Professionally, I am the CEO of a telecommunications real estate investment trust. My company, FTS Fiber, is now headquartered in West Ocean City, and is building fiber optic networks throughout the mid-atlantic, and most importantly, on the Delmarva. On June 13th we will be breaking ground on our first cables on the Delmarva in Kent County, MD, and working our way South throughout this year into next. I have spent the majority of my career in various levels of management in communications and technology organizations. Athough I am the youngest of all of the candidates, I believe my professional experience, along with my education from the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola College in Maryland, give me a very strong background to help guide our community.

Outside of work, and before I had children, my wife and I spent many years investing in real estate, and gained much success in becoming involved in our community / home owner’s associations. I served as both Secretary and President of the HOA of the Villages of Homeland, where my wife and I both lived and invested in other properties. I also served on the York Road Partnership in Baltimore, and fostered a 10 year agreement between Loyola College and the surrounding neighborhoods back in 2003. I am not a politician, but a businessman, and I make all decisions in both my professional career, and community representations with thorough evaluations, and sound documentation to back up the chosen direction.

Since we became homeowners officially in Ocean Pines, I have had a strong desire to serve on the board. In the 9 years that I have been a part of this community, I have seen a board of directors that, in my opinion, does not represent a majority of the community in many of the decisions made. Until last year, it was virtually impossible for me to participate in any board meetings, as they have been consistently held on weekday mornings, mid-week, when any owner, who like myself was part-time, could not attend. Now that I am full time, I face the same struggles, as I have a business to run, and midweek morning meetings are not always the most feasible. When the core business of the neighborhood takes place at a time that only a limited few can participate, how is the majority really able to be represented?

I want to earn your vote to represent the community now, because I feel as a young family within the neighborhood, I represent an entirely different set of goals than many of the other candidates, and for me, protecting the long viability of our amenities in my #1 priority. My family chose Ocean Pines because of all of the amenities it offered us in raising our children. My family spends as many days as possible, every summer, at the beach club and pools. Prior to the reconstruction of the yacht club, my family dined in the yacht club 3-4 times per month (and we were only here part time). In the last 9 years, we have seen minimal investment in Beach Club and Golf Club, a ton of money go into the yacht club, but a consumer experience decline to the point where no one in my family wants to dine there, and beautiful playgrounds rot away with greater concern over pickle ball court additions. I would like to earn a board seat to see these amenities move into a sustainable plan for continued use and expansion (at a profit independent of assessments).

Since all of us were asked how we would have voted on the Bob Thompson contract renewal, I have to say my opinion is that the vote was premature, and not enough comparative information was provided for me to make an informed decision. With that said, my vote, at the time the other board members voted, would have been no. I believe that before making any decision, all options would need to be evaluated, and I don’t see where the board had any reasonable basis of comparison to decide that the contract extension was the best decision for the community. For the pickleball courts, I think Tom Terry’s proposal of restriping existing tennis courts is a much better investment and compromise for the community. Spending $750,000.00 for pickleball courts and $55,000.00 for food trucks might appeal to a few, but I don’t see how these expenditures had sufficient documentation and research to be justifiable investments for the community.

In closing, I must reiterate thatI am not a politician, and I am not going to say I am an expert in all aspects of Ocean Pines. I can tell you I give 110% to everything I do. I am passionate about providing the best for my family, and if I make a commitment, I always follow through. If I am elected, I will dedicate all the time necessary to serve the home owner’s of Ocean Pines, and make sure that our assessments are protected, to allow the sustainability of everything that Ocean Pines has to offer us.