OVA Board Candidate – Karl Turner III
by Karl Turner III *
Hello, my name is Karl Turner, and I am running for the OVA Board of Directors. You may know me as the retired chef who has taught culinary classes locally.
My candidacy differs from others due to my extensive experience managing large-scale culinary operations, including Executive Chef roles at prestigious establishments like the Marin Country Club, Fountaingrove Golf Club, John Ash & Co., and the San Fransico Fairmont Hotel. I am fiscally conservative and committed to representing a community with largely fixed incomes. Increasing monthly assessments and project-based assessments will adversely affect our standards of living, property values, and home resale appreciation in Oakmont.
Fiscal Transparency
Currently, I have not solidified my opinion on the Berger/CAC remodel project yet, similar to many in our community, but I oppose the way it was presented without a budget or cost totals. I strongly believe that this project should only proceed with full cost transparency and funding details, including bank loans that may bypass a membership vote. I will work to ensure that all financial decisions are made openly with community input and approval.
Improving the OAK Restaurant Operations
My main reason for joining the OVA Board is to improve CourseCo’s operation of the OAK Restaurant. As a retired Executive Chef with 40 years of experience, including 15 in the private country club sector, I come with the expertise to make a difference. At last summer’s annual meeting with the CEO of CourseCo, it was made very clear to the OVA community, that CourseCo has no interest in improving the operations at the Valley of the Moon’s restaurant. This in part makes sense, because if the restaurant does not make a profit, then the OVA offsets the loss through “Golf and Social Membership” assessments, paid by OVA members whether they dine there or not. It is time to take control, to maximize the quality and minimize the loss. I propose:
- Establishing a Food & Beverage Committee as a subcommittee of the golf operation committee. This committee would become the interface between CourseCo and the OVA community, working to address community concerns of the overall culinary quality and profitability of the Oak Restaurant.
- If CourseCo will not or cannot improve the restaurant operations, then the committee will begin to create the groundwork needed to renegotiate the contract with CourseCo. Including the possibility of removing the food & beverage operations from further contracts with CourseCo and moving forward with a new restaurant corporate management company such as Bon Appetit, Sodexo or Guckenheimer.
You can rest assured I am dedicated to focusing on transparency, fiscal responsibility, and maintaining a well-managed Oakmont Village Association. I humbly ask for your support.
* Editor’s Note: A technical difficulty is currently preventing us from inserting Karl’s name in the correct location for the byline of this article. Once the difficulty is resolved, we will correct the error, but we did not want to delay publication so are publishing it under the Oakmont Observer byline.
