LisaS11 (California)
Posts: 38
Posts: 38
Posted:
Hi everyone,
I have been a Director for 2 months now. I knew the "rabbit hole" was deep, but I had no idea how deep and twisted it was. The more I dig, the more I find, and the more I find, the more fearful I am that there are forces larger than I can take on. Our General Manager is privately employed by us. She has been there for 15 years. Her "contract" doesn't expire until 2013. If she stays until her retirement, she gets the "golden parachute". She does not serve the Board, the Board serves her, and she reigns supreme.
Through her careful and calculated actions, she has managed over the years to create a culture within our 35 yr old HOA that is totally dependent upon her and her staff. She has the "old guard" convinced that were she to leave, this HOA would not survive.
I, along with three other candidates worked hard to reach quorum this year, and we did, and it looked as if finally we would be able to bring down this regime, but one of our ranks was weak and easily influenced, and this Manager was able to "leak" bits of a confidential conversation to this Director and convinced her to "flip". Her excuse for leaking confidential information was that her office door was so thin that she could only speak above a whisper. Well, the information that was "leaked" was said by the person on the phone, so her explanation doesn't make sense, does it? Either one of her staff members was listening in, or she blabbed, or maybe the caller was on speaker phone!
Anyhow, now this Manager is back in control. The former President, who voluntarily stepped down from office this year, is still enraptured by her, and she controls him, and in turn, he disseminates the marching orders to the 4 directors that are in lockstep. I had mentioned about a month ago that I was upset because a director that I helped get elected threw me under the bus for an important vote. Well, this is all a part of it. Am I upset I lost the board Majority? You bet. If it were just a struggle between homeowners who felt passionately about their HOA, well, I would just have to accept it, but I REFUSE to sit back and let my HOA be controlled by a Manager whose motives are not driven by making our HOA the best it can be, rather making it the best situation and jobs for her and her staff.
Am I wrong to point out that this woman and her staff have the best health insurance benefits I have seen in years, and they pay hardly anything for it AND they didn't even send their policy renewal out to bid- just kept it with their same broker of 10 years because "He's soooo nice"?
Am I wrong to point out that they violated the DAvis-Sterling Act by refusing to publish the tabulated election results within 15 days, and here we are past day 60 and it still hasn't been done?
Am I wrong to point out that it is wrong to tell families that their kids aren't allowed inside the club house building, can't use the microwave (it's supposed to be for everyone), tell kids they can't play volleyball because they're not 18 (no rules state that), and try to cancel a Pilates class for senior women because "they stink the building up"? The truth is that the staff doesn't want to be disturbed while they work- well, I guess they should get a regular office job then because they work inside a building intended for recreational use by the people who pay their salaries!
Am I wrong to defend homeowners who have been bullied, harassed and intimidated by unfair CC&R enforcement because people who are in the "in crowd" can pick up the phone, complain about their neighbor, and all of a sudden their enemy is on the black list? Over and over, I have witnessed retaliation by the staff like this. One homeowner can get away with doing anything they please- they can chop down all the trees on their property, paint their house an unapproved color, leave their trash cans out all day, every day, park their cars all catywampus, let their lawn go unmowed for weeks at a time, and nothing is asked of them. Next door, a house is scrutinized by the CC&R inspectors, looking for any little offense, and there is glee written all over the inspector's face when a paint chip the size of a quarter is discovered on the mailbox post.
I am so disappointed that this will continue for another year. I don't know what the future holds. I could try again to get another person on board who can think for themselves. The old guard might be able to pull something off and get myself and some of the "out crowd" out of there- who knows?
I have been a Director for 2 months now. I knew the "rabbit hole" was deep, but I had no idea how deep and twisted it was. The more I dig, the more I find, and the more I find, the more fearful I am that there are forces larger than I can take on. Our General Manager is privately employed by us. She has been there for 15 years. Her "contract" doesn't expire until 2013. If she stays until her retirement, she gets the "golden parachute". She does not serve the Board, the Board serves her, and she reigns supreme.
Through her careful and calculated actions, she has managed over the years to create a culture within our 35 yr old HOA that is totally dependent upon her and her staff. She has the "old guard" convinced that were she to leave, this HOA would not survive.
I, along with three other candidates worked hard to reach quorum this year, and we did, and it looked as if finally we would be able to bring down this regime, but one of our ranks was weak and easily influenced, and this Manager was able to "leak" bits of a confidential conversation to this Director and convinced her to "flip". Her excuse for leaking confidential information was that her office door was so thin that she could only speak above a whisper. Well, the information that was "leaked" was said by the person on the phone, so her explanation doesn't make sense, does it? Either one of her staff members was listening in, or she blabbed, or maybe the caller was on speaker phone!
Anyhow, now this Manager is back in control. The former President, who voluntarily stepped down from office this year, is still enraptured by her, and she controls him, and in turn, he disseminates the marching orders to the 4 directors that are in lockstep. I had mentioned about a month ago that I was upset because a director that I helped get elected threw me under the bus for an important vote. Well, this is all a part of it. Am I upset I lost the board Majority? You bet. If it were just a struggle between homeowners who felt passionately about their HOA, well, I would just have to accept it, but I REFUSE to sit back and let my HOA be controlled by a Manager whose motives are not driven by making our HOA the best it can be, rather making it the best situation and jobs for her and her staff.
Am I wrong to point out that this woman and her staff have the best health insurance benefits I have seen in years, and they pay hardly anything for it AND they didn't even send their policy renewal out to bid- just kept it with their same broker of 10 years because "He's soooo nice"?
Am I wrong to point out that they violated the DAvis-Sterling Act by refusing to publish the tabulated election results within 15 days, and here we are past day 60 and it still hasn't been done?
Am I wrong to point out that it is wrong to tell families that their kids aren't allowed inside the club house building, can't use the microwave (it's supposed to be for everyone), tell kids they can't play volleyball because they're not 18 (no rules state that), and try to cancel a Pilates class for senior women because "they stink the building up"? The truth is that the staff doesn't want to be disturbed while they work- well, I guess they should get a regular office job then because they work inside a building intended for recreational use by the people who pay their salaries!
Am I wrong to defend homeowners who have been bullied, harassed and intimidated by unfair CC&R enforcement because people who are in the "in crowd" can pick up the phone, complain about their neighbor, and all of a sudden their enemy is on the black list? Over and over, I have witnessed retaliation by the staff like this. One homeowner can get away with doing anything they please- they can chop down all the trees on their property, paint their house an unapproved color, leave their trash cans out all day, every day, park their cars all catywampus, let their lawn go unmowed for weeks at a time, and nothing is asked of them. Next door, a house is scrutinized by the CC&R inspectors, looking for any little offense, and there is glee written all over the inspector's face when a paint chip the size of a quarter is discovered on the mailbox post.
I am so disappointed that this will continue for another year. I don't know what the future holds. I could try again to get another person on board who can think for themselves. The old guard might be able to pull something off and get myself and some of the "out crowd" out of there- who knows?
)