Calling Out Board Member Errors

Besides censure, how do you all treat Board members who screw up (for lack of a better word)? This is a pretty general question, I know, but when this occurs is this something to communicate to the rest of the Board at an open meeting in front of the membership? Executive session? E-mail? One on one? I'm uncomfortable with one on one. All e-mail communication is cc'd to all Board members for this reason. My concern is having Board member(s) that keep making really stupid mistakes and the members of the Association have no clue and think everything is hunky dory all the time. I've been organizing records from the inception of the Association and I've found this to be pretty accurate historically speaking - lots of what I would term incompetence. Anyway - what do you do about it? Accept it because it's all you have to work with?

I've called out a Board member before in an e-mail over something they did in error (I was as polite as I could be) and was attacked by another Board member over my e-mail (just the fact that I called out their error). No matter what you point out, several Board members feel like they are being attacked. These folks are elderly and very protective of one another, which is something I've had to work with for years, but I'm wondering if there is another way around this. Just bite my tongue and pretend it's not happening? Very frustrating. The good news is that 2 of the 3 that have questionable competence will be off the Board shortly.

Good suggestions from AugustinD. LindaK5 CAL If you find the answers, please share them.

I have come to think that - in front of most general memberships - (that) no questions dared be asked IF - IF - such would expose any or all Board members to looking incompetent or lazy or whatever.

Those questions, respectfully, might best be left to thick-skinned dissenters who don't mind being Satan for the next ten thousand years. Or to their hired personal attorneys who are already Satan. May the Gods help those dissenters. Their bridges may already be burned.

Inside the Board, how much smoother to try to urge impersonally "Hey folks. Maybe we need to take another look at this . . . maybe to hire independent professional advice or review on an issue that maybe has no right or wrong . . .". If it can't be done without someone taking it personally & cronies ganging up, maybe time to try to record dissent in the Board Minutes.

Or to step down until the next election.

Hope this timely topic generates a wide range of advice.

Thanks, Augustin ..... I'm already on the Board and have another year in my term. I don't like using the word incompetence because it's not something I can prove. It's one of those words that are used too often and under the wrong circumstances. That being said though .... incompetency WOULD be a good word in this instance. :-)

BobD4 - that's what I was thinking. I don't always want to be the bad guy and point this stuff out, so much of the time I just complain to my husband about it and suck it up. I'm been working on getting some professional advice and am hoping with the new incoming Board this may happen. Can't and won't step down as we have too much at stake in the community.

KerryL1 - Board isn't e-mailing regarding business as you suspect. To give you an example of the most recent faux paux. As you know, our Declaration violation homeowner was fined. Deadline for paying the fine passed (January 10th). I delayed following through on contacting the Association attorney because we have been having serious mail problems in our town (as in taking weeks to get a letter from your next door neighbor). The deadline passed, and I gave it another few weeks because of the mail issue just to make sure the fine payment wasn't lost in the mail. So, this past week it's been about a month. I contacted the attorney to let him know we're going to court since the homeowner didn't pay the fine. He scheduled a meeting with the Board this Monday (tomorrow). So, on Saturday (yesterday), I went to pick up my mail in my mail slot and here is the fine payment from the homeowner - it was postmarked January 11th!!!!! Mind you, I sent out 2 e-mails to Board members asking them if they had seen anything from this person in the mail. The response was a resounding no. The treasurer left a message on my phone Saturday saying the envelope must have been thrown in with the ballot envelopes that came in the mail. WHAT? Our ballot envelopes are pre-printed legal size envelopes and look nothing like the envelope the fine payment came in. Anyway, my beef with this is we could have met with the attorney and incurred MORE attorney fees because of this error. So, in short - this is Board communication via e-mail, nothing more.

I'm not saying homeowners get INCORRECT INFO. They get no information when something like this happens (which is often). Homeowners think everything is great!

Yeah, we also had a Board member discuss Executive Session business with another homeowner. I brought it up and nothing was done about it. Luckily, this person will be off the Board soon.

Wholehearted agree on the Code of Ethics - it's been in my notebook for almost a year waiting for these people to be off the Board. Hopefully, with the new Board we can implement this document/

And, I'm working on getting a PM because self-management isn't working in my opinion.

My personal opinion is if you are uncomfortable with "one on one" you possibly should not volunteer for your HOA. Most citizens and homeowners would want anyone who has an issue to FIRST approach them with the question or issue. Sometimes if two people clash it can many times be more easily settled between the two individuals. However, if they feel you have in essence "attacked" them when you bring up an issue in front of many others via copying to the others ... they become defensive and feel like they MUST defend themselves against the "perceived" attack.

The very first time I ever lived in an HOA I had a neighbor try to claim my dogs were supposedly barking non-stop. ALL my surrounding neighbors stated that was FALSE, and they all pointed to the neighbor who most likely was making the claim as they has also been subjected to similar claims. There became a point where I could "prove beyond a reasonable doubt" their claim was false and walked around the block to their home and knocked on their door.

They admitted they were complainers ... to which I pointed out MANY items where it absolutely could not be my dogs including the fact I had 4 dogs and it would be COLD DAY down below before I ever had ONE dog supposedly bark non stop as they had complained. I gave them my phone number and stated if you think my dogs are barking, please call. The alternative is if I have the police show up at my door again I will have to SUE you to protect my dogs ... which is really stupid because it is NOT my dogs and which ALL my other surrounding neighbors are willing to verify.

While the problem I had was with a neighbor in a "different" HOA ... it still has the issue of if they had the common courtesy to knock on my door ... I at that time could have discussed and given them my cell phone number ... and it would not have escalated to the point of a possible LAWSUIT over a really stupid issue which other neighbors could verify.

Keep in mind you should never state something behind anyones back that you are not willing to state to their face!!! Everyone should have an option of defending themselves to one if they have the issue vs defending to many who possibly did not have any issue.

Suggest you secure a post office box at the local post office for the association. Perhaps assign specific tasks, vote the assignments and record in the minutes especially regarding important issues that are not being handles correctly. This offers ownership.