By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(July 5, 2018) The Ocean Pines Directors on Friday will consider removing Association President Doug Parks.

Director Slobodan Trendic emailed board members last Friday to request a special meeting for that purpose. He said the reason for removal was related to Parks’ conduct and defamatory remarks made in his capacity as president.

The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the conference room of the administration building on 239 Ocean Parkway.

Officially, the agenda lists only adjournment to closed session “for Contractual Issues as permitted by the MD Homeowner’s Association Act, Section 11B-111 … Discussion of matters pertaining to employees and personnel.”

The reason for removal apparently stems from comments made in the Gazette last week, as Parks was commenting on Trendic’s actions during a June 23 regular board meeting.

Parks moved to go into closed session to discuss the recent resignation of Director Pat Supik, which sources said was at least in part because she was harassed by Trendic.

Trendic balked at the suggestion of the special meeting and, according to Parks, later stood over him in a threatening manner.

“He takes a position over top of my chair and says, ‘You haven’t seen me mad! Remember I told you when I get mad I take action? Well, you’re going to see me in action!’ He basically threatened me,” Parks said in an interview last week. “I held my hand up and I said, ‘Slobodan, don’t threaten me. Go away.’”

Trendic, in a June 28 email to board members and local media, disputed that account.

“For the record this is what I told him: ‘Doug, do you remember what you told me months ago? You said ‘Slobodan, you haven’t seen me mad yet.’ And I responded to you by telling you that you haven’t seen me in action yet.’ These were my exact words,” Trendic said.

“Doug’s comments and his behavior at the Saturday’s board meeting illustrates a certain management style that I have NO intention of tolerating. You might be interested to know that last year Doug recommended the Board consider censuring me from discussing board business with the local media. Did he have a duct-tape in mind? LoL.

“By the director-majority maneuvering, Doug became the board-elected president and the spokesperson for our Association. Doug’s recent behavior now makes one wonder if the Board’s decision was right and it begs this question: Should Doug Parks continue to be the spokesperson for the Association?

“I plan to request a special meeting and I intend to submit this very question before the Board. My hope is that at least one more director will side with my concern and join me by requesting a special board meeting. Or that Doug will do what is in the best interest of the OPA community.”

Parks, on June 29, offered a reply:

“All, For the record, Slobodan’s recollection of what he said to me is conveniently incorrect,” Parks said.

“Slobodan, You walked over to where I was sitting, stood over top of me in an attempt to intimidate me and proclaimed that I had ‘not seen you mad yet and that I would see you in action.’ Without looking at you I said ‘Slobodan, don’t threaten me, go away’ and I proceeded to close my folder, gather up my computer and walk away. Those were the exact words that were spoken.”