I had not heard this, and don't know why. Perhaps someone else has an answer.

The Yacht Club excludes an important demographic when families with children are not welcomed on a daily basis…why?

I assume you reference only the pool at the YC. Perhaps due to sale of alcoholic beverages or as simple as having just one pool for adults only.

the Beach Club closes at 6pm in the height of the season…why?

Beats me. I have long supported the notion of OPA obtaining a full liquor license over there and staying open to the public in the evenings. I've said in the past, "The Beach Club is a gold mine and OPA can't find a pick and shovel."

what level of financial support we are willing to provide

The $64 question in OPA-Land. I'm not sure if the board should answer that question or association members via referendum, perhaps. Golf operations cost association members about $1 million per year -- all costs in on average, over a period of 10 years and completion of the golf drainage project (only half done now after seven or eight years.) That's $10 million of assessment dollars going into golf. Should we tolerate $150,000 to $250,000 operational loss on our food and beverage operation at the Yacht Club every year?

Currently, the level of financial support "we" are willing to provide is not defined. As a practical matter it is unlimited. Several years ago, under Casper management, golf operations alone lost over $500,000 in a single year.

The answer to the question depends in large measure to the economic circumstances of association members. While our diversity is a good thing, there is also a rather large economic diversity among association members, somewhat unusual in an HOA. Those elected to the board tend not to be those at the lower end of the economic diversity ladder.

I have no idea what some magic-bullet solution might be. I suspect OPA will continue to muddle along as it has for the 26 or so years I've been an observer. Regardless, this is a great place to live. In many ways the political battles around amenities and management are little more than a side show.

Assuming "near perfect" management came to Ocean Pines, I would expect to see relatively little change in the assessment or the quality of life.

However, should that ever happen, what would we political junkies talk about?