The absence of discussion before the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors’ voted last week to extend General Manager John Viola’s contract was a powerful endorsement of his performance over the last six months.

Although it is a given that the GM and the board did talk privately about the terms of his two-and-a-half-year contract extension, it remains that little beyond that needed to be discussed.

Clearly, the board wants to continue the productive managerial arrangement the association has enjoyed since last spring, so the only real issue between the directors and Viola had to be whether he was up for an extended term of service.

Considering the sensible and effective business style of Viola as compared to the off-the-wall ineptitude of some of his predecessors, chances are the board was more than amenable to whatever conditions he might have set for his return.

Without having that contract in hand, we can only speculate about what those terms might be, but chances are they are reasonable.

To be sure, the OPA management team doesn’t deserve all the credit for the association’s constantly improving fiscal fitness. A good portion of that is due to the board’s own actions, which, more specifically, would be its decision to turn over its restaurant operations to industry professionals. That alone has produced hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings and revenue increases, reversing years of sorry results posted under the various do-it-yourself programs.

No offense to the personnel who worked in those earlier operations, but it’s always better to employ people who not only know what they’re doing, but also have a real stake in the outcome.

As for Viola and his team of managers, the results show they do know what they’re doing, and, with the board’s blessing, they will keep doing it for the foreseeable future. No discussion required.