This paper took some criticism this past week for publishing an article regarding Berlin Councilwoman Lisa Hall’s remarks to our reporter while in the midst of a taped interview on an unrelated topic. Some felt that her remarks should have been considered off the record as Hall has personally suffered a difficult year. Unfortunately as… Read more »
Editorial
Don’t blame messengers
Nothing rankles someone who is pledged to impartiality more than the suggestion that he or she is not. It’s no wonder then that Bill Wentworth and associates on the Ocean Pines Elections Committee have just about had it with this year’s political carryings on and have declared that this might be the end of their… Read more »
Mending fences right call
The town of Berlin had one other option it could have pursued this week instead of dipping into the treasury to pay for the construction of a fence and a walking trail between unhappy neighbors. It could have done nothing, but said otherwise. That’s what governments often do when they have little authority to intervene… Read more »
There’s no perfect time
The pursuit of a good idea is often delayed by the belief that waiting a little longer could result in something better, even when that something better has yet to be defined. Many a solid project has languished or faded away because of that inaction, as decision makers wait hopefully for the perfect solution to… Read more »
One-note harping tone-deaf
Ocean Pines residents, and voters in particular, are more fortunate than they realize: while other towns, communities and even hamlets have multiple issues with which to deal, Ocean Pines apparently has just one: the general manager. That would be judging from comments at a recent candidate’s forum, where it was asserted that every problem could… Read more »
Gazette letter policy redux
One might suppose that we asked for it, when we ran a letter to the editor harshly criticizing statements made by one candidate at a forum for the then 12 candidates seeking a seat on the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors. The policy of the paper has been not to publish denouncements or endorsements… Read more »
Much ado about ballots
Ocean Pines Board of Director member Cheryl Jacobs has a good point: an elections committee gathered for the sole purpose of counting ballots does not constitute a meeting in any legal sense. The committee isn’t empowered to take any action other than to assure ballots are valid and to count them. It does nothing beyond… Read more »
Sky not falling in Pines
Ocean Pines residents rest easy — the community is not collapsing into a black hole of despair and destruction. Yet, to listen to the comments of some of the candidates for the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors, one might easily come to that conclusion. Contrary to what people might think, or say, Ocean Pines… Read more »
Voting for boating goating
As turbulent and divisive as the national circumstance is these days, it’s nice to see a healthy appreciation of silliness still exists. That would be in reference to, of course, the idea that goats — they’re not just for lawn maintenance anymore — could be a vital ingredient in the economic resurgence of the Town… Read more »
No comp plan for Pines
For all the discussion of how to create a comprehensive plan for the Ocean Pines Association, the critical point that most people seem to miss is that the homeowners association doesn’t need one. Maybe OPA officials are just using the wrong label for what they really want, which would be a decision-guiding vision statement that… Read more »