Lien by the I.R.S.

Is this something you could bring attention too at the meeting when the votes will be placed?

OOPS---

You seem pretty nosy to be "looking about" the public records of people you don't like.

What does that say about your character?

Actually, it's knowing the character of the people who will have access to our funds. We already had a past board president who stole almost $5000.00 from our association. We had a board member who was arrested for writing worthless (personal) checks. We've had enough board members who choose who stick their heads in the sand or turn the other way. It's those types of board members that have always gotten us in trouble in the first place. Because they did NOT want to do their homework or because they didn't "want to get involved"....their words.

I deeply appreciate all the replies and advise.

Anna,
To add a little defense to your case, I know that you have been doing record searches to find your original date for your CC&Rs and that dumb amendment that I also tried to help you find. I give you so much credit for spending alot of your free time trying to get your association back on track. Good Job Dear Lady.

Not intending to detract from Anna's diligence in searching public records, two things to remember:

innocent until proven guilty (i know, that isn't our executive branch policy, but it IS the US standard): Just because the IRS liened a home, doesn't mean the person is actually guilty. THe IRS has been known to overstep their authority at times.

Just because the IRS liens a property doesn't mean that X person did anything wrong: it could be a spouse, ex spouse, or even a case of ID theft.

Your diligence is comendable: if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck... just keep enough of your mind open to accept new facts, should they come to light.

The [lien] matter and your opinion of her has nothing to do with her being eligible to run for the BOD.

YOU don't like her and have vilified her here to get the response YOU want.

Misery loves company.

Search all the records you want then see #1 sentence above.

Anna,

I'll ask again. What happened to the Prez who you say stole $5K?

Or are you just speculating about the theft?

Billionaires on wall street have made financial mistakes but it doesn't mean they are corrupt nor does the fact the IRS has a lien on this person's home for some unpaid debt mean anything other than they have some financial dispute with the IRS. Maybe they are appealing it as well but the lien shows up right now.

Anna,
Just to expand on what Mary said, because this woman has been on the Board previously and did a poor job, that is the ammo that can be used against her. Make it a point to respond to her if she is not truthful in her resume' You do have that right to respond. Point out her errors concerning the Board. That should shake up a few memories from the members.

On all of your points above: Fail.

I would totally expect people to do their due diligence in "vetting" me for a position of responsibility.

Not only would I NOT "despise" it, I would find it questionable if it weren't done.

I find that most residents in HOAs don't do it, much to their loss, grief and collective sorrow many times.

We learned our lesson with a past-treasurer and you can be sure, we run public-record background checks on all board nominees.

In my corporate life as a supervisor and hiring manager, if I didn't do even more in-depth background checks on my prospect employees and if I didn't verify their resumes and portfolios, I would promptly and unceremoniously be reprimanded, if not fired.

And, in fact, we DO run a deed title check on the prospective board members as a matter of course, along with a few other low-level, public record searches. It's all part of their qualifying as a member in good standing.

I don't know that a tax lien or any other lien against their title would necessarily void their application, however, an outstanding lien from our OWN organization would.

And we ARE to "judge" because we are the ones who would be "voting."

It's unfortunate that you don't agree, but your hostility to those who do practice completely appropriate screening is questionable in an of itself.

This isn't a backyard sandbox and we aren't playing rock-paper-scissors to work out who's going to be king of the hill.

RW,

As a former Floridian Board member, what is illegal about doing checks--vetting,-- on any candidate?

LOL.

What? Are you afraid they will uncover something?

Please provide the link regarding background checks or public-record checks, or "vetting" being illegal in Florida.

This is getting more humorous by the post.

Your hostility is palpable.

It doesn't matter what her docs say about her searching through public records. The docs probably also don't say she should wash her hands after using the toilet, but I bet she does anyway.

And please show us the Florida law that says people can't search through public records.

I don't think they'd be "public" if the public couldn't access and use them, but, hey, that's just me and my lil ole Kain-tucky brain.

Regarding my replies to her, I have only addressed her right, and, as I believe, due diligence, to do background checks on nominees.

But you can cherry pick our comments and spin them to suit your vitriol.

I can't speak to how she interprets them. I think plenty of others recommended that she not distribute them. That would be my advice, as well.

Even so, I also made the very reasonable comment that I doubted a tax lien would provide any support in classifying her as a member not in good standing.

But to clarify, in case you can't read the implication of that simple sentence, IF her documents specify that liens disqualify one from the board or from being a nominee, then so be it.

Ours do not. The only time a lien would disqualify a candidate for the board in OUR HOA would be if the lien were FROM US for non-payment of assessments.

Then the member would not be in "good standing" and could not be nominated.

And, you know, we probably SHOULD have a list somewhere that indicates against which members we have liens and which we don't. But, one never knows. One could have been filed years ago by a treasurer long gone and is somehow not in our corporate records.

So, off to the Property Valuation Administrator we go EACH. AND. EVERY. YEAR. when we compile the list of nominees.

A quick public records check will show all clear or not.

Eazy Peazy. And, bonus! Completely. Legal.

Well, except probably in FLORIDA, right? Because those types of records are SECRET, right?

RW1,

While I can appreciate that you are concerned about people vilifying others for no real reason, I think you are so way off here.

First, there is nothing wrong with checking public records. There is a reason they are public. If there was no reason for them being public, they would be private records.

Anna,

I would not recomend the BOD do anything with this knowledge. And further, if you share it with people then you should be careful to do so as an individual and not a board member. (And make sure people know that you are telling them as an individual.

But I would rather suggest that you not start a smear campaign as such actions can have a nasty backlash. Unless you are facing a major turnover then her getting access to the funds should not be a problem. And if she is elected, then you could share the information with any other BOD member you feel you need to to prevent her from being put in a position to have access to funds.

As for the whole thing of a lien by the IRS, it simply means that the IRS believes that she owes a significant amount of money and wants some security for such. It doesn't mean she has even been accused of wrong doing.

All the same, it can give pause for thought before turning over the keys to the funds.

This is not about public records searching. (thread diversion)

It's about trying to manipulate the BOD membership. Plain and simple.

Once you strip away all the personal bias you see the intention(s) of the OP.:
Smear someones reputation based on some information which has no merit in THIS context in hopes of preventing her election to the BOD because I don't like her.

Then asking YOU/US to help her find away!

Why should I, an OBJECTIVE observer, believe the OP is anymore trustworthy with the funds than the accused?
BTW: It's insulting [in Florida] to suggest that one person has sole oversight of the funds.

I call it the way I see it.
I don't care if you agree with me.
I'm not here for your acceptance or approval.

There is little objectivity here on this board.
But then again its only HOA Talk.

Be careful, in Fla. laws have changed regarding the personal culpability of individual BOD members action(s).