(Jan. 26, 2017) The Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors may be close to hiring a search firm to help replace Bob Thompson, six months after it voted 4-3 to fire the former general manager.
The board will likely vote on Saturday to choose between three firms: Adamen Inc., Mercer, and the Novak Consulting Group. Director Brett Hill has served as interim general manager since August.
During a public work session on Monday, Director Doug Parks said he helped narrow the search. He provided a comparative listing of services, fees and relevant comments for all three companies.
According to Parks’ chart, Adamen would charge 17 percent of the new general manager’s first-year salary, plus other fees for background checks and incidentals.
Thompson made a base salary of $165,000 during his final contract-year in Ocean Pines, 17 percent of which is $28,050. The board has yet to publicly discuss salary figures for his replacement
Mercer’s costs included a flat fee of $18,400 plus a “not-to-exceed fee of $6,000” for advertising, background checks and incidentals. Novak listed a flat fee of $20,300 and an unspecified amount for advertising, background checks and travel.
Adamen proposed a 120-day timeline and Novak said it could find a general manager candidate within three months. Mercer’s bid did not include a timeline.
Hill asked if a timeline could be added to the bid and suggested Parks reach out to Novak to see if the company could set a cap on incidentals.
“If the board agrees, I’ll get that information … the intent would be to make a motion at the meeting on Saturday,” Parks said. “I don’t want to delay this any further.”
While Parks said he favored Mercer, other directors said they were leaning toward Novak because of its track record in the area. The company recently filled city manager positions in Cambridge, Maryland and in Milford and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Hill, Board President Tom Herrick, Vice President Dave Stevens and directors Cheryl Jacobs, Pat Supik and Slobodan Trendic all appeared to endorse Novak.
“I think Novak is the appropriate firm based on some of the recent placements that they’d made,” Jacobs said. “It seems like they are the most like what we are doing here.”
“I would agree with you, Cheryl, for the same reason, looking at the placements,” Hill said.
“The positions they’ve filled are Eastern Shore positions,” Stevens said. “It may be that we’re going to hire a general manager from someplace else, but on the other hand the likelihood and the cost of doing it are better if it is an Eastern Shore person, I think.”
The board will likely vote on Saturday to choose between three firms: Adamen Inc., Mercer, and the Novak Consulting Group. Director Brett Hill has served as interim general manager since August.
During a public work session on Monday, Director Doug Parks said he helped narrow the search. He provided a comparative listing of services, fees and relevant comments for all three companies.
According to Parks’ chart, Adamen would charge 17 percent of the new general manager’s first-year salary, plus other fees for background checks and incidentals.
Thompson made a base salary of $165,000 during his final contract-year in Ocean Pines, 17 percent of which is $28,050. The board has yet to publicly discuss salary figures for his replacement
Mercer’s costs included a flat fee of $18,400 plus a “not-to-exceed fee of $6,000” for advertising, background checks and incidentals. Novak listed a flat fee of $20,300 and an unspecified amount for advertising, background checks and travel.
Adamen proposed a 120-day timeline and Novak said it could find a general manager candidate within three months. Mercer’s bid did not include a timeline.
Hill asked if a timeline could be added to the bid and suggested Parks reach out to Novak to see if the company could set a cap on incidentals.
“If the board agrees, I’ll get that information … the intent would be to make a motion at the meeting on Saturday,” Parks said. “I don’t want to delay this any further.”
While Parks said he favored Mercer, other directors said they were leaning toward Novak because of its track record in the area. The company recently filled city manager positions in Cambridge, Maryland and in Milford and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Hill, Board President Tom Herrick, Vice President Dave Stevens and directors Cheryl Jacobs, Pat Supik and Slobodan Trendic all appeared to endorse Novak.
“I think Novak is the appropriate firm based on some of the recent placements that they’d made,” Jacobs said. “It seems like they are the most like what we are doing here.”
“I would agree with you, Cheryl, for the same reason, looking at the placements,” Hill said.
“The positions they’ve filled are Eastern Shore positions,” Stevens said. “It may be that we’re going to hire a general manager from someplace else, but on the other hand the likelihood and the cost of doing it are better if it is an Eastern Shore person, I think.”