OPEN MEETINGS AND INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER

Tell us more, Judith. Does this director want to make a statement for the record condemning the content of the handouts? Or that they were distributed too close to the ballot area? Or that the "harmful allegations" were false? Was the prez on the ballot? Did she use her own funds to make copies of this handout? Or Association funds?

Were the candidates whom she attacked slated for election or reelection?

Are you on the board?

Here's the deal I have with letters written to board members or the "HOA". They are open game in a meeting. I tell my members that if you write a letter then it is subsituting you being at the meeting and speaking there. So if you write a letter then it will be read openly as we have open meetings.

Remember your HOA should run as if you left your family's checkbook on the dining room table wide open. That means you, your spouse, and kids have the right to see it and comment on the expenses/direction the money is going.

I think people write letters in thinking they are "private" but in reality they can't really be if they insist on transparency and open meetings. Now there are times where private matters as like personal health issues or those truly personal and private situations do happen. However, when it comes to matters that involve HOA business, those are open. You can help by paraphrasing or leaving a name out of the letter. It doesn't mean one has to expose the person's identity who wrote in. It's really boils down to the point they are trying to make.

I once had a letter submitted to me from one of our chief complaining officers. It regarded the fact that one of our lawncare guys was caught in her back yard going to the bathroom. She wanted us to "fire" the lawncare over it. It was kind of my fault because I woke up late and did not remove the lock from the gate to access our public bathrooms. I did not reveal the person's name but I read the letter. It was agreed we did not need to fire the lawncare people of course for this. However, it addressed the issue/complaint so that this person knew that what they wrote was not going to be exactly "private" once it hit the board's table. It stopped a few complaints from reaching the table as much after that.