In response to Joe Reynolds’ conspiracy theories

You have to feel sorry for Joe Reynolds, administrator of oceanpinesforum.com, for his tortured defense of his conspiracy theory regarding this summer’s Board of Directors election. He has written two commentaries now proposing that Esther Diller, administrator of this Facebook site, is trying to “take over” the Ocean Pines Association by supporting the election of two candidates for the board, Rick Farr and her husband, Stuart Lakernick. Pick your own emoji as to which one best fits this, at best, speculative narrative.

The first Reynolds commentary made two assertions to define his conspiracy theory.

One was motive: That former OPA Department Head Colby Phillips is an integral part of this alleged conspiracy because she wants revenge for the way she was treated by certain OPA officials in her last year or longer of employment with the OPA.

The second assertion: If Farr and Lakernick are elected this summer, they will conspire with hold-over directors Doug Parks and Tom Janasek to remove John Viola as OPA General Manager. Or Viola will resign to save them the trouble, or something like that. Why Viola would unilaterally take himself off the chessboard is not made all that clear.

Answer: He wouldn’t.

A commentary in the July Ocean Pines Progress rebutted these two assertions.

As for the revenge motive, the commentary quoted Colby to the effect that she understands the inherent futility of vengeance and wishes the OPA and Viola well in their endeavors going forward. Here’s what she had to say about that: “Anyone who knows me knows I am not someone who seeks revenge. I do not wish anything but good things for John and OPA. Holding onto anger and resentment would be a huge waste of my time, and I have a lot of great things to focus on at Captain’s Cove. As painful as my last year and a half was in OP, it made me stronger and opened the door for the opportunity I have now. I LOVE going to work.

“I also think if Rick and Stuart get on the board, you will be surprised to see that they will work well with John. John will probably be happier because he won’t have someone down his throat trying to [dictate] all the time. “Doug [Parks, when he was president] let him [Viola] do his job. That’s what he needs. I understand that more than ever because my boss here [Cove Association President Tim Hearn] lets me do my job and just offers support.”

Anyone who knows Colby knows she wouldn’t lie or dissemble about this. Reynolds, in his second commentary, seems to suggest she is capable of either or both. That’s insulting, baseless, and a good reason why she’s told friends she’s
done with Reynolds and his site.

Here’s his offensive quote: “... given Phillips’ resignation as a high-level OPA employee after filing charges against the current OPA president, charges dismissed by the board, such a [revenge] motive should not be dismissed.” Absent any evidence, yeah, it should be dismissed, with extreme prejudice. He should apologize. Is Joe a mind-reader? He has nothing to support this foray into Colby’s head, but holds on to it like a dog holds to a bone because, well, that’s what he does, and it’s a dot he can connect to weave his conspiracy theory.

We have Colby’s public statement posted on Reynolds’ site eschewing any bitter feelings of resentment towards the OPA. She expresses contentment toward her current role in Captain’s Cove, where her administrative and people skills are already attracting a fan base. We have her private statements that she has zero interest in returning to Ocean Pines, with its penchant for divisive board politics and limited GM shelf life. To buy into Joe’s conspiracy theory, one has to dismiss Colby’s public statements and to give credence to Joe’s telepathic powers.

As for the second assertion, that Esther and Colby are conspiring to elect Rick and Stu in an effort to oust Viola, this, too, rests on a wobbly foundation. Neither candidate has made any recent statements to the effect that they have problems with Viola justifying his dismissal, notwithstanding their understandable dismay that Colby left OPA under his watch. Difficult as it seems for Joe to contemplate this, it’s possible to be a strong supporter of Viola and his continued role as OPA’s chief executive and regret the loss of Colby’s skill set to the OPA.

Even if Rick and Stu were puppets to Esther’s puppet-master and really do want to oust Viola for the way Colby left the employ of the OPA, there remains another fatal flaw in Joe’s conspiracy theory: There’s no evidence at all that there are four votes on the board to oust Viola even if Rick and Stu are elected. Joe out of thin air manufacturers the possibility that hold-over directors Doug Parks and Tom Janasek would join in this mis-adventure. His conspiracy theory depends on it.

While it is true that Janasek has had well-publicized issues with Viola in the past, Viola more recently has said that current relations are devoid of problems. Another way of saying that is that relations between the two currently are professional. As for Parks, he’s never said a contrary word about Viola in public, and there’s no history of bad blood between them. Here, too, Joe’s conspiracy theory fails. As noted by Colby in the quote above, Parks maintained professional relations with Viola throughout Parks’s tenure as OPA president, allowing Viola to do his job without interference. Is this the profile of someone, absent any intervening rationale, who will conspire with two new directors to oust Viola? Perhaps Joe’s notable powers of telepathy can be invoked here to produce some evidence in support of Doug’s intentions.

The second commentary by Joe modifies his conspiracy theory to include this: “Finally, the issue of OPA General Manager Viola in all of this. Diller’s Facebook group had major issues with John Viola with regard to how the Colby Phillips charges were handled. Again, the revenge motive is a possibility in trying to elect a new board majority that would get rid of Larry Perrone as president, and attempt to exert more control over Viola.”

Now this is an interesting shift. Here it seems is a tacit admission by Joe that the initial iteration of his conspiracy theory -- motive and purpose to oust Viola -- is now a conspiracy [by Esther?] to exert more control over Viola and elect a new board majority that would get rid of Larry Perrone as OPA president. The problem with this modified conspiracy theory -- yes, folks, Joe does seem to be shifting gears here, something he normally is loathe to do -- is that Larry may not be keen on a second year as president even if there were four votes available to make it happen. Word is that Colette Horn had been promised an elevation to the presidency if she supported Perrone’s bid for the presidency a year ago; ask former director Steve Tuttle about the value of such arrangements.

In any event, Frank Daly (should he win re-election) has indicated interest in the presidency if it would help heal divisions on the board, to the extent they exist, and he suggests they may be somewhat exaggerated given the relative dearth of 4-3 votes this past year. Frank has also said that he doubts there are four votes on the current board to reelect Perrone or Horn to the presidency and vice-presidency in August. He has said there is a majority sentiment among the hold-over directors for a change at the top. So, no difference with respect to Perrone if Rick and Stu get elected, other than who might get elected as president as an alternative to Larry.

Sorry, Joe, the second iteration of your conspiracy theory is as fanciful as the first one. As for exerting more control over Viola, what, exactly, would that look like? Rick Farr, at the recent candidates forum said if elected he wanted to forge a solid working partnership between the board and Viola. Nothing particularly controversial about that.

Objectively looking at all four candidates: ALL seem willing if not eager to maintain cordial, professional relations with Viola, staying in their lane as policy-makers and letting him run the day-to-day. There is no evidence that Stu or Rick are intent on exerting greater “control” over Viola, and certainly no evidence that Esther wants that, either. Or that Esther will be dictating to Stuart or Rick if either are elected. Again, Joe has presented no evidence to the effect that Viola is “out of control”  or that any current director or candidate or Esther believes that he is. It’s simply not on the radar this year, for good reason. Because he’s not.

Finally, Joe seems to be fussing a little much over the Facebook page founded by Colby and Esther. Is he feeling the heat from a rival site that may be influencing opinion in Ocean Pines, supplanting his, especially in a younger demographic? Difficult to tell, but possible. It seems that the “Get Involved” site is showing more staying power than, say, the failed Real Ocean Pines Forum that the OPA created a few years back. Of course, Joe’s brand of pot-stirring isn’t going away anytime soon. There’s no reason it should. The occasional cockamamie conspiracy theory that invades it, presumably to create interest, is the exception to the rule.

Here’s a quote from Joe’s second commentary:

“Did Diller and Phillips help or hurt Lakernick and Farr with the Facebook site? It may have hurt more than helped. Difficult to say. Did the Progress commentary suggesting we should all feel sorry for Esther Diller help her or harm her selected board candidates? Again, difficult to tell.”

To be clear, the Progress commentary was not written with the intent of helping Esther promote her preferred candidates. The intent was simply to counter an unsupported conspiracy theory advanced on oceanpinesforum.com.

And, now, to counter a modified version of it, which is as nonsensical as the first iteration. The Progress won’t be making any formal endorsements this year, finding a lot to like in all four candidates. If last year’s media track record on endorsements shows anything, it’s that they don’t matter all that much.

As for the allegation that the “Get Involved” site was founded to promote the candidacies of Lakernick and Farr, Esther begs to differ: It has issued no candidate endorsements, and won’t. Anyone supporting Frank or David Hardy are free to post. Esther, of course, is personally supporting her husband and Rick Farr, and there’s nothing surprising about that. Free country, and all that.

Will Joe’s less than charitable comments about Esther’s and Colby’s motivations and intentions help or hurt Stu’s and Rick’s candidacies? Difficult to tell ... Tom Staus