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10/15/2024 2:21:17 PM
 
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Section 5: OPA Board Subject: OPA Food & Beverage Contract Msg# 1213283
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Well, I usually limit myself to two posts to this site a year, but I am hearing from friends that my ‘free booze’ post ruffled a lot of feathers. Wonder why. My post was a response to the forum eblast, and comments were based on the info that Joe Reynolds himself provided in said e-blast. Sure, I added a satirical touch, but that’s only because the fact that the board hasn’t disavowed (as far as I know) the practice of board members receiving ‘gratuities’ (free stuff) from OPA contractors deserves to be mocked and condemned. Also, as I stated in my post, any member who has in fact received ‘free stuff’ from the Matt Ortt Company should recuse themselves from the vote on contract renewal . . . that is just plain and simple common sense. So in light of Joe’s expose’ re free food/drinks, is anybody gonna ask each board member - - before the vote - - if they have received free stuff at any Matt Ortt bar? Maybe Tom Stauss will ask. Speaking of Joe’s expose’, in my 25 years in Ocean Pines I’ve never heard anything so ludicrous as former Board member Daly’s “compromise” . . . is that still board policy? Or have current board members been instructed that they are not to have their checks comped at Matt Ortt places? If board members are drinking/eating for free at Coastal Salt for instance, will they be required to recuse themselves from the upcoming Matt Ortt Company vote? If the ‘Daly policy’ has changed, I stand corrected and it’s case closed, and I thank all those who volunteer their time to serve on the board. Otherwise, if the freebee policy has not been disavowed I agree with Joe Reynolds on this one point . . . General Manager Viola should call the shots on the Ortt renewal. BTW, my comments were criticizing a POLICY, not individual board members. Steve Lind |
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For reference, the above message is a reply to a message where: Allow me to summarize Joe's article, I'll include all the relevant points: "Assuming OPA receives viable proposals from management firms other than MOC, the Board of Directors should receive whatever recommendation the General Manager proposes, MOC or otherwise, and approve it." That's it in a nutshell, case closed, moving on. I'd recommend to any company that applies for the 'job' that they make it known that they too will provide free food and booze to the board members who make the decisions re awarding contracts. As a matter of fact I'm considering a run for the Board . . . my campaign slogan will be "I want free booze (but I promise it won't influence my vote)". Sure, some may consider offering public officials gratuities to be bribery or graft or at least immoral and/or not fair, but let's not nit-pick . . . a former director justified the practice by saying it was a "compromise", the compromise being 'we won't give you free stuff at our place over here, but we'll give you free stuff at our place over there . . . this way it surely won't influence your decisions regarding our place over here'. The very serious point is, any board member who has accepted gratuities from the Matt Ortt Company must recuse themselves re any issue involving MOC. Our very competent GM needs to make the final decision. BTW, yes, the MOC has done a good job. But considering that the OPA's last year running the Yacht Club cost the association somewhere around 600k in losses, the Matt Ortt Company had nowhere to go but up. On top of that, the OPA started the game by giving the Matt Ortt team the ball on the 9 yard line . . . it was first and goal for the MOC on the opening play of the game thanks to the OPA, plus 'referees' who get gratuities/perks from one of the teams. Additional thoughts: The initial contract was ok'd after the record breaking Yacht Club losses mostly thanks to Brett Hill, who if I recall had free reign without proper board oversight (except for Slobodan Trendic I believe). Considering all this, I wonder if that board was overly generous to the Matt Ortt company just to make the contract happen? It is almost comical that some of the board members who sat at the table while the Yacht Club was hemorrhaging OPA money now boast that THEY were the ones to hire Matt Ortt. Of course they were . . . another year of losses and they would have been tarred and feathers. Steve Lind Colonial Village |
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