what to do..

SueL,
First, make sure you hang on to the e-mail. Don't flaunt it, the Board knows you have it, that's is enough. Hearing your side of the story I would be steaming also. However that is not going to help you get the problem corrected. I think it is always best to prepare a written question to the Board, read it at the Board meeting, submit a copy and ask that it be made part of the minutes, and request for a response in x days. Record your request and their reply.........nothing wrong with that.......good business. Speaking again from your side of the story and you mentioned other people have complained. Take my word for it, a few owners show up at a Board meeting and do as I suggest above, this incident would never have happened. Just remember it is not you or us against them. All should be on the same side. I also have a rep of being a complainer at my place but I don't let it bug me. I do not complain about personal agendas, I complain about threats to the association. I would not complains about an owner but I would want to discuss the actions of anyone that threaten the association. It is of small matter that you were directly effected by these workmen, it is a large matter that someone comes into you community and disturbs the peace and harmony, and the Board ignores it.

Again, from this side of the fence, try and solve this through discussion. You now have a good opportunity for a few owners to appear in person and discuss a valid problem. When you don't bring up this e-mail you gain the advantage that the Board knows who is taking the high road, it will count for something and to bring it up is likely to cause friction and you purpose will be lost.

If you don't gain something, write back and tell us.

Ut oh! That was not only poor email etiquette, it's highly unprofessional and inappropriate.

One of the things we developed years ago was a policy on the board that no board member is to ever speak inappropriately about or to another association member.

We don't have the luxury of deciding who and who isn't a pain in the ****. It's not our job to be the social managers of the organization. Our role is to determine if a violation has occurred or not. It should always be about the activity being brought to our attention and not the person bringing it.

If a resident has a valid complaint, that is all we are to address.

If a resident does not have a valid complaint, then we simply thank them for their input and let them know we will review and handle the complaint in accordance with the governing documents.

If a resident really IS a pain in the a**, and we all know these people exist, then we don't have to point it out to each other. It becomes fairly self-evident.

But, even if someone is a nag, that doesn't mean that person does not deserve response to how his or her complaint was handled.

Let's take this case.

If the people in the unit above you are taking a long time to do their repairs, and the timeline is not something that is dictated in the governing documents, then the response to you would be that. "We appreciate your concern regarding the length of time for their repairs, but our governing documents do not require that the work be accomplished within a set time frame."

Also, it may or may not be the association's concern if the resident causes damage inside your apartment.

Some interactions between residents are not addressed and/or regulated in the governing documents.

Sometimes it may require that one resident deal with another as a matter of civil action and we should not get involved.

But that never excuses the board from denigrating one resident over another.

They are NOT professionals .... they are amateur volunteers.