Candidate Personality Off Limits in Campaign?

If a current Board member is running for re-election on the Board that I am currently serving on and a homeowner asks me my opinion of this candidate, is that candidate's inter Board relationship and personality (such as in phone calls) fair game to convey? Nothing I am proposing is gossip-but behavior that I have been experienced first hand. Would it be fair game to mention that a candidate has never volunteered for or taken on any projects?

How do you convey your first hand experience working with a certain Board member without crossing the line and divulging Board business?

“I cannot advise you how to vote.”

How many slots are open and how many are running? When will th election be? Will thee be candidate bios the go to Owners? Will there be a "Candidates Night" where candies can make a short campaign statement and be questioned by th audience via a moderator?

Short of defamation, slander or liable, you may say anything you wish about this director or any candidate. But how smart is it? If you make a Shelia-sample statement, "Barbara is lazy as hell, doesn't come to meetings prepared, asks stupid questions," you easily can lose a vote for you. Nasty smears don't show why YOU should be elected and that maybe you're just a griper with nothing to offer but negativity.

I'd say that rehashing the content of phone calls & "Mel's" hostile tone or rudeness would get you nowhere except a non-vote. Not sure why there'd be many phone calls anyway in AZ, and open meeting state

I do think that you can contrast examples of your initiatives and service to your community with Mel's, especially if asked: "Well, I've achieved x, y & z. But I can't recall any project that Mel has suggested and he doesn't seem to contribute," might be effective.

If your questioner doesn't attend board meetings, extend a hearty invite so they can see and hear Mel's "approach to governing."

OMG-just thinking about sample of campaign speech you've heard in AZ!

If you want to get into details, focus on the person's behavior - you can convey quite a lot without saying "she's a narcissistic bully who stirs up fights wherever she goes". And if the person *is* a narcissistic bully, many people will have figured this out already.

And, if you phrase your comments correctly, people will be able to read between the lines. So if you're asked specifically about your opinion of Bully Betty...

Frown a bit and say "I don't want to focus on the negative or tell tales out of school. Instead, I hope that the board will be able to accomplish this, that and the next thing during the coming year. To do that, we'll need to have directors with energy and commitment to the community, and who can work and play nicely with others. I hope that homeowners will vote for candidates who have those qualities." Finish up with a big smile.

FYI: Here is what HR is allowed to ask your former employer when calling for a reference. "Are they available for rehire?". The answer is "yes" or "No". If it is a "Yes, that means you had a "good" record with the company etc... If the answer is "no", indicates there was an issue. They can not go into detail about what that was. That is where your personal references may spill the beans...

I would take a similar approach in this situation. If asked if you would vote for that person you can simply say "Yes or No". However, that is MY PERSONAL opinion. They can review the meeting notes and/or attend meetings to see how the person is. It's not good to pass on your own will onto someone else. Your will may be tainted.

A personal side note... The Ex-president in my HOA was entrenched in the culture of my HOA. He was a total con man and habitual liar. I knew this first hand and experienced it several times. Others whom were also "wise" told me the same thing. However, if I tried to tell others it painted me in a bad light. He often went around telling people "I was crazy or stalking him etc...". The first lie is the best lie... (BTW My "stalking skills" were lackluster. I forgot his phone # routinely, and moved to another neighborhood. Bad stalker here.). It was usually a few weeks or months later like clockwork, I would get the phone call... "I am so sorry I did not believe you"... Too late. The cycle would begin again... Found it's best to let THEIR behavior and lies expose themselves. They will eventually. No need to speed the process up.

Note: I was telling the truth. The problem was he was not... So no matter how much "truth" you speak, once your dealing with a manipulative liar truth is what they say it is. Until people experience the "Truth".

Example: I moved out of my HOA. Was the head of the neighborhood watch still. (I lived nearby). There was break-ins going on and vandalism. I noticed one day the police driving by my new house. Thought it was a new neighbor checking out my fixing up the house. I was usually outside mowing or doing house repairs at the time. Did not think much about it. One day I come to collect the rent at my HOA house. My neighbor comes across the street apologizing to me??? I was like what for? Apparently he had told people that I was the one behind the vandalism. Apparently I was crazy stalking him and his new girlfriend/President. It was not until my neighbor told me they had taken a baseball bat to the guy (board member's son) trying to break into Ex-Presidents truck he learned the truth. He was like "Hey X is going around telling people YOU are behind the break-ins because I was crazy". After that the Ex-President had to tell EVERYONE he had lied about me.

So there were people he had convinced I was this stalking crazy ex-girlfriend who was obsessed with him. Mind you it was quite the opposite... I know of no "stalker" who sells their home and moves away from the person they "love"... LMAO! He really had a hard time explaining that one!

As a fellow homeowner, I am not going to vote for her.

Respectfully, I think circumstances arise all the time where these HOA/COA director elections must be political. Real life example, in progress as we speak:

2021 -- Homeowners Association settles two lawsuits (COA as plaintiff) and one Fair Housing complaint (owner as plaintiff) with the owner, with HUD "overseeing" (a euphemism for arm twisting the HOA?) to a large extent. Cost to HOA estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Cost to owner also thought to be in the tens of thousands. Insurers covered none of the attorney bills. Manager's role in all the lawsuits and Fair Housing complaint was enormous.

2022 -- HOA, its directors and manager are now being sued by another owner for violation of the covenants; the state HOA statute; and more.

The HOA is on at least its fifth law firm in five years for non-collection related HOA issues.

As the line goes, sunshine is the best disinfectant. I think hard questions need to be asked. Some may very well feel that a change in directors and/or management (which the board controls) is needed.

NpB do not give your insights to the person asking for inside info.

Just MHO: in my small but reasonably successful foray into this kind of thing, I’ve found it’s better to say good things about good people than to say bad things about anyone.

If someone asks you about Candidate Bob Dillwad — you can say “You know who I’d like to see on the Board? Doris Green. She’s running, and like most of you, I’ve known her for many years …” (I think politicians call this “pivoting”).

Granted, you may or may not be in such a position to respond that way. But (and again in my small experience) if you’re running for the Board because you are pushing any kind of change, it’s best if you can get a ‘slate’ of 2 or more like-minded candidates to run together (and, later, vote together).

But my main point is: *not* expressing your opinion about a candidate can be a powerful statement in itself. And it doesn’t reflect poorly on you.

BillD