BERLIN – Three new faces will join the Ocean Pines Association’s board of directors following this summer’s election.
On Saturday, Ocean Pines officials announced that Brett Hill, Slobodan Trendic and Pat Supik earned the most votes during the association’s annual election. Each will now serve a three-year term on the board.
Hill received 1,900 votes while Trendic received 1,520 votes and Supik 1,428.
“I was humbled by the votes I got,” Trendic said. “During my campaign time, I biked and walked around the community a lot. I quickly learned that it is residents that make this community so special.”
The three new directors will join the rest of the board Monday, Aug. 22 at 4:30 p.m. for an organizational meeting in which officers will be elected.
Supik, who recently served as chair of the association’s budget and finance committee, says one of the biggest issues the board will have to deal with is “ending the tumultuous rancor” surrounding it and association management.
“That has unfortunately become part of the fiber of the community,” she said.
Supik says she wasn’t sure what to expect when election results were announced Saturday at the association’s annual meeting. While she’d spoken to many residents who supported her during her campaign, she was aware the association was made up of more than 8,000 homes.
Trendic too said he wasn’t particularly confident as he awaited the election results. He ran for the board last year but was not elected.
“I was hoping the same 1,200 homeowners that voted for me last year would vote for me again,” he said. “But I also knew the competition was extra strong this year and that I needed more votes in order to win. My budget was small so I focused on campaigning the old-fashion way by walking around the community and making myself visible.”
He said the board’s recent behavior was what helped convince him to file for election again.
“I decided to run because I got many requests and encouragement to do it and it was hard to say no to so many people,” he said. “The fact that I also had enough of the board’s nonsense helped me make up my mind.”
Though Hill did not return a call for comment, during the summer’s campaign he and Trendic were both been vocal critics of Ocean Pines Association management.
“The fact that Brett Hill and I were elected is a statement of how many homeowners feel,” Trendic said. “We have management performance issues, operational problems, lack of transparency and a dysfunctional board. This must be addressed in the very near future.”
While Supik does want to see a better relationship among the association’s directors, she also believes future planning is a big issue facing the community’s leadership.
“Proper planning for the future,” she said. “That relates to buildings, roads, services and programs. This involves visioning for the long term future, strategic planning for the next five years and well developed action plans for the immediate future.”
Supik, Trendic and Hill will take the seats previously held by Jack Collins, Tom Terry and Bill Cordwell.
Complete election results are as follows: Brett Hill, 1,900 votes; Slobodan Trendic, 1,520; Patricia Supik, 1,428; Frank Daly, 1,028; Steve Lind, 875; George Simon, Jr., 816; Jack Collins, 782; Tom Janasek, 770; Doug Parks, 576; Larry Perrone, 342; and Ray Unger, 242.
