Esther Diller, administrator of the politically powerful Get Involved Facebook page and wife of OPA President Stuart Lakernick, recently published a communication she said was sent from Matt Ortt to Ocean Pines Progress newspaper publisher Tom Stauss. The Ortt communication outlines what Ortt says are "inaccuracies" in Stauss' reporting of what transpired during the selection of Touch of Italy as OPA's new food and beverage operator.

Any inaccurate reporting aside, Ortt's communication contains one important item in the big picture. Ortt wrote, "I have every intention of finishing out our contract in good faith and with the same professionalism that we have always operated with." He also added, "We were/are prepared to reopen again in February."

Why is this important? Ortt's contract does not expire until the end of April. OPA takes the position that it intends to honor the contract with Ortt.

Why on earth would OPA want Matt Ortt Companies running OPA's food and beverage operations for February, March, and April after just signing a contract with Touch of Italy when, according to informed sources, the Ortt contract provides OPA with a way to cancel it?

It is not in the best interest of the Ocean Pines Association to have Ortt reopen in February and control operations through the end of April, the very period of time Touch of Italy needs to properly prepare for a successful season.

Why then has the OPA Board of Directors not taken advantage of a provision in the Ortt contract that permits OPA to immediately end the contract? Answer - money. To end the contract OPA must pay Ortt around $75,000. This would be money well spent. Conversely, why would Ortt want to return for those three months - three months that see the food and beverage operations lose a fair amount of money?

Let's face it - if OPA could end the Ortt contract without paying Ortt a fee, Ortt would not be back in February because that is in the best interests of the Association. The board should meet quickly and approve paying what the Ortt contract requires to end it now.

Finally, for the many Get Involved Facebook posters and others who believe Matt Ortt Companies "saved" OPA from financial ruin, the following information was provided to OceanPinesForum.com by a board member who chooses to remain anonymous:

"OPA paid Matt Ortt Companies $2.6 million over seven years and in the same seven years OPA lost $595,000 after depreciation. Those numbers didn’t save OPA. And there was no 50/50 split in profits. People need to know the truth."