Management Companies

Why ever not? If you feel he is in the wrong speak up. Better yet since you seem to feel the BOD is doing everything wrong why not gather like minded owners and run for the BOD and replace them? It's easy to complain, not so easy to actually take steps to remedy what you think is being done incorrectly.

I am not sure what to tell you on this one Linda. Often things look much different to those not directly involved.
I would only suggest that you ramp up communications with the management company and your neighbors. Find out who is on the Board to discuss the current state of affairs as well, maybe offer to get involved, to volunteer, etc. Do everything you can to be a positive influence on the Board.

You said in another post that a new homeowner was elected to the Board without any experience, so it sounds as though they are open to having new people, new ideas . . .

Your MC has no control over your complex. Your board DOES. If your board is elected as most are, you have some control over that and HB is correct, do everything you can to be a positive influence ... even if that means getting the right people in place on the board.

For a point of reference, it is not at all uncommon or inappropriate for all communication to the board to go through the MC. This is how our community does it as well. It creates a formal record of activity and ensures a single point-of-contact when board's transition after elections.

It is also not uncommon for the vendors to be instructed not to address contract specifics with Homeowners as much confusion often results. Also, our MC comes to our meetings and we are glad to have him there ... many communities would kill to have the MC show up. You should not let his presence deter you from appropriately expressing your concerns, though.

How could they resort to vicous gossip or other tactics if you merely expressed an interest in being involved? I suspect that you have kind of dug yourself a hole by being too negative. Not trying to put the blame on you, but often the Board gets hit with complaint after complaint from the same person and they shut down communication and then want nothing to do with that particular homeowner.

You said you "question what is going on". It's one thing to ask some questions and be genuinley interested in what is happening, but nobody likes to be second guessed. I have experienced this myself. We had some major work done on our common property last year. I spent many hours interviewing contractors (at least 5 for each job), as well as getting a professional recommendation from an independent consultant. The Board was in agreement as well as many homeowners who attended meetings. We had one homeowner complain about the cost and whether the work was necessary. The homeowner eventually went out of their way to get seperate bids (which ended up being more expensive) and they discovered that the work was necessary to prevent potential injuries to people.

We spent waaaay more time convincing this one homeowner that we were doing what was best for the community, when they could have easily just asked "how are things going, did you have a hard time finding a good contractor, who did you contact . . ", you know normal questions a person would ask that are not "questioning what is going on". There is a big difference and people know when someone is fishing for something.

I don't even know how to respond to this. You have said things about me and the association that don't make any sense.
Linda