Unfair election?

Started by MarkH1 • 3 replies • 1276 views

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MarkH1 (North Carolina)
Posts: 7

Posted:

We had our first election tonight for 2 interim board positions. There were 4 nominees for the 2 board positions.

We got a notice from the PM company where we had 5 days to return our nomination letters for people to be put on the ballot. Very vanilla form with no instructions other than a return by date. I nominated myself!

Two days after we got our nomination forms, we got a newsletter from our HOA. Within this newsletter there was a 2 or 3 paragraph blurb on the opposite side of a summary budget sheet from one of the nominees. It was well thought out and very professionally written. The other 3 nominees(me included) got no such opportunity and we were thrown to the wolves at our meeting when asked for a statement and to introduce ourselves. This was not on the meeting agenda. Of course Mr. Newsletter attachement (townhome owner) was elected for one of the seats and another woman who lives in a townhome also was elected for the other seat. The townhome owners were very well represented and outnumbered single family homeowners 2 to 1.

I only lost by 3 votes and I'm not bitter.

I'm not going to pursue this any further than this board but just wondering if anyone else thinks that the person who was able to have his 'campaign ad' sent along for free with our hoa newsletter, using hoa funds, to every homeowner had an unfair advantage or a privilege that should not have happened unless it was offered to all nominees?

Thanks,

Mark

RandalR (Tennessee)
Posts: 98

Posted:

You are right, it was an unfair advantage and an opportunity to present a resume should have been available to all nominees. But if there were no proxies in play then the townhomes (vs. the homeowners) would have probably carried the vote under any circumstance. I take it there's a certain amount of division between the two parties here?

MarkH1 (North Carolina)
Posts: 7

Posted:

You're correct, there seemed to be quite a different agenda for the townhome owners compared to the single family lot owners. Townhome owners were better organized and had the majority of representation at the meeting. I'm sure it's not uncommon but apathy with the single family lot owners was obvious.

After going to this first meeting and seeing the conflict between the two groups then I'm kind of glad that I didn't get elected, lots of whining already..

I guess a little bit of experience on my part wouldn't have hurt either. Townhome owners had a lot of proxies and if I had known better I would have gone door to door as they apparently did.

BradD2 (Florida)
Posts: 418

Posted:

Perhaps it is for the best that the single family owners had on proxies this time. It might make the Townhouse owners apathetic allowing the single family owners can gather the needed proxies next time.

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