(July 27, 2017) Along with their positions on arguably the two biggest issues, candidates for the Ocean Pines Association Board also weighed in on their top priorities, biggest weaknesses, and being a positive force during a candidate forum on Saturday in the community center.
Dr. Colette Horn, Nicole Crosariol, incumbent Director Doug Parks and former Director Marty Clarke are vying for two seats on the board.
Parks said the first thing he wanted to do was bring stability back to association leadership.
“I’ve been the one that has been in the middle,” Parks said. “I was the one that has offered consensus to try to get board members of each side of the issue to consider alternatives that would allow them to, quite frankly, stop all the unproductive time that’s been spent on arguing their positions.
“Have I been successful? Obviously not. Will I continue to try? You bet I will,” Parks added. “Time needs to be spent on issues and things that affect the association membership, not on settling arguments between factions of the board. Quite frankly, I’m tired of spending that kind of time, because that’s not what I signed up for.”
If elected, Parks said he would work to “bring that harmony back to the board.
“If it requires drastic action, then so be it,” he said.
Horn agreed the infighting needed to stop.
“Emotions have taken over on the board,” she said. “We need to get back to doing the business that the board was elected to do.
“One of the big lessons that I take away from this chaos that’s happening right now is the board needs to listen to all voices. We need to stop silencing dissent,” Horn added.
Clarke said his first motion would be to ask the general manager to provide the board with the cost of closing the yacht club during the offseason, versus keeping it open. He said he would put a moratorium on booking offseason events until that could be determined.
“I think the cost [to keep it open] is staggering,” he said. “But I want the rest of the board to see the numbers. I think once they do … it’s going to get shuddered.”
Crosariol said her top priority would be to hire a new food and beverage manager who could train and develop a strong team of employees.
Asked what would likely be the biggest issues over what would be a three-year term, Crosariol said she wanted to make the yacht club successful, improve the North Gate Bridge and address infrastructure, including the police station.
Parks said the Cove, the restaurant inside the yacht club, needed to be addressed.
“We’ve talked about it long enough. It’s time to really take a look at alternatives, not just doing the same kind of thing like changing the menu or changing the hours,” he said. “It has to be something that’s a little more concrete and has a little more substance to it.”
He suggested leasing it out to a restaurateur “who understands the business of running a restaurant.”
“We do not have the core competency to run a restaurant,” Parks said. “It’s time for us to move forward and put some real research into the possibility of leasing that facility out.”
Horn agreed.
“We are not restaurateurs. We need to get a professional in there, whether it’s outsourcing it or putting out a search for a professional restaurateur to be our employee,” she said. “However we go about it, it needs to be a professional operation. We can’t continue to have that be a financial drain.”
She added that talk of closing the facility during the winter only created instability and hurt the bottom line.
Clarke said if a board majority agreed to lease the club, “hallelujah.” He added any deal would have to be hands off.
“No Ocean Pines directors with their nose in it telling a Buddy Trala … or a John Fager how to do it,” he said. “We’ve got to be the biggest idiots in the world. Let’s fix the yacht club, I’ve got it, we’ll spend $5 million. A new cafeteria ought to do it!
“We don’t know what we’re doing,” Clarke added. “And if you don’t believe that, go to the golf course. We’re number three out of three. River Run did more revenues last year than we did. What, do they have 700 houses? We have 7,000.”
When the candidates were asked about their biggest weaknesses, Horn joked that hers’ must be street cred, referring to an incident last Friday evening, when she said she was threatened at a local restaurant.
During the start of the forum she said, “things have gotten pretty violent lately” and that “some pretty incendiary stuff” had been discussed in local media.
“I got threatened last night for running for the board at South Side Grill. The guy said he hadn’t seen me around,” she said. “Things need to settle down.”
She also said she had been called “uppity” by some for using her doctor title with her name.
“I’ve been a child psychologist for over 30 years, and I can tell you as a child psychologist there’s no room for uppityness. Kids don’t leave any room for pretentiousness,” Horn said. “My title doesn’t mean that I’m any smarter than the next guy, but what it does tell you is that I have some training and some expertise that may help settle things down here and set us on a path toward a more productive future.”
Crosariol said people always tell her she’s impatient.
“That can be a bad thing – it can also be a good thing,” she said. “I wake up every day with a purpose. I wake up with a list of things to do. I know what I have to get done, and anything I put my energy into [gets done].”
She said growing up in Ocean Pines makes her particularly invested, and said she was not a typical 31-year-old.
“I have the energy to put into it and I have the heart to put into it, because I’ve been here for so long,” she said. “When stuff needs to get done, that’s when [impatience] plays as a strength.”
She later joked public speaking was also a weakness.
Parks said his weakness was his stubborn desire to reach a consensus.
He also said he’s not entirely dismissive about what people think of him.
“I do care when somebody says, ‘you’re an idiot’ because I want to know why,” Parks said. “I look at it as a potential opportunity to correct something [or] take a different perspective.”
Asked about his biggest weakness, Clarke walked up to the microphone, paused, said “diplomacy,” and sat back down.
Ironically, the next question from Habeger was whether each would be “a positive force to help the board become more functional.”
“It’s such a silly question,” Clarke said. “Of course, I would hope so. Everybody knows I can be a little disruptive. I don’t do it because I like doing it. I’m a little passionate at times.
“I think this board is a good board. I couldn’t be more pleased with it right now,” he added. “They’re all good guys and they’re all doing what they think is best for Ocean Pines. And that’s what I’ll do and I don’t think there’ll be a big conflict.”
Parks said the other directors often refer to him as the “Peacemaker.”
“I tend to stay in the middle and listen to both sides of the argument,” he said. “One of the things that I try to lend harmony to the board and the overall perspective is to make sure that both sides understand one another. If I can play arbitrator, I readily accept that role.”
Crosariol said all of the candidates obviously intended to be a positive force.
“I think that giving more versatile opinions … helps us achieve more,” she said. “The word ‘positive’ is kind of my middle name, because even if something bad happens I always try to see the positive in it.”
Horn said she was trained to be a moderating influence.
“Let’s get back to … [trying] to bring the best out of each other, which is what I try to do every day in the work that I do with my clients,” she said.
Dr. Colette Horn, Nicole Crosariol, incumbent Director Doug Parks and former Director Marty Clarke are vying for two seats on the board.
Parks said the first thing he wanted to do was bring stability back to association leadership.
“I’ve been the one that has been in the middle,” Parks said. “I was the one that has offered consensus to try to get board members of each side of the issue to consider alternatives that would allow them to, quite frankly, stop all the unproductive time that’s been spent on arguing their positions.
“Have I been successful? Obviously not. Will I continue to try? You bet I will,” Parks added. “Time needs to be spent on issues and things that affect the association membership, not on settling arguments between factions of the board. Quite frankly, I’m tired of spending that kind of time, because that’s not what I signed up for.”
If elected, Parks said he would work to “bring that harmony back to the board.
“If it requires drastic action, then so be it,” he said.
Horn agreed the infighting needed to stop.
“Emotions have taken over on the board,” she said. “We need to get back to doing the business that the board was elected to do.
“One of the big lessons that I take away from this chaos that’s happening right now is the board needs to listen to all voices. We need to stop silencing dissent,” Horn added.
Clarke said his first motion would be to ask the general manager to provide the board with the cost of closing the yacht club during the offseason, versus keeping it open. He said he would put a moratorium on booking offseason events until that could be determined.
“I think the cost [to keep it open] is staggering,” he said. “But I want the rest of the board to see the numbers. I think once they do … it’s going to get shuddered.”
Crosariol said her top priority would be to hire a new food and beverage manager who could train and develop a strong team of employees.
Asked what would likely be the biggest issues over what would be a three-year term, Crosariol said she wanted to make the yacht club successful, improve the North Gate Bridge and address infrastructure, including the police station.
Parks said the Cove, the restaurant inside the yacht club, needed to be addressed.
“We’ve talked about it long enough. It’s time to really take a look at alternatives, not just doing the same kind of thing like changing the menu or changing the hours,” he said. “It has to be something that’s a little more concrete and has a little more substance to it.”
He suggested leasing it out to a restaurateur “who understands the business of running a restaurant.”
“We do not have the core competency to run a restaurant,” Parks said. “It’s time for us to move forward and put some real research into the possibility of leasing that facility out.”
Horn agreed.
“We are not restaurateurs. We need to get a professional in there, whether it’s outsourcing it or putting out a search for a professional restaurateur to be our employee,” she said. “However we go about it, it needs to be a professional operation. We can’t continue to have that be a financial drain.”
She added that talk of closing the facility during the winter only created instability and hurt the bottom line.
Clarke said if a board majority agreed to lease the club, “hallelujah.” He added any deal would have to be hands off.
“No Ocean Pines directors with their nose in it telling a Buddy Trala … or a John Fager how to do it,” he said. “We’ve got to be the biggest idiots in the world. Let’s fix the yacht club, I’ve got it, we’ll spend $5 million. A new cafeteria ought to do it!
“We don’t know what we’re doing,” Clarke added. “And if you don’t believe that, go to the golf course. We’re number three out of three. River Run did more revenues last year than we did. What, do they have 700 houses? We have 7,000.”
When the candidates were asked about their biggest weaknesses, Horn joked that hers’ must be street cred, referring to an incident last Friday evening, when she said she was threatened at a local restaurant.
During the start of the forum she said, “things have gotten pretty violent lately” and that “some pretty incendiary stuff” had been discussed in local media.
“I got threatened last night for running for the board at South Side Grill. The guy said he hadn’t seen me around,” she said. “Things need to settle down.”
She also said she had been called “uppity” by some for using her doctor title with her name.
“I’ve been a child psychologist for over 30 years, and I can tell you as a child psychologist there’s no room for uppityness. Kids don’t leave any room for pretentiousness,” Horn said. “My title doesn’t mean that I’m any smarter than the next guy, but what it does tell you is that I have some training and some expertise that may help settle things down here and set us on a path toward a more productive future.”
Crosariol said people always tell her she’s impatient.
“That can be a bad thing – it can also be a good thing,” she said. “I wake up every day with a purpose. I wake up with a list of things to do. I know what I have to get done, and anything I put my energy into [gets done].”
She said growing up in Ocean Pines makes her particularly invested, and said she was not a typical 31-year-old.
“I have the energy to put into it and I have the heart to put into it, because I’ve been here for so long,” she said. “When stuff needs to get done, that’s when [impatience] plays as a strength.”
She later joked public speaking was also a weakness.
Parks said his weakness was his stubborn desire to reach a consensus.
He also said he’s not entirely dismissive about what people think of him.
“I do care when somebody says, ‘you’re an idiot’ because I want to know why,” Parks said. “I look at it as a potential opportunity to correct something [or] take a different perspective.”
Asked about his biggest weakness, Clarke walked up to the microphone, paused, said “diplomacy,” and sat back down.
Ironically, the next question from Habeger was whether each would be “a positive force to help the board become more functional.”
“It’s such a silly question,” Clarke said. “Of course, I would hope so. Everybody knows I can be a little disruptive. I don’t do it because I like doing it. I’m a little passionate at times.
“I think this board is a good board. I couldn’t be more pleased with it right now,” he added. “They’re all good guys and they’re all doing what they think is best for Ocean Pines. And that’s what I’ll do and I don’t think there’ll be a big conflict.”
Parks said the other directors often refer to him as the “Peacemaker.”
“I tend to stay in the middle and listen to both sides of the argument,” he said. “One of the things that I try to lend harmony to the board and the overall perspective is to make sure that both sides understand one another. If I can play arbitrator, I readily accept that role.”
Crosariol said all of the candidates obviously intended to be a positive force.
“I think that giving more versatile opinions … helps us achieve more,” she said. “The word ‘positive’ is kind of my middle name, because even if something bad happens I always try to see the positive in it.”
Horn said she was trained to be a moderating influence.
“Let’s get back to … [trying] to bring the best out of each other, which is what I try to do every day in the work that I do with my clients,” she said.