The current issue of the Ocean Pines Progress speculates about who might be elected OPA President by the next Board of Directors.

Publisher Tom Stauss settles on either Frank Daly or Doug Parks, depending on the election outcome. He suggests if Stuart Lakernick and Monica Rakowski are elected then the next president would be Doug Parks; if both are not elected then the next president is likely Frank Daly.

Hopefully, neither of those two gentlemen is elected president. They have been fighting with each other for control of the board for at least two years. They represent all the political discontent in our community -- rightly or wrongly. Electing either one president would result in the continuation of board infighting OPA association members of all political persuasions detest.

Interestingly, Stauss totally discounts the possibility of a Rick Farr presidency. That should not be the case, and Farr told me today he would be "happy to serve as OPA president if elected to do so by the board."

Why Farr? Farr has a cool, level-headed personality. He is not prone to inciteful comments at board meetings.  He speaks sparingly. Perhaps, most importantly, his election lawsuit last year was the contentious issue that divided the Board of Directors and the community. A court decided his case was valid. As president, he would have an opportunity to heal those wounds in a way that no sitting board member could.

Both Colette Horn and Doug Parks leave the board next year. Both have served as president. Memories are short, but Parks sparked too much controversy and board contention before Farr ever arrived on the scene. Horn served admirably, if controversially, under trying conditions of board-infighting. However, she should not consider taking on the role of president again in her final year.

Farr is a controversial pick. No more so, however, than Daly or Parks. If elected president Farr should equally seek the counsel of Horn and Parks, not to mention other fellow board members. He should make every effort to show association members he does so enthusiastically. To be a healer requires doing so. Not an easy task.

Electing Lakernick, Peck, and Steve Jacobs would hopefully be the best outcome of the election. The board divisions would still exist, but with Jacobs as a swing vote on issues and Farr as president, the community might be best served. The alternative would be Jacobs as president if elected in August. As a freshman board member, it might be a tough sell. I do not know if he would even accept.

What are your thoughts?