Seems Heather Cook has now jumped into the fray. She posted the follwing email to Carolyn Neal and those others copied originally by Neal:

From Heather Cook:

This email has been forwarded to me for clarification.
The "agreement" between the OPA and Joe Reynolds is an email
confirmation from Joe Reynolds dated April 13, 2006 stating that he will
provide up to 8 hours of monthly Board meeting video tapes at a price of
$500 per month. Joe Reynolds has been paid for this service since that time.
Heather Cook

I replied to Heather and the others as follows:

Heather, thank you for clarifying that there is no contractual obligation. The board pays for the video based on a Board motion to obtain video of board meetings for Channel 78, and a subsequent decision of then acting General Manager Glenn Duffy to purchase from me. OPA can decide at any time not to purchase the video, or I could decide at any time to no longer provide it.

Also note that I never solicited the board on this. I was asked to provide a price for the service, and there was at least one other bid from another vendor.

For the record, I did solicit OPA to advertise on OceanPinesForum.com and OPA did advertise on the forum in the 2006/2007 fiscal year. The board again approved advertising on the forum in the 2007/2008 budget.

The day after I wrote some commentary about the incredibly poor board decision to close the Sports Core pool for the entire summer (something you strongly supported for some personal political reason, despite the substantial loss of revenue it has cost lot owners), I had a call from OPA at 7:45 AM to say funds for advertising on the forum were no longer in the budget.

However, OPA advertising continued in local free driveway papers that were also critical of the pool closure and other board decisions.

Since you apparently have no problem discussing OceanPinesForum.com, can you provide for us the details of any contracts or agreements, including amounts, between OPA and the Ocean Pines Progress, and the Ocean Pines Independent, and the Bayside Gazette, and The Courier? What about some Ocean City web site where OPA pays to advertise?

Perhaps you can explain why the OPA Board budgeted funds to run essentially the same advertising in four papers delivered free to Ocean Pines driveways? Would it not make sense, and save money, to alternate advertising in those papers?

A few years ago there were only three free driveway papers. When the Ocean Pines Progress started up in 2004, the year you ran for the board and the Ocean Pines Election Group (OPEG) paid the Ocean Pines Progress for a costly insert promoting your candidacy and that of the two other OPEG candidates, OPA found un-budgeted funds to advertise in the Progress.

Interestingly, if this discussion were taking place on OceanPinesForum.com, thousands of lot owners could read and possibly offer their opinions, rather than just those selected by Carolyn Neal for her original message to me.

However, this is an interesting discussion, and I'll be happy to continue so long as you or others see fit.

Regards,

Joe

PS to Carol Menton -- I received your email about my replies being "junk mail." Please note it was Carolyn Neal who interjected your name into this email discussion, not I. With this message I am replying to everyone copied by Heather Cook, and I believe you were on Heather's list of recipients as well.