(June 1, 2017) Brenda Lynn Wascak, 56, brings several decades of experience with the U.S. Department of Defense to the 2017 Ocean Pines Association Election.
She has worked at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County for 33 years, most recently in human resources, but is planning to retire in September and wants to become more involved in the community.
Wascak has lived in Ocean Pines part-time for six years and spent summers in the area as a child. With retirement, she plans to spend more time here.
“I want to stay busy and I feel like I’m retiring at a pretty young age,” she said. “I’m at the age where I’m just starting with grandkids and I’m not quite a senior yet. I feel like I could look out for the children as well as the elderly.”
As she has visited different amenities in Ocean Pines, Wascak said people have not been shy about voicing their opinions. Her policy is don’t complain unless you’re willing to get involved.
“I always say, don’t bring up a problem unless you want to be part of a solution,” she said. “A lot of us homeowners don’t know everything that’s going on. They hear about changes to a pool, but they don’t know how or they don’t know why, and that’s what I want to know. There’s always so much more to the story.”
Wascak describes herself as a people person who enjoys talking – and listening – while out and about. She’s also an avid reader of the Ocean Pines newsletter, which she has used to catch up on news and current events.
“I don’t get the chance to go to the [board] meetings because I’m never here on weekdays,” she said. “I normally get my news through the fabulous communication they have in their newsletters. They really do a great job at keeping everybody posted.”
She’s bullish on the increased attention paid to families in Ocean Pines, especially children’s programs and other activities organized through the library.
“It seems like when I first got here it was all elderly people. I thought of it as a retirement community,” she said. “The more you get involved, the more kids and families you see around. They have something for everybody – all ages – and that needs to continue, because now I have a granddaughter who is 4 and I’m just starting to share those things with her and bring her down for the weekends.
“If you don’t do anything in the Pines, that’s your fault because there’s so many options,” she added.
Wascak said communication behind the scenes, however, could be improved.
“Just let people know,” she said. “We have more issues and things we need to fix than we do money, so [we need to do a better job of explaining] the reason we picked this one over that one. We have to pick and choose what we’re spending our money on because there’s never enough to fix everything, and here’s the reasons why.”
As a longtime government employee, Wascak said she is used to working with a variety of personalities. That, she said, has made her a team player.
She also called for the creation of focus groups and the appointment of citizen advocates to help inform major decisions.
“If you can bring people together, you can make a better, more informed decision,” she said. “Everything that is done with the seven people [on the board] is done as a team – it’s not just one person.
“I think my forte is being a team member and I love being part of a team,” she continued. “A lot team things come with conflict, and I don’t love that, but I don’t avoid conflict because things that go unresolved only get worse. I feel like that’s one of my strengths.”
She has worked at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County for 33 years, most recently in human resources, but is planning to retire in September and wants to become more involved in the community.
Wascak has lived in Ocean Pines part-time for six years and spent summers in the area as a child. With retirement, she plans to spend more time here.
“I want to stay busy and I feel like I’m retiring at a pretty young age,” she said. “I’m at the age where I’m just starting with grandkids and I’m not quite a senior yet. I feel like I could look out for the children as well as the elderly.”
As she has visited different amenities in Ocean Pines, Wascak said people have not been shy about voicing their opinions. Her policy is don’t complain unless you’re willing to get involved.
“I always say, don’t bring up a problem unless you want to be part of a solution,” she said. “A lot of us homeowners don’t know everything that’s going on. They hear about changes to a pool, but they don’t know how or they don’t know why, and that’s what I want to know. There’s always so much more to the story.”
Wascak describes herself as a people person who enjoys talking – and listening – while out and about. She’s also an avid reader of the Ocean Pines newsletter, which she has used to catch up on news and current events.
“I don’t get the chance to go to the [board] meetings because I’m never here on weekdays,” she said. “I normally get my news through the fabulous communication they have in their newsletters. They really do a great job at keeping everybody posted.”
She’s bullish on the increased attention paid to families in Ocean Pines, especially children’s programs and other activities organized through the library.
“It seems like when I first got here it was all elderly people. I thought of it as a retirement community,” she said. “The more you get involved, the more kids and families you see around. They have something for everybody – all ages – and that needs to continue, because now I have a granddaughter who is 4 and I’m just starting to share those things with her and bring her down for the weekends.
“If you don’t do anything in the Pines, that’s your fault because there’s so many options,” she added.
Wascak said communication behind the scenes, however, could be improved.
“Just let people know,” she said. “We have more issues and things we need to fix than we do money, so [we need to do a better job of explaining] the reason we picked this one over that one. We have to pick and choose what we’re spending our money on because there’s never enough to fix everything, and here’s the reasons why.”
As a longtime government employee, Wascak said she is used to working with a variety of personalities. That, she said, has made her a team player.
She also called for the creation of focus groups and the appointment of citizen advocates to help inform major decisions.
“If you can bring people together, you can make a better, more informed decision,” she said. “Everything that is done with the seven people [on the board] is done as a team – it’s not just one person.
“I think my forte is being a team member and I love being part of a team,” she continued. “A lot team things come with conflict, and I don’t love that, but I don’t avoid conflict because things that go unresolved only get worse. I feel like that’s one of my strengths.”