During the last two budget cycles, Pat Supik has chaired the Ocean Pines Association Budget and Finance Committee. Along with her other duties, she has overseen the annual weeklong meetings the advisory group holds on the financial plan, and helped pen a list of recommendations to the directors.
Supik, 71, is now looking to move up a rung on the ladder of Ocean Pines politics, running for one of three positions on the board of directors this August.
A Baltimore native with an accounting background, she moved to the area in 2011 and has served on the budget committee for three years, chairing the last two.
Last year, she said Director Tom Terry and former Director Pete Gomsak starting encouraging her to run. At the time, she said she “just couldn’t even think about” it.
This year, however, Supik felt strongly enough about the issues that she was convinced to enter the contest.
“I think that a board’s function, particularly in this setting, is to set the mission, vision, and long-term direction for a community,” she said. “I don’t think the board’s role or responsibility is in the management of a community. For that, the board hires a manager who manages the day-to-day operation.
“To me, it’s a clear distinction between managing and being a board member,” she added.
In Ocean Pines, that distinction is occasionally a matter of some debate.
“I’ve been fortunate to serve on several boards and I’ve been equally fortunate to be involved in organizations which were discussing the very same topic, which is not uncommon,” she said. “In many ways, managing is easier for people than leading long term. I think, for a lot of people who have never been in that setting they think, ‘OK, I’m on the board, I run the place.’”
Supik said she appreciates the work the Ocean Pines directors do, calling it much more time consuming than many similar directorial bodies. That said, she believes the current group tends to get sidetracked on a single subject – namely, the general manager.
“I do think that, in many cases, one topic, one issue, one item shades the day for many. And I think it’s critical that board members look at each issue independent of the next,” she said.
“One of the major responsibilities of the board is to hire – and fire, if necessary – the manager of the organization. That should not be an all-consuming task. You decide if you want this guy or woman and then you hire [them],” Supik continued. “And while personality is in everything you do, I think the job should be measurable in performance metrics. Then, once you’ve decided that, that’s all good, move on and plan for [the future].”
She pointed to the recent vote by the directors to extend the contract of General Manager Bob Thompson as a prime example.
“To me, OK, that’s it. The board has decided,” she said. “It was not a 4-3 vote – it was a 6-1 vote. The board has decided, now move on. Evaluate again at the end of the year or whenever the term that you’ve agreed to for evaluation, and if the manager is not performing then you make a decision based on that. But, once you’ve decided that let it go and move onto bigger issues.”
Since she bought a home in Ocean Pines, about five years ago, Supik said she was delighted that the association decided to build a new yacht club and address needs at the pools and on the golf course.
Next, she said the board should tackle the country club, “step up” the process for dealing with abandoned and “ill-cared-for” properties and come to a decision on funding reserves based on the recent Design Management Associates Inc. study.
While living in Baltimore, Supik was brought on as the treasurer of a community that “didn’t believe in reserves” and came to a somewhat rude awakening.
“We needed a couple million dollars worth of work and we had to borrow the money, which people didn’t want to do,” she said. “So, I think we need to pay attention [to reserves]. Do I think we need to be fully funded to the extent of the study? That’s probably not reasonable, but I do think we need to pay attention to the reserves so that when the country club falls in on itself – which may happen – we have a solution ready.”
Supik knows a thing or two about the conditions at the country club, having spent significant time there during the last two Februarys – with the heat off – debating the budget. During that time, many on the committee and on the board could be seen sitting in the building wearing long, winter coats and wrapped in scarves while trying to discuss the finer points of Ocean Pines financials.
“It was terrible. I think there’s mold and dampness, and I think there are significant structural issues,” she said.
While she admitted her opinion was not unbending, she said she favors replacing the county club rather than attempting to renovate it.
“I do not have the expertise to say whether that can be repaired or not, but from my high-level view of the situation and knowing the age of the building and the type of structure it is, I’m thinking we start [with repairs] and it’s going to be a nightmare,” she said.
“The HVAC has got to be repaired tomorrow – or yesterday,” she continued. “That’s got to be a big ticket. You do that, and then next week the flooring and the roof probably need to be addressed. I think if you do components, you’re going to have a really, really long and ugly road.”
For the most part, Supik is upbeat and positive about the direction Ocean Pines is heading. She’s thrilled the beach club bathrooms are getting a makeover, and called the annual parking passes there one of the best deals in town.
“We, as a family, use the beach club a lot and that’s a super amenity,” she said. “When I tell people we have parking at the beach for $175 dollars a year, any day we want to go and that gets us four people in the pool, they’re like, really? I think it’s fantastic.”
The same goes for her take on Ocean Pines aquatics.
“How can you beat sitting at the yacht club pool in the afternoon having a vodka and tonic at 5 o’clock? I just love it,” she said.
With a dozen candidates running for just a handful of vacancies, Supik said voters should look to her “significant” experience on other boards and in leadership positions as a major selling point.
That includes taking part in the Leadership Baltimore County program, which is restricted to just 40 participants each year from business, government, nonprofit and education sectors, and includes intensive training in economic development, public safety and the inner workings of county and state government.
“I’ve been on boards that have been operating at a level that’s somewhat less than ideal and gone through the process of bringing that board to ideal,” she said. “I think that’s huge in my background.
“I also think the fact that I’ve been chair of the budget and finance committee – that’s a singular role and I’ve gone through, in detail, two budgets and dealt with bylaws and resolutions,” she continued. “That familiarity with our structure gives me a head start. I think I could hit the ground running without needing much ramp-up time.
“I can work with a very, very diverse group of people, as I have on the finance committee,” Supik said. “We had several members that were totally divergent to my opinion and we worked through our issues. There was never a finance committee that became rancorous. We didn’t agree, but we discussed and worked through our issues and I think I could bring that to the board.”
Supik, 71, is now looking to move up a rung on the ladder of Ocean Pines politics, running for one of three positions on the board of directors this August.
A Baltimore native with an accounting background, she moved to the area in 2011 and has served on the budget committee for three years, chairing the last two.
Last year, she said Director Tom Terry and former Director Pete Gomsak starting encouraging her to run. At the time, she said she “just couldn’t even think about” it.
This year, however, Supik felt strongly enough about the issues that she was convinced to enter the contest.
“I think that a board’s function, particularly in this setting, is to set the mission, vision, and long-term direction for a community,” she said. “I don’t think the board’s role or responsibility is in the management of a community. For that, the board hires a manager who manages the day-to-day operation.
“To me, it’s a clear distinction between managing and being a board member,” she added.
In Ocean Pines, that distinction is occasionally a matter of some debate.
“I’ve been fortunate to serve on several boards and I’ve been equally fortunate to be involved in organizations which were discussing the very same topic, which is not uncommon,” she said. “In many ways, managing is easier for people than leading long term. I think, for a lot of people who have never been in that setting they think, ‘OK, I’m on the board, I run the place.’”
Supik said she appreciates the work the Ocean Pines directors do, calling it much more time consuming than many similar directorial bodies. That said, she believes the current group tends to get sidetracked on a single subject – namely, the general manager.
“I do think that, in many cases, one topic, one issue, one item shades the day for many. And I think it’s critical that board members look at each issue independent of the next,” she said.
“One of the major responsibilities of the board is to hire – and fire, if necessary – the manager of the organization. That should not be an all-consuming task. You decide if you want this guy or woman and then you hire [them],” Supik continued. “And while personality is in everything you do, I think the job should be measurable in performance metrics. Then, once you’ve decided that, that’s all good, move on and plan for [the future].”
She pointed to the recent vote by the directors to extend the contract of General Manager Bob Thompson as a prime example.
“To me, OK, that’s it. The board has decided,” she said. “It was not a 4-3 vote – it was a 6-1 vote. The board has decided, now move on. Evaluate again at the end of the year or whenever the term that you’ve agreed to for evaluation, and if the manager is not performing then you make a decision based on that. But, once you’ve decided that let it go and move onto bigger issues.”
Since she bought a home in Ocean Pines, about five years ago, Supik said she was delighted that the association decided to build a new yacht club and address needs at the pools and on the golf course.
Next, she said the board should tackle the country club, “step up” the process for dealing with abandoned and “ill-cared-for” properties and come to a decision on funding reserves based on the recent Design Management Associates Inc. study.
While living in Baltimore, Supik was brought on as the treasurer of a community that “didn’t believe in reserves” and came to a somewhat rude awakening.
“We needed a couple million dollars worth of work and we had to borrow the money, which people didn’t want to do,” she said. “So, I think we need to pay attention [to reserves]. Do I think we need to be fully funded to the extent of the study? That’s probably not reasonable, but I do think we need to pay attention to the reserves so that when the country club falls in on itself – which may happen – we have a solution ready.”
Supik knows a thing or two about the conditions at the country club, having spent significant time there during the last two Februarys – with the heat off – debating the budget. During that time, many on the committee and on the board could be seen sitting in the building wearing long, winter coats and wrapped in scarves while trying to discuss the finer points of Ocean Pines financials.
“It was terrible. I think there’s mold and dampness, and I think there are significant structural issues,” she said.
While she admitted her opinion was not unbending, she said she favors replacing the county club rather than attempting to renovate it.
“I do not have the expertise to say whether that can be repaired or not, but from my high-level view of the situation and knowing the age of the building and the type of structure it is, I’m thinking we start [with repairs] and it’s going to be a nightmare,” she said.
“The HVAC has got to be repaired tomorrow – or yesterday,” she continued. “That’s got to be a big ticket. You do that, and then next week the flooring and the roof probably need to be addressed. I think if you do components, you’re going to have a really, really long and ugly road.”
For the most part, Supik is upbeat and positive about the direction Ocean Pines is heading. She’s thrilled the beach club bathrooms are getting a makeover, and called the annual parking passes there one of the best deals in town.
“We, as a family, use the beach club a lot and that’s a super amenity,” she said. “When I tell people we have parking at the beach for $175 dollars a year, any day we want to go and that gets us four people in the pool, they’re like, really? I think it’s fantastic.”
The same goes for her take on Ocean Pines aquatics.
“How can you beat sitting at the yacht club pool in the afternoon having a vodka and tonic at 5 o’clock? I just love it,” she said.
With a dozen candidates running for just a handful of vacancies, Supik said voters should look to her “significant” experience on other boards and in leadership positions as a major selling point.
That includes taking part in the Leadership Baltimore County program, which is restricted to just 40 participants each year from business, government, nonprofit and education sectors, and includes intensive training in economic development, public safety and the inner workings of county and state government.
“I’ve been on boards that have been operating at a level that’s somewhat less than ideal and gone through the process of bringing that board to ideal,” she said. “I think that’s huge in my background.
“I also think the fact that I’ve been chair of the budget and finance committee – that’s a singular role and I’ve gone through, in detail, two budgets and dealt with bylaws and resolutions,” she continued. “That familiarity with our structure gives me a head start. I think I could hit the ground running without needing much ramp-up time.
“I can work with a very, very diverse group of people, as I have on the finance committee,” Supik said. “We had several members that were totally divergent to my opinion and we worked through our issues. There was never a finance committee that became rancorous. We didn’t agree, but we discussed and worked through our issues and I think I could bring that to the board.”