George Simon Jr. he has “seen it all” during his decades-long career in construction, and he’s hoping to bring that expertise to the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors in August.
“I’ve been in construction and construction sales pretty much my whole life,” he said. “The main thing I can bring to the board is knowledge of construction, construction projects, sales and the bid process, and … I have a good relationship with a lot of the contractors in the area.”
Simon, a 55-year-old territory representative with TRI Supply & Equipment in Salisbury, is one of a dozen candidates vying for three positions on the board.
After growing up in Baltimore, he moved his family to the Ocean Pines area in 1986, and bought his first home there about four years later.
“We would come down here to the ocean on vacation and we liked the area, and when we had kids, we didn’t want them growing up [in the Baltimore] area,” Simon said. “Probably the best thing I ever did for my family was moving down here.
“All the kids have gone through the local school systems, and it’s been a great experience living down here,” he added. “Having kids, I haven’t been as active in a lot of things as I’d like to be, but I’ve coached sports in Berlin on and off for 25 years and I’ve worked with kids in Ocean Pines, teaching basketball.”
When considering a run for the board, Simon said he was troubled by some of the negative press the community often receives in the local media.
“I sit back and I read some of the newspapers – some of them are very negative,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I enjoy where I live. If you read some of these newspapers they make it sound like people have the worst experience in their life living here. Ocean Pines is a great place.”
He said the amenities, for instance, are often taken for granted.
“We have a yacht club here that’s fantastic,” he said. “In the summertime we go there just about every weekend. Where else can you take your kids and sit and have that beautiful view and listen to music? It’s an all-around good place for the whole family.
“We’re somebody who has come to the area and enjoyed using the amenities – they’re there for us,” Simon added. “We have youth programs as part of the recreation [department] that we’ve always used, and we use the pools.”
Simon called himself a “fiscal conservative.” He pledged to be a positive influence on the board, and said his work background would help the association deal with some of the problems it does have, including addressing several aging structures.
“I think having another positive person on the board would help,” he said. “The board has been doing very well, but they’ve been touched with some hot-button issues lately and I guess the next big issue will be the country club.
“With my past experiences in construction, I do say I generally lean more towards building new as opposed to rebuilding,” Simon added. “Especially with structures that are older, what people don’t understand is you’re getting into something and a contractor may give you a bid for ‘x’ amount of dollars, but when then they tear the floors up and they tear the walls out and – wow, we’re not even close. The next thing you know you’re rebuilding structure and it’s very close to something you could’ve done brand new.”
A political newcomer, Simon said he’s essentially running to help maintain the community that has supported his family for more than 25 years.
“I’m new to politics, but I just want to help out the community,” he said. “That’s really the bottom line. I love it here and I just felt it was time to give back.”
“I’ve been in construction and construction sales pretty much my whole life,” he said. “The main thing I can bring to the board is knowledge of construction, construction projects, sales and the bid process, and … I have a good relationship with a lot of the contractors in the area.”
Simon, a 55-year-old territory representative with TRI Supply & Equipment in Salisbury, is one of a dozen candidates vying for three positions on the board.
After growing up in Baltimore, he moved his family to the Ocean Pines area in 1986, and bought his first home there about four years later.
“We would come down here to the ocean on vacation and we liked the area, and when we had kids, we didn’t want them growing up [in the Baltimore] area,” Simon said. “Probably the best thing I ever did for my family was moving down here.
“All the kids have gone through the local school systems, and it’s been a great experience living down here,” he added. “Having kids, I haven’t been as active in a lot of things as I’d like to be, but I’ve coached sports in Berlin on and off for 25 years and I’ve worked with kids in Ocean Pines, teaching basketball.”
When considering a run for the board, Simon said he was troubled by some of the negative press the community often receives in the local media.
“I sit back and I read some of the newspapers – some of them are very negative,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I enjoy where I live. If you read some of these newspapers they make it sound like people have the worst experience in their life living here. Ocean Pines is a great place.”
He said the amenities, for instance, are often taken for granted.
“We have a yacht club here that’s fantastic,” he said. “In the summertime we go there just about every weekend. Where else can you take your kids and sit and have that beautiful view and listen to music? It’s an all-around good place for the whole family.
“We’re somebody who has come to the area and enjoyed using the amenities – they’re there for us,” Simon added. “We have youth programs as part of the recreation [department] that we’ve always used, and we use the pools.”
Simon called himself a “fiscal conservative.” He pledged to be a positive influence on the board, and said his work background would help the association deal with some of the problems it does have, including addressing several aging structures.
“I think having another positive person on the board would help,” he said. “The board has been doing very well, but they’ve been touched with some hot-button issues lately and I guess the next big issue will be the country club.
“With my past experiences in construction, I do say I generally lean more towards building new as opposed to rebuilding,” Simon added. “Especially with structures that are older, what people don’t understand is you’re getting into something and a contractor may give you a bid for ‘x’ amount of dollars, but when then they tear the floors up and they tear the walls out and – wow, we’re not even close. The next thing you know you’re rebuilding structure and it’s very close to something you could’ve done brand new.”
A political newcomer, Simon said he’s essentially running to help maintain the community that has supported his family for more than 25 years.
“I’m new to politics, but I just want to help out the community,” he said. “That’s really the bottom line. I love it here and I just felt it was time to give back.”