New President breaking nearly all the rules

We are a small (10 unit) condominium built in the '81. Our Declaration of Unit Ownership states:
1) that in no event shall more than 4 persons, including children, simultaneously reside within a unit;
2) no unit owner shall obstruct the walkways or stairwells of the building;
3) small household pets up to 20 lbs. are allowed so long as the animal doesn't cause any other unit owner any hazard, nuisance, annoyance, or inconvenience;
4) each unit owner is to prevent the development of any unclean, unsightly, or unkempt condition of the property which shall tend to decrease the beauty of the building;
5) no unit owner shall cause anything to be hung, displayed, or placed on the exterior walls, doors, or other exterior parts of the building; and
6) the building was to be used for residential purposes only.

Our new President has a spouse and 3 children (2 girls and a boy) living in a 2 bedroom unit. The son graduated high school this year and will be attending a local community college. The condos only have 1 assigned parking sport per unit yet this family has between 3-5 vehicles parked at any given time. When they bought the unit the other owner's were of the understanding this was to be the couple's retirement home. Since the sale of their home all 3 children are now living in the unit. The couple also have 3 dogs. The owner/President installed a gate blocking off the common walkway to keep the dogs from running off and has a propane grill on the walkway. This complex has only 3 out of 10 owner/residents. This is the 1st time the complex has had an owner with any children as the complex was originally meant to be an adult complex with no children under the age of sixteen. The President operates his business out to the unit. Recently the President has placed a ping pong table in the community room and now has allowed another unit's tenant to place a pool table in the club room and that tenant has had 3 parties in the club room in the last month. This tenant and the President are best bud's and the tenant was given the contract for lawn maintenance. The first month over $100 in mulch was placed around and only at the tenant's unit and charged to the association. The President was to purchase a picnic table for around $90 but ended up spending $190+ for the table the tenant wanted. The tenant has 2 large gas grills on the patio area where the table is and stores his trash can on the common area.

The problem seems obvious, the community room has been turned into the personal game room for the use of young tenants and the children of the President. There had been a grouping of wicker furniture for conversation which they broke up and rearranged around the tables. How do we regain control? Can we charge a fee for the use of the room to cover the added utility costs and can they be required to give prior notice when they are going to be using the common facilities for personal use? The President obviously isn't going to obey the rules or practice any common sense. He has stated he knew the gate was wrong but was going to leave it up until someone said something. ANY ADVISE would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you George for you input.

Yes we have a Board and I am a member. Unfortunately it is a 3 member Board and as President he serves as the Chairman. I don't believe I'm the only one who has a problem with him but I will try and test the waters.

Response to Options:
1. I have attended the only Board meeting that has been called, in fact I requested the meeting. I haven't written a formal letter but I did broach the subject of the gate and he did correct it. Correcting landscaping and removing an unapproved pool table would be a lot more difficult.
2. We do have provisions for removing an officer and/or board member.
3. I would in effect be suing myself. I own 2 out of the 10 units, 3 units are owner occupied, 2 or vacant and have been for years and 3 have tenants.

I guess I'll request another board meeting and see how it goes.

Any other input would be appreciated. I am particularly interested in how other associations have handled use of the common areas. I have pointed out that we need committees for Rules and Regulations Enforcement and Building Maintenance and Grounds. According to our governing documents the appointment of committees is one of the few actual powers he has, as President his powers are general, and all the powers of the association are vested in the Board.

And, again I disagree with Melissa.

The very basis of any organization is the rules by which everyone agrees to live.

Whether those that break the rules are fun is waaaaay beside the point.

Hi Augustin.
1. The President is a director.

2. The other director is the person who told me about most of the violations. She's 90 yrs. old and lives right below him. She just doesn't want to
rock the boat. She thinks I should give him a big thank you for paying twice the going rate for a plumber and then give him a list of tradesmen.

3. I know I have at least 4 votes and think there would be no problem getting a couple more but no one wants to hold office. 5 of the units are owned by people who live out of state (at least half the year). Apathy is my biggest obstacle.

4. Yes, there are multiple parking violations daily.

5. Our problem has turned out to be just the opposite. We have an owner/resident who is treating the whole complex just like it is his personal residence where he can park wherever he wants, spend whatever he wants and do whatever he wants. With most of the owners not living there he doesn't seem to care. He doesn't ask advice or permission for anything.

6. I've checked the Fair Housing laws and I don't think we would be in violation by limiting it to 4 people. There are 5 people in a small two bedroom unit and they are also using it as a business. There are 3 kids, 1 a male out of high school sharing a bedroom with 2 females.

Thanks for the information!

So what extra powers does the "Chairman of the Board" have? Power-hungry directors and officers often make stuff up. We had a president who also claimed to be the "Chairman of the Board" a couple of years ago in an attempt to lay claim to power she did not have. Our Bylaws say the board of directors shall act as a whole, and no individual director has any extra power or authority. The duties of the president as an executive officer are plainly stated. There's no other power authorized or granted.

The other 2 directors should be able to pick another president among them, depending on your govening documents.