings with Tim to discuss any operational needs.

"'We’re happy to be moving forward and we expect great things from Tim, as he is focused and committed to the Racquet Sports operations.'”

As for the court of public opinion, that ball is in your court.