(Sept. 1, 2016) In apparent fallout from the firing of Ocean Pines Association General Manager Bob Thompson last week, one member of the board of directors and the entire membership of the Ocean Pines Elections Committee has resigned.
Former director Pat Renaud, who had one year left on his three-year term, announced Monday that he would step away from the board.
“I’m resigning today,” Renaud said during a phone interview. “I’ve had enough.”
Renaud said he had handed in a formal resignation letter and sent copies to each director.
The letter, addressed to Board President Tom Herrick, stated, “Pursuant to Article V Board of Directors; Section 5.12(d) of the By-Laws of the Ocean Pines Association, I am resigning as Director effective immediately.”
He said the termination of Thompson’s contract was “one of the main reasons” for his resignation.
“Another reason is that I have had some health problems that I have to take care of,” Renaud said. “I’ve had enough. I’ve talked to my doctor and everything. It’s all done.
“I don’t think there’s anything I could accomplish in this year if I stayed on, except to be more frustrated” he added.
Renaud served as board president for the past year until Herrick’s election to the position last month. He missed several meetings because of health issues and was once hospitalized after being diagnosed with sepsis and cellulitis.
According to Ocean Pines bylaws the directors must call a special meeting, or wait until the next regular meeting, in order to appoint a replacement for Renaud. As of press time no such meeting was scheduled.
Also this week, the last-remaining member of the OPA Elections Committee, Steve Smith, handed in his resignation. Last week Cheryl Bissell, Judy Butler and former committee Chairman Bill Wentworth also resigned.
In part, Wentworth said the committee members left because of controversies that arose during the last election cycle, which officially ended with the announcement of three new directors on Aug. 13.
Several of the candidates and some board members believed the votes should be counted in public as opposed to the closed vote-count under current Ocean Pines guidelines.
“It all rolls back to, we were in a situation where the bylaws and the resolutions, which everyone is expected to follow, we followed to the Nth degree and unfortunately we had two board of directors who didn’t think it was important to follow those things,” Wentworth said.
“They kept pimping the idea of, ‘well it should be transparent – people should be able to be in there,’ which is a violation – until they change it – of the resolutions and the bylaws.”
Wentworth said the firing of Thompson affected the timeline of his decision.
“I definitely was not going to do another round of [committee work], but the fact of Bob Thompson being terminated certainly had an impact on my feelings toward exactly how I was going to end what I was doing,” he said. “I had some things together for the year-end report, but I’m just not going to do it.
“What’s going on [with the new board] just makes no sense at all,” Wentworth continued. “You’ve got a group of people who are in a situation for maybe seven or eight days, and then they’re going to fire somebody. You just can’t live with some of the things that they’re doing – that they’ve done.”
He went on to say there was “no rhyme or reason” to the actions of the new board.
“It seems to me they want to make change just for change’s sake,” he said. “I think it may have devastating effects on the direction of the community with what’s going to happen.
“I feel sorry for the employees,” Wentworth added. “They’re under the gun. If they did that to the general manager with no provocation – or in the night of darkness so to speak – what could happen to one of these people if they happen to say the wrong thing? Are they going to just move them out? It’s got to be a very uncomfortable climate for those people who are working in the administration office, and I feel for them.”
A former director who lost his reelection bid in 2012, Wentworth alleged that current Board Vice President Dave Stevens was “the puppeteer of this whole thing.” Wentworth previously served on the board with Stevens.
“From the time Bob Thompson was moved into the general manager’s position by (former director) Bill Rakow, Dave Stevens’ whole goal in life was to fire Bob Thompson,” he said. “He has said that to me, when I was coming on the board of directors. ‘ Is there something I can do to help you, Dave?’ ‘Yeah, help me fire Bob Thompson.’”
Wentworth said it was ironic that the same candidates who ran on a promise of increased transparency were being anything but transparent as newly elected officials.
“They don’t want anyone to call them – the president doesn’t want to be getting phone calls,” he said. “It’s like everything’s a secret – everything’s undercover. And that’s sad. It’s just really, really sad.”
Former director Pat Renaud, who had one year left on his three-year term, announced Monday that he would step away from the board.
“I’m resigning today,” Renaud said during a phone interview. “I’ve had enough.”
Renaud said he had handed in a formal resignation letter and sent copies to each director.
The letter, addressed to Board President Tom Herrick, stated, “Pursuant to Article V Board of Directors; Section 5.12(d) of the By-Laws of the Ocean Pines Association, I am resigning as Director effective immediately.”
He said the termination of Thompson’s contract was “one of the main reasons” for his resignation.
“Another reason is that I have had some health problems that I have to take care of,” Renaud said. “I’ve had enough. I’ve talked to my doctor and everything. It’s all done.
“I don’t think there’s anything I could accomplish in this year if I stayed on, except to be more frustrated” he added.
Renaud served as board president for the past year until Herrick’s election to the position last month. He missed several meetings because of health issues and was once hospitalized after being diagnosed with sepsis and cellulitis.
According to Ocean Pines bylaws the directors must call a special meeting, or wait until the next regular meeting, in order to appoint a replacement for Renaud. As of press time no such meeting was scheduled.
Also this week, the last-remaining member of the OPA Elections Committee, Steve Smith, handed in his resignation. Last week Cheryl Bissell, Judy Butler and former committee Chairman Bill Wentworth also resigned.
In part, Wentworth said the committee members left because of controversies that arose during the last election cycle, which officially ended with the announcement of three new directors on Aug. 13.
Several of the candidates and some board members believed the votes should be counted in public as opposed to the closed vote-count under current Ocean Pines guidelines.
“It all rolls back to, we were in a situation where the bylaws and the resolutions, which everyone is expected to follow, we followed to the Nth degree and unfortunately we had two board of directors who didn’t think it was important to follow those things,” Wentworth said.
“They kept pimping the idea of, ‘well it should be transparent – people should be able to be in there,’ which is a violation – until they change it – of the resolutions and the bylaws.”
Wentworth said the firing of Thompson affected the timeline of his decision.
“I definitely was not going to do another round of [committee work], but the fact of Bob Thompson being terminated certainly had an impact on my feelings toward exactly how I was going to end what I was doing,” he said. “I had some things together for the year-end report, but I’m just not going to do it.
“What’s going on [with the new board] just makes no sense at all,” Wentworth continued. “You’ve got a group of people who are in a situation for maybe seven or eight days, and then they’re going to fire somebody. You just can’t live with some of the things that they’re doing – that they’ve done.”
He went on to say there was “no rhyme or reason” to the actions of the new board.
“It seems to me they want to make change just for change’s sake,” he said. “I think it may have devastating effects on the direction of the community with what’s going to happen.
“I feel sorry for the employees,” Wentworth added. “They’re under the gun. If they did that to the general manager with no provocation – or in the night of darkness so to speak – what could happen to one of these people if they happen to say the wrong thing? Are they going to just move them out? It’s got to be a very uncomfortable climate for those people who are working in the administration office, and I feel for them.”
A former director who lost his reelection bid in 2012, Wentworth alleged that current Board Vice President Dave Stevens was “the puppeteer of this whole thing.” Wentworth previously served on the board with Stevens.
“From the time Bob Thompson was moved into the general manager’s position by (former director) Bill Rakow, Dave Stevens’ whole goal in life was to fire Bob Thompson,” he said. “He has said that to me, when I was coming on the board of directors. ‘ Is there something I can do to help you, Dave?’ ‘Yeah, help me fire Bob Thompson.’”
Wentworth said it was ironic that the same candidates who ran on a promise of increased transparency were being anything but transparent as newly elected officials.
“They don’t want anyone to call them – the president doesn’t want to be getting phone calls,” he said. “It’s like everything’s a secret – everything’s undercover. And that’s sad. It’s just really, really sad.”