The Ocean Pines Progress is defending OPA Board member Esther Diller's public personal attacks on General Manager John Bailey.

The defense falls short in light of the facts. While any director has the right to be critical of the General Manager's actions on association issues, individual directors should not publicly berate and denigrate the General Manager in local newspapers or at board meetings.

The Progress reported on my public comments critical of Diller made during a February 9th OPA Board discussion meeting about the proposed 2019-2020 budget. The article said Diller was "reportedly seething at what she regards as Reynolds' ill-informed remarks."

First, let's address the issue of personal attacks versus disagreement on issues.

Diller's comments from an interview in a recent issue of another paper, the Bayside Gazette, do indeed contain comments relative to her disagreements with the General Manager. However, she went beyond disagreement on issues and into the noxious area of personally attacking the General Manager, a violation of the Board's own Code of Ethics and Conduct. Diller's comments in the Gazette were the focus of my February 9th public comments. In fact, I read her quoted comments aloud.

To quote from OPA Board Resolution B-08 with regard to ethics and conduct of board members:

"Directors and officers are required to act with proper decorum. When conducting Association business either in meetings or in email or in other forms of communication, Directors and officers are to focus on issues, and conduct themselves with courtesy and respect toward each other, Association employees, managing agents, suppliers, and Association members."

Diller's comments about the General Manager reported in the Gazette were well short of courtesy and respect. There was no courtesy. There was no respect.

Diller said the General Manager "botched the budget."

Diller said the General Manager's initial release of the proposed budget was a "terrible, terrible decision."

Diller said the General Manager's initial release of the budget was done without consultation with the B&F Committee and the Board. Ridiculous. That is exactly how it is supposed to happen. The release of the proposed budget and then subsequent review by B&F and finally the Board of Directors. The General Manager only proposes a budget; the board has final approval authority over the budget.

Diller said she did not "appreciate Bailey's approach."

Diller accused the General Manager of "throwing the board under the bus."

What is sad is that some association members and editorial writers believe this is a proper way for an employer (Diller) to talk about an employee (Bailey) in public.

Diller has every right to be concerned about the budget and any assessment increase. However, Diller should not allow her aversion to an assessment increase to advance into the area of attacking the General Manager in a way that is harmful to the association by undermining the General Manager's position with his employees and association members.

Diller's public quotes about the General Manager show anything but "courtesy and respect."

Like most things in OPA-Land, there is a somewhat humorous side to this. Diller's major complaint, voiced loudly, frequently and stridently, was that General Manager Bailey "prematurely" released a proposed budget with no assessment increase, and thus threw the board under the bus. After all the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, the Board itself is also likely to approve a budget with little or no assessment increase.

Any humor aside, members of the OPA Board of Directors are apparently sharing their thoughts with the Ocean Pines Progress, and perhaps other papers, about the future of the General Manager. It does not get any more unprofessional or unethical than that.