(May 5, 2016) Ocean Pines Association General Manager Bob Thompson got three more years on his contract last Tuesday, following a 6-1 vote by the OPA Board of Directors to renew the agreement with its current pay plan rather than institute the pay cut Thompson requested.
In the renewed deal, he will receive a base salary of $165,000 with potential bonuses that could total 25 percent of that sum. However, 75 percent of that is tied directly to budget performance incentives, while the board decides the remaining 25 percent.
Last year, for example, the board voted to give Thompson a $5,000 bonus. He did not receive any bonuses tied to budget performance, according to a source on the board.
During the negotiations, which took place as part of a closed meeting on Thursday, April 28, Thompson offered to restructure the deal, foregoing bonuses altogether in favor to a small annual raise – two or three percent – that’s in line with what other staff in Ocean Pines receive.
According to Thompson the offer was meant to remove confusion surrounding his contract, which has been a point of contention for some, and to bring his deal in line with what other OPA staff received.
“Despite the fact I hold the senior leadership role in the organization from the staff side, I felt it was important that my compensation be more in line with the rest of my staff, who also serve the community each and every day and try and do the very best they can,” Thompson said. “I wanted to be seen as a team member.
“While the bonus structure is certainly appreciated, I think there are misconceptions as to why it was structured that way,” Thompson added. “It was my hope to improve the relationship with the board of directors, to continue with the good relationship I have the department heads and the rest of their teams, and to make sure the overall relation with our membership stays strong. To me, it made sense to remove one of the most contentious parts of my contract, and that’s the bonus structure.”
Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs called Thompson’s proposal a “bold” move.
“I appreciated him offering that,” she said. “He felt that was a very contentious issue, and I think he’s correct about that. I think we were all taken aback that he would offer that up.”
Jacobs said she would have voted to approve the amended contract, but “the majority felt the community and he were best served by leaving [the contract] just the way it is.”
Perhaps the most startling part of the extension was the size of the majority who voted in favor of it. Asked if she was surprised that the affirmative vote included several noted Thompson detractors, Jacobs said “yes” – four times.
“I think the vote says a lot about the confidence that the board has in Bob and what he’s doing to continue to make this one of the best neighborhoods where people can live,” she said.
Thompson admitted his detractors could make his job harder at times, but said he was trying to clear up any misconceptions and to try to improve his working relationship with the board of directors and others in the community.
“Any contention, any misunderstanding that are harbored certainly makes any job more challenging,” he said. “But, when you serve a population as large as ours, you’re going to have that. Daily, we’re trying to make Ocean Pines a better experience for everybody.
“As we considered moving forward together [with a new contract] I really wanted to make an effort to remove those really contentious and confusing items, and I think my bonus is one of the biggest,” Thompson continued.
“We’re on the same team, and I don’t feel I’m any different from [other staff] who get up and come to work and try to do their best every day. I didn’t want this to be a misunderstanding, and I didn’t want my compensation to weigh heavily on the work efforts of the team.”
The lone “no” vote, Director Tom Herrick, emailed a statement regarding his views to the Gazette on Tuesday.
Herrick was the leading vote getter during the last election.
“I did vote against the contract proposal giving the general manager an additional three-year extension on the current agreement,” he wrote. “The current board majority voted against my proposal to investigate a possible alternative means of management for our association. I will always strive to find ways we can improve moving forward and I personally believe we should, at a minimum, explore other viable options in order to best serve the entire membership.”
In the renewed deal, he will receive a base salary of $165,000 with potential bonuses that could total 25 percent of that sum. However, 75 percent of that is tied directly to budget performance incentives, while the board decides the remaining 25 percent.
Last year, for example, the board voted to give Thompson a $5,000 bonus. He did not receive any bonuses tied to budget performance, according to a source on the board.
During the negotiations, which took place as part of a closed meeting on Thursday, April 28, Thompson offered to restructure the deal, foregoing bonuses altogether in favor to a small annual raise – two or three percent – that’s in line with what other staff in Ocean Pines receive.
According to Thompson the offer was meant to remove confusion surrounding his contract, which has been a point of contention for some, and to bring his deal in line with what other OPA staff received.
“Despite the fact I hold the senior leadership role in the organization from the staff side, I felt it was important that my compensation be more in line with the rest of my staff, who also serve the community each and every day and try and do the very best they can,” Thompson said. “I wanted to be seen as a team member.
“While the bonus structure is certainly appreciated, I think there are misconceptions as to why it was structured that way,” Thompson added. “It was my hope to improve the relationship with the board of directors, to continue with the good relationship I have the department heads and the rest of their teams, and to make sure the overall relation with our membership stays strong. To me, it made sense to remove one of the most contentious parts of my contract, and that’s the bonus structure.”
Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs called Thompson’s proposal a “bold” move.
“I appreciated him offering that,” she said. “He felt that was a very contentious issue, and I think he’s correct about that. I think we were all taken aback that he would offer that up.”
Jacobs said she would have voted to approve the amended contract, but “the majority felt the community and he were best served by leaving [the contract] just the way it is.”
Perhaps the most startling part of the extension was the size of the majority who voted in favor of it. Asked if she was surprised that the affirmative vote included several noted Thompson detractors, Jacobs said “yes” – four times.
“I think the vote says a lot about the confidence that the board has in Bob and what he’s doing to continue to make this one of the best neighborhoods where people can live,” she said.
Thompson admitted his detractors could make his job harder at times, but said he was trying to clear up any misconceptions and to try to improve his working relationship with the board of directors and others in the community.
“Any contention, any misunderstanding that are harbored certainly makes any job more challenging,” he said. “But, when you serve a population as large as ours, you’re going to have that. Daily, we’re trying to make Ocean Pines a better experience for everybody.
“As we considered moving forward together [with a new contract] I really wanted to make an effort to remove those really contentious and confusing items, and I think my bonus is one of the biggest,” Thompson continued.
“We’re on the same team, and I don’t feel I’m any different from [other staff] who get up and come to work and try to do their best every day. I didn’t want this to be a misunderstanding, and I didn’t want my compensation to weigh heavily on the work efforts of the team.”
The lone “no” vote, Director Tom Herrick, emailed a statement regarding his views to the Gazette on Tuesday.
Herrick was the leading vote getter during the last election.
“I did vote against the contract proposal giving the general manager an additional three-year extension on the current agreement,” he wrote. “The current board majority voted against my proposal to investigate a possible alternative means of management for our association. I will always strive to find ways we can improve moving forward and I personally believe we should, at a minimum, explore other viable options in order to best serve the entire membership.”