THE CONCERNED CITIZEN PROPAGANDA LETTER:
During this week, the Concerned Citizens put out a letter building a platform on righteousness (their own brand), lies, and false history. I've typed it (in blue), exactly as written. I will respond and provide truth, on various points, in black type.
Here's The Letter:
"Dear Fellow Property Owner:
By now you have heard that it has been decided in Court that the Wedgefield Plantation Homeowner's Association does not own the canals! They are the property of the State of South Carolina, Case closed!"
Truth: The ownership issue was heard in court on October 3rd. A final order/ruling has not been signed, as of today. Ms. Zieske has a habit of making legal declarations, without substantiation, or documentation. Recently in writing, and for well over a year, she and her Concerned Citizen Board Members were telling us that all individual Board Members, named in the lawsuit brought by Zieske, Wilson, and Thomas, had been removed from the suit. Not true, if you sat in court, late last summer, the judge verified, with their attorney, and all attorneys present, that everyone was still on the lawsuit. Nothing is over and decided "until the fat lady sings", and the orchestra won't warm up until the order is signed. As a resident and voter, demand that Ms. Zieske and her crew, produce documentation.
"So now you have to make a choice. Do you wish to pay for dredging and maintenance now and in the future for canals you do not own, and do not have access to, for the exclusive benefit of a few? Then make no mistake about it. This year's Board of Director's election is the most important one you must participate in because it is truly a referendum on whether or not you wish to pay.
Essentially, there are two groups of 5 candidates running for 5 Board positions. In one group are 5 members who absolutely supported the idea that we owned the canals. They were wrong; so they are running on a new platform. They believe the canals must be dredged and maintained for the "general benefit" of the whole community."
Truth: First, we know the Concerned Citizen candidates are Pietkewicz, Thomas, Jacky Walters, Wilson, and Zieske. That's her self- righteous, fable characters. As to that other group: Cline, DeMarchi, McBride, McMillin, and Steiner, when did they tell you, or her, all that she states? She assumes too much and she is not telling the truth. She says "they are running on a new platform". I've read their materials, and haven't seen any of that. I'm asking, you should ask her, to produce the records.
She leads you to believe that stories have changed because they were wrong. She's wrong. Today, I went back to the minutes of August 18, 2009, the date of the canal vote. It was the Concerned Citizens Huggins and Marlowe, who brought up ownership. Prior to the vote, President Gettmann said, "The canals have been part of this Plantation since the beginning, and there are some of you that would like to see them become mud holes. I think ownership of the canals is not as important as our duty as members of this community to maintain this entire Plantation and the pristine and beautiful condition in which it was envisioned and built up to be. That includes the canals".
Additionally, I was a Board Member in 2009. Our attorney of record, told us we had a responsibility the evening of the vote, not that we owned them.
Finally, Cline, McMillin, McBride, DeMarchi, and Steiner, have not spoken and made this their new platform, as she claims.
"We are members of the other group running for these Board positions, and we say, Come on. Let's get real here. We don't own the Golf Course. We don't ;own the tennis courts. We don't own the Manor House. We don't maintain those...and the list goes on. The bottom line is they've spent 1.2 million dollars of our money already on dredging. We want that money back. We don't want to pay for maintenance and future dredging. We also believe past and future assessments for this purpose are wrong! Again, our goal is to get that money back."
Truth: I had a hard time typing the word "truth" after those statements. Most of us hold the truth of conviction, an allegiance to documented truth. For most of us, it a basic need for truth, as we start to make our decisions, regardless of what arena of our lives it falls into - we need truth, and then a sound foundation, to hang unto, in coming to a decision - not a forecast of truth, not today's truth, not fore casted truth, but truth coupled with a principled foundation. These individuals truth and foundation change with the weather.
So now they've told us what they don't own. They've told you what truths they think those "other five hold". They haven't asked them, didn't want a candidate night so you could ask them, so they'll develop and project, "their truth of the others". Don't buy it!
Pietkewicz, Thomas, Walters, Wilson, Zieske, and the Concerned Citizens as a group, have the tenacity to tell you what truth is, with no foundation. I ask you to go back to the association minutes, check their votes, etc. They've all held office in the past. You'll need to make them honest.
Personally, I'm greatly disturbed by their records and their overall lack of allegiance to any truth or foundation to governance. They quote the By-Laws, Covenants, and Policies when it suits their needs. At times if the situation requires it, for them to win, they quote SC Non Profit Law. They quote their attorney of record when it suits their needs, but you can't read the opinion, so all you have is their word to what the attorney said. They attorney shop, ignore the attorney of record if they don't like their opinion, and hire a new attorney, for the opinion of the day. As residents, we are left in a whip lashed condition, trying to vote, with no foundation of truth.
"Our platform is simple: We do not want to pay for the luxury of a few. We claimed we did not own the canals in the first place, went to Court (spending our own money) and we won! Now we are committed to addressing the legality of "Special Assessments". What about the $175 additional assessment levied for our canal debt for past and future assessments? What about $50,000per year taken out of our General Fund? What about the canal property who did not pay the $5,000? What about late fines and liens that were placed? Their actions put you and your Association in legal "Jeopardy". this could cost all of you if any of those residents sought legal remedy."
Truth: While they say their platform is simple, they got the wrong "S" word, it is often sinister, untruthful, and harmful to our community. Harsh words? No, again they lack truthful foundation to all that they say. They claimed they didn't own the canals, but never wanted or will discuss the "responsibility", laid out in our governing documents. They aren't that smart to be declaring any kind of victory, until a ruling is signed. Any good attorney will tell you not to discuss it, until it is final. They are acting according to how they operate - attorney shop for the view you want, fire the attorney when you need a different view, and declare you have the law on your side.
They aren't afraid of the legal remedy they discuss, because they want control of your assessment dollars to fight their wars. They know as a community, that we are wore out, less likely to challenge or remove them when they use your money, to hire an attorney of record, with the view they want, to fight their wars.
What do I mean? They removed two Board Members under SC Non Profit Law, paid Attorney Moran (the very attorney they selected and forced on us), and when residents petitioned to remove 5 of them under South Carolina law, and Attorney Moran said we had a right, they fired him, and lawyer shopped for an opinion that suited their current need. Wilson and Huggins used your money to pay an unauthorized bill to halt residents. The petitioners only recourse was to sue. They didn't want to put our community through that again. These candidates are on their way to use our money, not theirs, to fight their battles.
Please vote for ALL of the following candidates who are pledged to address this outrage to the community! They are: Ron Pietkewicz, Fred Thomas, Jacky Walters, George Wilson, Carol Zieske
"If you fail to vote or split your vote, by even one, you jeopardize who the majority side will be. Remember, this mess that has been created will not go away without action on YOUR part. You must stand up and be counted in this effort.
(Written and paid for by Ron Pietkewicz and Carol Zieske)"
Truth: Why would they bother to lie about splitting your vote and jeopardizing a majority? The truth is our Board is nine members. There are Concerned Citizens on the Board who don't have to run this year. They are Huggins, Barrier, and sometimes - Garrison. You need five for a majority. Do they know some are waiting to resign? Otherwise, they just can't count, or they are lying?
Are you ready to vote for people who are so unprincipled that they claim they had to fight from their resident seats for you, when the truth is that Zieske and Pietkewicz had Board seats in November 2008, and the Concerned Citizens were the majority on the Board, and could have voted their minds on the canal issue, in 2009, but they resigned. In fact six of them resigned? Why? Now they want your vote to reverse a decision they could have made?
As to Thomas, Walters, and Wilson, they have a horrendous record over the last year. Thomas wasn't even a member, as confirmed by Moran, and lawyer shopped to stay on the Board. They wouldn't give him a committee over the last six months, and often don't want him to speak. In September he did speak and asked for secret Executive Meetings to be held once a month, against our By-Laws.
Wilson slugged a resident and ended up in jail overnight. Listen to the tapes of meetings and read the minutes. Today, he stands by the By-Laws, the next day, he stands behind SC law. Today, Attorney Moran is brilliant, the next day, he calls him a second class attorney, and tries to have his litigious statements erased from the meeting tape. Is this stand by my words and decisions boardmanship?
Jacky Walters, raises her hand and votes their way automatically. She resigned her leadership for Garden of the Month, because some resident talked bad to her. Yet, she voted with the Concerned Citizen guys, when they abused President Jacky Walton, because Huggin's said he had legal stuff to do, and Walton would name him Legal Chair.
Please vote, get the facts, and keep in mind that most of us are tired of lawsuits and their ugly performance at the Board table.
