when too resign?

Tamara, I've been going back and forth in my mind trying to answer your question, because all three of the things you mentioned are all valid reasons to give up.

Family issues should always, first and foremost, come ahead of any board position. When one has a family crisis it becomes very easy to look at having a position on a board, as something that in the "grand scheme" of things doesn't mean crap. All that really matters is family.

Neighbors....We as board members start out wanting to be on the board to help our neighbors and to provide them with the best possible living environment. Then as time goes on, it's those same neighbors who turn on you and critisize everything you do, and can be very abusive toward everything you say and every action you take. You eventually want to give up trying to explain and defend everything you do.

Stress.....Some board members have the ability to attend meetings then just forget about things until the next one. For others, the responsibilities seem to take on a life of their own, and the board duties consume their every waking moment. The stress that that causes becomes almost unbearable. Just when we think we have one thing finally settled, someone throws another thing at us and expects us to clean it up. Stress can cause all types of serious medical problems. When the duties of being a board member make us physically ill then maybe it's time to..........

I'm curious as to why you're asking this question. But I have a feeling you're grappling with staying on your board? I know how hard it is.

Well, when it no longer beomce enjoyable is where I draw the line.

I like the "stress" of working with a group to move an association along, (heck, I like a good controversery and even an argument or two) but when there are obstacles that I can see are entrenced, I get out.

I like serving on Committees. You can really get more done on a committee than serving on the board, IMHO.

Learned that after 25 years . . .

Susan – you said what I was trying to convey quite succinctly!

Thanks for what I feel are some very thought through responses. I am considering my resignation before my term is up. I do not believe in quitting and have always looked down on people who did not in the most fulfill their terms because of the situation it puts the BOD and community in when reasons of resignation came without a really good reason such as moving, health or issues that have changed ones life.

I am not tooting my own horn, but am simple stating the facts. I am the strength on the Board. I am the one that gets things done and done correctly. Aside from myself and another BOD nobody else has knowledge of what the Declarations and Bylaws even are.

Due to a health situation for me I was unable to attend the last meeting. Choices were made without motions and based on personal impact and not impact on the community as a whole even though they had the information that the community in whole would be negatively impacted.

Pea Gravel voted down once because of statements I received from lawncare companies on how they would view this when bidding on our property. It would raise our rates, as they figure in "possible liabilities" our community creates and work that into their bid. This is too keep the cost of their insurance down. Makes sense too me. In my absence it was voted for approval without any motions by the BOD/my neighbor who manipulated the floor in my absence. AND nobody stopped her. Nobody caught this and I feel I have to step in and be the "bad guy".

Now I have to clean up their mess.

I have Board members opposing me on things I research and submit to the Board based on their opinions and them seeking the same research with failure to ask the correct questions.

We have a park. A huge park. There is no irrigation there. There is no piping under the park that we can tap into to pay for irrigation. The cost of laying this infrastructure is not something we want to do. We have a fire hydrant at the park. We can tap into that several different ways. I called the city, fire houses and everyone I could think of to make sure we did not need a permit, this was legal and so forth. When we met at the park with neighbors to discuss what everyone would like to see we had a BOD show up and tell everyone my idea would compromise and put a house at risk of being burnt down in order to water the grass. She was speaking of ignorance and I reassured her this would not happen and she should do the same research as I if she had worries. So she did and strongly opposed what I said. The only problem was is apparently she does not know where we live. She gave the wrong information - and therefore received the wrong answers and caused a BIG HUGE upset over nothing.

We were encouraged by our "team" at the PM Company during a walk through to raise our curb appeal. Many area's of the community were put in the "unsightly" category - this mainly has to do with irrigation and lack of visual appeal at the park. The Board was OK with working towards making that area more visually appealing. So I spent hours of my time requesting bids from different vendors, meeting with them and getting some real nice things together. The BOD was involved in this. So at the meeting it was tabled, no decisions were made. BUT since on BOD wanted speed bumps, those were approved.

It appears everyone used the floor in my absence to push their personal agendas and dismissed everything I had been working on for the community. I have lost faith in the Board to make the correct choices. They want to push me and/or the BOD to have a waiver of fees, but cannot OK a reward for little ones that help me help the community. ?? That just seems so selfish to me. Their actions are creating too much work for me and are not productive.

But, here is the catch.........for the same reasons I stated I want too stay on the Board. I was off for a year and nothing was maintained and that Board fulfilled their personal agenda's, while ignoring the community.

- Really big decision. Sorry for the long post, I am just worn. CHARLES CONGRATS TOO YOU!

Tamara,
Do your governing documents allow NON owners to sit on the Board?

Our docs state under the qualification of the BOD section:

...........or a designated officer of an entity that is a homeowner

BONNIE - I LOVE YOU! I so love everyone here!

When I am done with this pea gravel thing I will be resigning. That will be the only "open issue" I am involved in. The new BOD came over and let me know that she divulged in expressing to her neighbor information about a legal issue we are taking against the neighbor. That is another story, but everything I have been working on for months to gather proof and keep this on the down low has now been erased. She has been on the Board less than a week and..........

Then the only thing I face is us not having a BOD. 2 current BOD's already told me if I do resign they will come with me. Maybe it is time for that. We will find out.

Susan, thanks. I really wanted to find out what would cause people to resign. When would you?

I am so good at letting people be wrong. My children, my husband and my loved ones. Because I believe through being wrong you can actually learn valuable lessons. However, to me this is a business. We are in charge of a part of neighbors financial investments. I cannot allow those who oversee that small investment to be wrong. That is why I and all of us bought into a HOA. To have someone to "protect" our investment in the neighborhood.

I do not have anything in my core being that will allow me to tone down the intensity of something I feel passionately about. I am not intense about much, but when I lock my teeth into something I am tenacious.