(May 26, 2016) After serving on the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors for three years, Bill Cordwell has decided not to run for reelection.
The outspoken director said his decision not seek a second term stems from his dislike for some current members, former members of the board and candidates.
“I will not run again because I just don’t need to be around people who, in my opinion, are phony, deceitful and just can’t tell the truth,” he said. “Therefore, I have no further desire to be associated with Marty Clarke, Dave Stevens, Jack Collins, Slobodan Trendic and their associates.”
During his 23-year career as a police officer, Cordwell worked his way up the ladder as a detective to become a commander.
He said he spent extensive time in that role, “dealing with people who for one reason or another couldn’t be truthful, and I was pretty good at what I did.”
During his first year on the board, Cordwell said the atmosphere there was civil – upbeat, even. That changed, he said, when Dave Stevens was elected two years ago.
“It started with Stevens’ campaign for the board, where he took out several articles calling [then Board President] Tom Terry deceitful for some information Terry had put out at the meetings,” Cordwell said. “It was later found that Terry’s info was completely correct and Stevens’ completely false, but he ran the ads anyway.”
After winning the election, Stevens was voted president of the board by the other directors. According to Cordwell, he often turned to Terry for help on sensitive issues.
“To Tom’s credit, he would do it for the good of the community,” Cordwell said. “I would have probably told Stevens to go you know what in his hat, if he called me as many names as he called Terry.”
Cordwell said the majority of the rancor people see during OPA board meetings is caused by “a group of people who think we can just get rid of a general manager or an employee every time they don’t do something a particular person wants.”
“They have done this to every general manager in the 18 years I have been a property owner,” he said. “This isn’t a game. These are real people with families who are trying their best for the good of the community.”
That group believes that Thompson, in particular, is “out of control” and spends too much association money on frivolous projects.
“I can’t talk about the previous GM’s, but this current one is far from ‘out of control’ and doesn’t have the power to spend,” Cordwell said. “Except for a very small amount, the spending comes from the board. Yet for some unknown reason, people around here think the general manager has the ability to spend large sums of money. That is just not true.”
Before he ran for the board, Cordwell said he only knew of Thompson was what he saw during public meetings.
“I didn’t know if I would get along with him or not,” he said. “I knew he seemed passionate and prepared, but I don’t make judgments until I have more evidence to work with. I am also not easily impressed by folks.”
When he decided to run, he asked Thompson to meet with him.
“I advised him that I was pretty much a no-nonsense kind of guy, and I wanted to hear the truth at all times,” Cordwell said. “I really had no idea how big a job Ocean Pines was to manage. This is not a little community association, but instead a $13 million-a-year corporation with a lot of moving parts.
“I have come to admire Bob Thompson for his dedication to the community and his work ethic and have become impressed,” he continued. “We disagree on things, but we do them as adults He hasn’t taken a vacation in years and works almost every holiday and a lot of weekends. Despite what you may have heard from the media people who have run the previous general managers out of the job, he is truly one of the hardest working and honest people I have been around.”
Cordwell said he proudest achievement on the board was helping to open the new yacht club. He came in late during the process, but was involved in the vote to purchase additional equipment for the second kitchen to help with banquet events on the second floor.
“There was a lot of opposition, and the GM took a lot of heat for trying to re-purpose old kitchen equipment, but that was typical Ocean Pines trying to save money,” Cordwell said.
Detractors claimed the addition would drive up labor costs, and instead proposed using a dumbwaiter to get the food upstairs, four plates at a time.
“The couple getting married would have probably been on their honeymoon before the last of their guests at a 200-person wedding were served,” Cordwell said. “Thank goodness, we were a little smarter than that.”
Extending Thompson’s contract for three years, Cordwell said, was also a big accomplishment.
“He has his detractors – the usual suspects who did the same to every general manager before – but look at how well this community has done financially over the last few years and there is no disputing how well he and those that work under his leadership has done,” he said. “Aquatics, that has lost a lot of money since the pool was covered, had its best year yet [and] the yacht club had a good year and is getting better financially every year.
“Look at the financials over the last couple years and take out ‘bad debt,’ which the general manager has zero control over, and our overall operations have had really good years financially, especially our amenities,” he added. “And having success with our amenities, keeps our assessments down.”
His biggest regret, naturally as a former police officer, is not pushing harder to improve the police facilities in Ocean Pines.
“I tried, but we would rather renovate bathrooms at a building used for three months so someone can use that as their campaign speech than take care of the people that take care of us,” Cordwell said. “We seem to take our police for granted, but we weren’t just called the ‘safest city in Maryland’ by accident. We don’t have a lot of police, but the ones we do have do a great job in keeping us safe.
“However, I believe they are working in an unsafe atmosphere,” Cordwell continued. “The building they are in is probably about, in my opinion, one third the size it needs to be. And the location is about as bad as it can get. When they have an emergency call and respond from their building, they have to go very slow and try to watch out for the children and folks going back and forth between the White Horse Park and the community center.
“This delays the emergency response and puts the person having the emergency in jeopardy, especially when the EMS/FIRE is not available. With the amount of cardiac patients we have in the community, any delay puts that victim in danger.”
Cordwell said the “usual suspects” have stood in the way of improving that facility, or building a new one.
“The general manager has proposed building a new building out on Route 589, but we won’t do that because 1) he proposed it and 2) it costs money,” Cordwell said. “At first I was against this idea, but the more I thought about it and the more I hear about crime being around us and getting worse, I have come to believe that it is actually the best place for it. The police can respond to both the north and the south sections quickly. And when the derelicts from Salisbury get off Route 90 or the ones from Selbyville – [which has a] very high crime rate – come down Route 589 going to the casino, I want the first thing they see is that Ocean Pines is protected by its own police department.
“We have an older population and we should try to protect them no matter the cost. We pay our assessments and we should expect to do things that make sense instead of things that just save a couple bucks,” he added.
He hopes the next batch of directors – three will be elected to the seven-member panel in August – focuses on moving the community forward, rather than working towards ousting Thompson.
“I hope we get fresh faces and new ideas,” Cordwell said. “We only have one more year with Stevens, and if Collins doesn’t get back in then a lot of the animosity, in my opinion, will go away. Let’s start new and clean the slate.
“We have some qualified individuals who have stepped up, and I hope the residents will see them for what they are and elect some new faces,” he added. “And maybe Mr. Stevens will do what is right for the community and resign this year and give someone new a shot. I gave my four years, to the community, and it’s time for someone new.”
His advice for the 12 candidates running this year was to talk to as many sitting directors as possible – especially Terry.
“Terry has been on the board for six years, with four as president,” Cordwell said. “He knows the ins and outs of the community better than almost everyone. Speak to Pete Gomsak, the assistant treasurer. Pete has forgotten more about Ocean Pines finances than most of the rest of board will ever know.
“But most of all, sit down with the general manager and take a couple hours of his time to find out what is really going on,” he added. “Anybody who doesn’t take the time to sit down and speak to the GM is, to me, not a serious candidate.
“Also, open your eyes and ears and gather as much information as possible and make a decision that benefits the community and not a couple people’s vendettas. Stay independent. Stay true to yourself.
“Most of all, be positive. We have a great community led by a terrific general manager and dedicated employees and if we can finally get rid of the negative forces who for years have been allowed to ignore our assets and make excuses for it, we can be even better and protect our property values.
“I want to thank the folks who have supported me and supported our community,” Cordwell said.
The outspoken director said his decision not seek a second term stems from his dislike for some current members, former members of the board and candidates.
“I will not run again because I just don’t need to be around people who, in my opinion, are phony, deceitful and just can’t tell the truth,” he said. “Therefore, I have no further desire to be associated with Marty Clarke, Dave Stevens, Jack Collins, Slobodan Trendic and their associates.”
During his 23-year career as a police officer, Cordwell worked his way up the ladder as a detective to become a commander.
He said he spent extensive time in that role, “dealing with people who for one reason or another couldn’t be truthful, and I was pretty good at what I did.”
During his first year on the board, Cordwell said the atmosphere there was civil – upbeat, even. That changed, he said, when Dave Stevens was elected two years ago.
“It started with Stevens’ campaign for the board, where he took out several articles calling [then Board President] Tom Terry deceitful for some information Terry had put out at the meetings,” Cordwell said. “It was later found that Terry’s info was completely correct and Stevens’ completely false, but he ran the ads anyway.”
After winning the election, Stevens was voted president of the board by the other directors. According to Cordwell, he often turned to Terry for help on sensitive issues.
“To Tom’s credit, he would do it for the good of the community,” Cordwell said. “I would have probably told Stevens to go you know what in his hat, if he called me as many names as he called Terry.”
Cordwell said the majority of the rancor people see during OPA board meetings is caused by “a group of people who think we can just get rid of a general manager or an employee every time they don’t do something a particular person wants.”
“They have done this to every general manager in the 18 years I have been a property owner,” he said. “This isn’t a game. These are real people with families who are trying their best for the good of the community.”
That group believes that Thompson, in particular, is “out of control” and spends too much association money on frivolous projects.
“I can’t talk about the previous GM’s, but this current one is far from ‘out of control’ and doesn’t have the power to spend,” Cordwell said. “Except for a very small amount, the spending comes from the board. Yet for some unknown reason, people around here think the general manager has the ability to spend large sums of money. That is just not true.”
Before he ran for the board, Cordwell said he only knew of Thompson was what he saw during public meetings.
“I didn’t know if I would get along with him or not,” he said. “I knew he seemed passionate and prepared, but I don’t make judgments until I have more evidence to work with. I am also not easily impressed by folks.”
When he decided to run, he asked Thompson to meet with him.
“I advised him that I was pretty much a no-nonsense kind of guy, and I wanted to hear the truth at all times,” Cordwell said. “I really had no idea how big a job Ocean Pines was to manage. This is not a little community association, but instead a $13 million-a-year corporation with a lot of moving parts.
“I have come to admire Bob Thompson for his dedication to the community and his work ethic and have become impressed,” he continued. “We disagree on things, but we do them as adults He hasn’t taken a vacation in years and works almost every holiday and a lot of weekends. Despite what you may have heard from the media people who have run the previous general managers out of the job, he is truly one of the hardest working and honest people I have been around.”
Cordwell said he proudest achievement on the board was helping to open the new yacht club. He came in late during the process, but was involved in the vote to purchase additional equipment for the second kitchen to help with banquet events on the second floor.
“There was a lot of opposition, and the GM took a lot of heat for trying to re-purpose old kitchen equipment, but that was typical Ocean Pines trying to save money,” Cordwell said.
Detractors claimed the addition would drive up labor costs, and instead proposed using a dumbwaiter to get the food upstairs, four plates at a time.
“The couple getting married would have probably been on their honeymoon before the last of their guests at a 200-person wedding were served,” Cordwell said. “Thank goodness, we were a little smarter than that.”
Extending Thompson’s contract for three years, Cordwell said, was also a big accomplishment.
“He has his detractors – the usual suspects who did the same to every general manager before – but look at how well this community has done financially over the last few years and there is no disputing how well he and those that work under his leadership has done,” he said. “Aquatics, that has lost a lot of money since the pool was covered, had its best year yet [and] the yacht club had a good year and is getting better financially every year.
“Look at the financials over the last couple years and take out ‘bad debt,’ which the general manager has zero control over, and our overall operations have had really good years financially, especially our amenities,” he added. “And having success with our amenities, keeps our assessments down.”
His biggest regret, naturally as a former police officer, is not pushing harder to improve the police facilities in Ocean Pines.
“I tried, but we would rather renovate bathrooms at a building used for three months so someone can use that as their campaign speech than take care of the people that take care of us,” Cordwell said. “We seem to take our police for granted, but we weren’t just called the ‘safest city in Maryland’ by accident. We don’t have a lot of police, but the ones we do have do a great job in keeping us safe.
“However, I believe they are working in an unsafe atmosphere,” Cordwell continued. “The building they are in is probably about, in my opinion, one third the size it needs to be. And the location is about as bad as it can get. When they have an emergency call and respond from their building, they have to go very slow and try to watch out for the children and folks going back and forth between the White Horse Park and the community center.
“This delays the emergency response and puts the person having the emergency in jeopardy, especially when the EMS/FIRE is not available. With the amount of cardiac patients we have in the community, any delay puts that victim in danger.”
Cordwell said the “usual suspects” have stood in the way of improving that facility, or building a new one.
“The general manager has proposed building a new building out on Route 589, but we won’t do that because 1) he proposed it and 2) it costs money,” Cordwell said. “At first I was against this idea, but the more I thought about it and the more I hear about crime being around us and getting worse, I have come to believe that it is actually the best place for it. The police can respond to both the north and the south sections quickly. And when the derelicts from Salisbury get off Route 90 or the ones from Selbyville – [which has a] very high crime rate – come down Route 589 going to the casino, I want the first thing they see is that Ocean Pines is protected by its own police department.
“We have an older population and we should try to protect them no matter the cost. We pay our assessments and we should expect to do things that make sense instead of things that just save a couple bucks,” he added.
He hopes the next batch of directors – three will be elected to the seven-member panel in August – focuses on moving the community forward, rather than working towards ousting Thompson.
“I hope we get fresh faces and new ideas,” Cordwell said. “We only have one more year with Stevens, and if Collins doesn’t get back in then a lot of the animosity, in my opinion, will go away. Let’s start new and clean the slate.
“We have some qualified individuals who have stepped up, and I hope the residents will see them for what they are and elect some new faces,” he added. “And maybe Mr. Stevens will do what is right for the community and resign this year and give someone new a shot. I gave my four years, to the community, and it’s time for someone new.”
His advice for the 12 candidates running this year was to talk to as many sitting directors as possible – especially Terry.
“Terry has been on the board for six years, with four as president,” Cordwell said. “He knows the ins and outs of the community better than almost everyone. Speak to Pete Gomsak, the assistant treasurer. Pete has forgotten more about Ocean Pines finances than most of the rest of board will ever know.
“But most of all, sit down with the general manager and take a couple hours of his time to find out what is really going on,” he added. “Anybody who doesn’t take the time to sit down and speak to the GM is, to me, not a serious candidate.
“Also, open your eyes and ears and gather as much information as possible and make a decision that benefits the community and not a couple people’s vendettas. Stay independent. Stay true to yourself.
“Most of all, be positive. We have a great community led by a terrific general manager and dedicated employees and if we can finally get rid of the negative forces who for years have been allowed to ignore our assets and make excuses for it, we can be even better and protect our property values.
“I want to thank the folks who have supported me and supported our community,” Cordwell said.