Of all the issues raised and discussed I find the HR position the most interesting. A large law firm on the western shore, hired by the GM, handles HR issues and complaints from employees. That decision made by the GM after the law firm interviews local candidates and the results of those interviews apparently are not shared with the entire board. All this despite major evidence all is not well within the OP employment ranks – the mass firing of YC employees and sudden resignation of the CFO are examples. Joe Reynolds posts the resume of the designated lawyer – looks like he walks on water – certainly well qualified. What is not stated is the undeniable fact a high priority of any sizeable firm’s lawyers is increasing billable hours just as people with objectives shop law firms willing to support those objectives and law firms shop judges who might be inclined to rule in their client’s favor. There is no such thing as an altruistic lawyer. Now employee gripes are to be expressed to the law firm hired by and reporting to the GM. Isn’t that akin to taking complaints about Hitler to the Gestapo or complaints about Putin to the KGB? All this overshadowed by what appears to be a growing concern about this board’s serious transparency issues – a polite term for secrecy. This concern was quite clearly summarized and expressed by Joe Reynolds at the last board meeting.

It’s difficult to see how the board and particularly the board president can win in this situation regardless of how annoying Trendic is or might have been towards the GM. The board doesn’t answer to the GM; the GM answers to the board. Someone should explain that to the GM and that someone is the board president. Perhaps the Trendic letter to the Bayside Gazette was the tipping point followed by the call for a forensic audit with Hill the target. He called for a forensic audit which is quite different from a normal periodic audit. A forensic audit is usually specific to obtaining evidence of wrong doing which could and would, for example, be used as evidence in litigation. It is serious business. But you don’t deal with it by removing the director; you call for civil discussion followed by an up or down vote – ok, next item.

It looks and sounds to me like Trendic doesn’t really care about the personal consequences of his actions - risking his board position. He sounds an awful lot like a guy who has the best interests of OP in mind. He may have anticipated or even planned for this to happen in the form of a showdown. It might just be a trap into which the board president and Hill have fallen. They appear to have more to hide than Trendic. How is that for a theory?

Did I mention the food service consultant fiasco? Did the GM propose the CA consulting firm knowing it would be rejected? Does hiring a consultant based 2,800 miles away make any sense? Does the GM really want a critical look at many of his unilateral decisions in that area which one could politely term bad for business and upsetting to OP residents? I see a potential Netflix TV series in the making – it could run for multiple seasons. Meanwhile, the reputation of the OP community has been dragged into a political swamp – disgusting!