By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Dec. 12, 2019) New Ocean Pines advisory committees should have a clearer path to follow from a procedural standpoint once guidelines are developed by a work group that itself is in the formation process.

During the OPA Board of directors meeting last Wednesday, Dr. Colette Horn said the OPA Executive Council on Nov. 6 group discussed how some advisory committees don’t always follow the correct communications procedures in exchanges between committee members, OPA staff and contractors.

“Revisions to the resolutions governing various advisory committees has cleaned up the language related to these issues,” she said.

Despite those improvements, Horn said internal support for a protocol tutorial for new committee chairs, or members, is gaining traction.

“The communications advisory committee recommends they lead a work group to develop content for orienting new chairs and board liaisons each year to prevent a breakdown or confusion in processes,” she said.

Horn said the communications committee is seeking the board’s approval and guidance in the matter.

OPA President Doug Parks, acknowledging the situation, said the idea would be put a framework around what it takes to be a committee chair versus a committee member.

Parks said the chairperson has added responsibilities, and that people with committee experience could help new committee heads gain their footing.

“There’s a lot of intellectual capital that’s been collected over time, and I think it’s only prudent for us to share that information in a more formal manner rather than having people have to ask for it,” he said.

Jenny Cropper Rines, communications committee chairwoman, has already begun to research the issue and has expressed interest in compiling materials, Parks said.

“There a lot of people within Ocean Pines now that either have been on committees and aren’t now or are still on committees,” board member Tom Janasek agreed.

Janasek said previous committee chairs and members could be solicited to compile a precise list of responsibilities and expectations.

“The main thing is getting information from the committee to the board,” he said. “That’s one of the biggest struggles. We have all these people that want to help but they have no idea when they get ideas what to do with them.”

Parks said the orientation materials also could serve as a recruitment tool.

“I wonder how many people who maybe wanted to volunteer for a committee felt that they didn’t have enough information,” he said. “They didn’t know how to really go through the process to become a committee member.”

Board member Frank Daly, speaking by phone, agreed with the proposal and suggested any related training coursework should be required for committee chairs.

“I think that advisory committee chairs should have to participate in a mandatory manner as part of the new board orientation,” he said.

Daly said communication protocols, as well as procedural expectations and limitations in working with the board should be made clear.

“That should be all part of … a process orientation … for the committee chairs,” he said.

Horn said requiring new chairpersons to participate in the tutorials would require a revision of the association’s resolutions.

“What I’m hearing from the board tonight is they would like to be the owners of a work group to achieve this objective,” she said.

Janasek balked at the suggestion of making attendance at these orientations mandatory for new chairpersons.

“It’s a lot of work to rope people into committees,” he said.

He suggested instead that any subsequently drafted recommendations for new committee chairs could be communicated directly.

“The more structure you give them, the more willing they are to participate, if they know that they’re being heard,” he said. “That’s always been a big problem with committees … thinking that they weren’t being heard by the board.”

Horn proposed forming the work group and having their eventual insights returned to the board.

Parks agreed and suggested the inclusion of Rines, in addition to his own involvement with the work group.

“Reach out to Jenny, since she has done background work,” he said. “Then we’ll run with it.”

Dr. Colette Horn opened a discussion about developing a protocol tutorial for new committee chairs, while, pictured from left, OPA President Doug Parks, OPA Vice President Steve Tuttle and board member Larry Perrone vetted the suggestion during the directors meeting on Dec. 4.