Don't let the headline throw you off. The subject isn't complicated. We will take it a step at a time. First Secretary DeMarchi announced the following procedure, with comments, under the Secretary's Report, during the July Meeting. Before I provide my transcription from the tape, I have a question. "Why wasn't the Community Liaison detailing and informing us as to how residents would be answered? Coordinating the gathering of information to answer resident questions is the key responsibility of the Community Liaison. The transcription follows. I've transcribed to the best of my ability. As always I recommend that you go to The Wedgefield Times and listen to the section yourself. THANK YOU WEDGEFIELD TIMES!!!
HERE IS A PORTION OF THE SECRETARY'S REPORT:
"Several correspondence have been received at the office and the management company, Mr.LaFrance has been answering the correspondence as rapidly as possible.
Section 12 of the Policy Manual states the Community Liaison has 10 days to acknowledge receipt of the correspondence and 30 days for a final response. Some residents feel they are entitled to immediate responses and it is not always possible since the volunteer Board Members are not always available to respond immediately. A procedure will go into effect in which Mr.La France will receive the correspondence. He will communicate those to the Board Members. The Board Members have 48 hours in which to respond to Mr. La France, at which point he will put together a response to the resident. The Board Member will then receive that final response. If approved, Mr. La France will proceed with sending it out. This should eliminate any conflicts from what Board Members feel is an appropriate response."
So now, the Secretary has added more procedure. Is it policy? Is his intention to add it to the policy manual? If so, was this first reading? Will all residents in good standing be treated equally? Frankly, the Board and the management company's dealing with this subject, and all their rules and policy, and procedures, have more holes in it than baby Swiss cheese!
I visited the office, under an approved appointment, and reviewed the correspondence file. I've had the opportunity to view who writes and who gets answered at all, and how quickly they are answered. If you are a regular reader, you'll have been kept up to date on how fast, and the hoops the Board jumped through to answer Thomas. We won't go over that again, but keep it in mind. I believe I have a complete snap shot of the correspondence file for the last 4 - 6 months. For purposes of the sample, I will even leave myself, and those unanswered letters I saw from Jude Davis off. I certainly don't speak for her. As for myself, I keep thinking of Garrison's statement about "personal agendas and vendetta's. It is my feeling that some on the Board who make up procedures for other committee Board chairs, supported by a few other Board Members, may be deciding who will be answered based on whether they feel there is a hidden agenda or vendetta. Who appointed anyone to serve as God here? It appears to depend on who you are, whether you are in line with particular Board Member's agendas and vendettas, whether you are answered or not. In one case the resident didn't even have to write the Board. He/she called a Board Member and the Board Member issued an email to the Board. You'll evaluate the situation. HERE IS THE SAMPLE:
*Resident RA: letter typed with a June 25th date, stamped received at the office July 17th. Where was it between a reasonable delivery date, and the day it was stamped received in the office? Was a Board Member, or Members keeping it to themselves? The resident informs Mr. La France of all the problems of the association and lists four recommendations for resolution. The fourth recommendation follows, "Advocate & facilitate the creation of 3 regimes within the community: 1) Canal Property Owners, 2) Condo Property Owners, 3) Golf Course (or some other name), Property Owners who do not fit the other two categories." This person has been a co-hort of Garrison during the 2010 uprisings here in our community. I saw them myself at the 2010 Recall, on stage and in charge.
This resident gets an answer at least from our busy management company. I am not going to provide the response in it's entirety. Look at the WELCOME this resident receives. The response from La France is dated July 17. "I wanted to thank you for taking the time to send me your letter of concerns about certain issues that appear to remain ongoing at Wedgefield Plantation." I'll save my comments until the end.
**Resident FV: email dated July 12. "Why is the WPA Secretary answering membership letters, when that task previously was performed by the WPA Community Liaison Chairperson? If that Chairperson is not functioning, for whatever reason, reassign him." THIS RESIDENT GOT NO RESPONSE. No welcome or thank you from the management company or the Board. This is a resident in good standing. HMMMMMM
***Resident PM: email dated June 26, addressed to McMillin: "Listening to the last Board meeting. The 2012 Budget under "Professional Services". You budgeted $5,000 for a Reserve Study. So unless it has been altered - a reserve study IS in the budget". THIS RESIDENT GOT NO RESPONSE. No welcome or thank you from the management company or the Board. This is a resident in good standing. It should be noted that during the June Board Meeting as DeMarchi's allocation of reserves was being discussed that McMillin stated that there was no money in the 2012 budget for a reserve study. HMMMM, topic too hot for either to touch?
****Board Member Anderson: email dated May 21. "A resident just called and stated there are 2 sink holes in front of his and his neighbors house. Mr. ----------- (I leave name & lot # out) William Screven Road & his neighbor is on one side but he won't clarify which side." THIS RESIDENT GOT NO RESPONSE. I question why the resident wasn't advised to email or write. The policy is to put your concerns and questions in writing. Don't blame the resident. This is a resident in good standing who generally, to my knowledge and observation of the correspondence book, doesn't contact the Board.
*****Resident RW: letter dated April 17. This letter is lengthy, supported with documentation regarding the Arbors and admittance into the WPA. THIS RESIDENT GOT NO RESPONSE. Again, topic too hot to touch?
******Resident M is informed that they may speak at a Board Meeting. I may have missed it, but I didn't see Resident M's request letter. This resident is sent the following: "This is confirmation of your request to speak at the February Board Meeting. As policy states you will have 5 minutes to address the Board. Thank you for your request and we will see you on the 21st." This resident gets a welcome to speak and in fact, speaks at both the February and the March meetings. Agenda & Vendetta? A email to the Board with threats of being sued if they didn't vote to sue the bank and Attorney Winslow for the dredging loan, etc, was delivered to the Board, on the morning, of one of the dates he spoke. What did he speak about? - suing outside the gates of Wedgefield - the bank and Winslow. His topic was something about peace and harmony! I can't help but insert this. I wrote the Board and asked to speak at the August Meeting, and requested the appointment to review records. Secretary DeMarchi emailed that I could come on the date and time that I had suggested. He then told me that the decision regarding speaking would come from President Walton. Why? Where is my welcome letter?
*******Resident Thomas: correspondence dated February 29: He states: "The legal files from the dates that Jude was Legal Chair extremely deficient. There are a huge amount of records missing. This is WPA Documents that are missing and they have been missing since June 2010. It is the Board's responsibility to retrieve these files. I have talked to Al DeMarchi about this and all members need to be aware." Board Member Anderson emails this on March 1 (During my review it appeared to be connected to the Thomas email. If I am mistaken, I apologize. I like Anderson's stated overview.): "Verify your accusations. I personally feel everything we have belongs to all of us and should be treated accordingly. If we have it and someone wants to see it, let them, but the request needs to be reasonable."
Residents, this is a mess created on newly created procedures and some newly approved policy mountain, maintained by the votes and silence, of your individual Board Members. In the end, each of the Board Members, who fail to speak up, vote to serve you with their own integrity, investigation of fact and adherence to governing documents, answer you without the prejudice of one of their own determining - whether you are viewed by them as a person with personal agenda or vendetta, are all culpable. You'll note that some of the correspondence is dated in a period of time when the management company wasn't on contract. The management company is left off the hook in those instances. However, I will remind you once again that the management company is there at the pleasure of the Board. Is your Board advising them who will be answered and who will be ignored? I wanted to give a management company a try in hopes that they could help with some of our issues being discussed and resolved. To date, I think we are wasting our money. It appears the long over bearing arm of some of the members of this Board, coupled with spineless behaviors by others on the Board, will not allow us to move forward openly and honestly, according to our governing documents.
I don't believe that I have left out other resident letters to the Board. Those that I have written, or JD have written, have been published on this blog. I didn't want to add length to the article. I have two written in the last 6-8 weeks, followed up with requests for an answer, as to why I'm not being answered. How big is this busy load?
WHAT ELSE IS MISSING? In the past, prior to this ridiculous handling of resident emails and letters, when I reviewed the correspondence file, I would see emails containing the thoughts from individual Board Members regarding a proposed answer to the resident. Not so now, either their thoughts through email aren't being placed in the file, or they don't want you to know what they are thinking, or how they are being strong armed.
FINALLY: When Secretary DeMarchi answered me and told me I could come to the office to view files, he said the following: "I am not sure what other questions you have asked and not received an answer. I understand that you provided your own answers to several questions." Please! He knows and the Board knows, that I have only been told I can come to the office to review files. I have two letters full of unanswered, legitimate questions. After weeks of receiving no answers from the Board or the management company, I researched our governing documents, recordings of meetings, relevant correspondence, etc., answered my own questions, published them, and sent my answers to the Board. Is our Secretary telling me that I answered correctly? Does he really want to leave the impression that those answers are acceptable to the Board? If so, as they say in court: "let the record stand".
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