By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Oct. 19, 2017) Membership and a first meeting for the new Ocean Pines Association ethics work group was announced late last week. The board of directors last month voted unanimously to create the group, with the stipulation that its membership would include three directors and three association members and that its mission would be to draft a new ethics policy. Director Colette Horn introduced the motion and said the bylaws and resolutions committee would review the policy before coming back to the board for a formal vote. Horn, in an email on Saturday, said the group would include herself and directors Ted Moroney and Tom Herrick, as well as former directors Tom Terry and Jeff Knepper, and Donna McElroy. She said McElroy is “an attorney who has an interest in this topic and will be an asset to the group. She has owned property in OP for many years.” The first meeting is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. in the conference room of the administration building on 239 Ocean Parkway. A regular board meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Oct. 27. Horn said the first meeting would include a review Resolution B-05 governing conflicts of interest. The current resolution states, “No Director, officer, employee, or committee member of the Association shall recommend a course of action or make a decision on behalf of the Association with respect to any matter in which he has, or hopes to have, a direct or indirect financial interest or in which a family member or employer (other than the Association) has, or hopes to have, a financial interest.” Also in the resolution, no director, officer, employee or committee member may use “confidential information received in the course of his Association duties to benefit any person, company, corporation, or proprietorship.” Additionally, no one with association ties “shall accept gifts or gratuities from a corporation, company, proprietorship, or person seeking or doing business with the Association.” Exceptions are “meals of nominal value during the course of meetings at which Association business is discussed or gifts which are clearly based on relationships not related to the Association such as family or long standing social relationships.” Resolution B-05 was adopted on Nov. 19, 2008 and signed by then board president Dave Stevens and Secretary Les Purcell. It was reviewed on Dec. 4, 2008 by then General Manager Tom Olson and on Dec. 5, 2008 by attorney Joe Moore and Jim Trummel of the bylaws and resolutions committee. According to Horn, other topics during of discussion will include work group objectives and a timeline, the scope of the project, history of previous Ocean Pines codes of conduct, initial committee members thoughts, and next steps for drafting the new policy.