Those of you that attended the Reserve Fund meeting last night must have found it quite amusing! They provide you with information, but never give you the real sense of what they mean. They try to hide the true scope of what they are presenting. For example, they told us that the reserve fund contribution would cost an extra $1,000 a year, a few statements later this expanded to $1,000 for 5 years. What they did not say was $1,000 for the first year, $2,000 for the second year, $3,000 for the third year, $4,000 for the fourth year and $5,000 for the fifth year. What this means is that after 5 years, your Condo fees would almost double. The problem is that only a few people will likely understand this.
I see that Paul was up to his old tricks; he threatened to quit if I was not removed from the Board, we should be so lucky. This performance also came with a pre-printed form requiring 15 signatures to obtain a vote for my dismissal. Paul attempted this earlier in the year to no avail. He apparently pulled the same stunt on Elizabeth a few years ago, when she was part of the board forcing her resignation.
A few other things to note from the meeting. Two people threatened me with physical violence, one of which was Jim Sutherland. We should keep an eye on this person.
Also of note, was Anna’s remarks regarding Andy. Where she stated that they were trying to keep Andy with us. The reality is that these people only use Andy as a way to threaten the Home Owners, saying he will leave if Paul leaves. To show you the hypocrisy at the first Board Meeting that I attended, I proposed, that Andy receives a “no cut” contract. In other words, Andy could not be fired before he retires. Anna immediately recognized that this would sever Andy’s connection to Paul and the threat of him leaving with Paul would disappear. Paul also did not want to go along with this, so much for their great concerns about Andy.
Also funny was the fact that Paul thought that a newsletter would be a great idea for a committee to work on. Of course, he insisted that after the newsletter was prepared, he would be to approve the final version. He must be concerned that one of these newsletters may let out some information that he wants to keep secret. However, Home Owners Info newsletter does not suffer from any such defects.
Many people were very concerned about the lack of communication not only with Paul and the directors, but also between various groups within the Condo. I cannot see much improvement in this area until we move in a new direction. The “Old Sharon” board members have obviously failed in their fiduciary responsibilities to the homeowners. As the current Reserve Funds status stands now it will become virtually impossible to sell your unit at a reasonable price. They have done more to destroy the investment value of your property then you can imagine. These issues need addressing.
As I was leaving, Sharon called me “a place where the sun don’t shine”. Now if I had used this word all hell would have broken out. Obviously, potty mouth Sharon just complains about language used, but has no problem using such language herself.
Bill Siudak
