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I wanted to start this report with the phrase that is often used in national political talks. Many end it with "God bless America". After this October meeting, I say God bless Wedgefield. We need all the help we can get. The other thought that came to mind was "The Mickey Mouse Club". I think that Mickey was at the meeting. Nothing, absolutely nothing was settled, nothing accomplished. The show put on by this board was ridiculous. All board members were present except for Garrison. Edmund LaFrance from the management company attended.
You are about to vote for three of these board members, as they are running for re-election. This board has had almost a full year to accomplish something that would represent leadership. The reports were quick and failed to cover significant challenges facing this association. So little has been accomplished that your president did not even attempt to list the board's accomplishments for 2012 in his letter to residents in the annual meeting packet. We've reached the point where stagnation must be an accomplishment.
Back to the October meeting. Our time was spent on the following, which took significant time, about two hours. On top of that the discussions were frivolous, and caused one to question why the board had bothered to meet at all. Please go to The Wedgefield Times and listen for yourself. Here are the issues your board took significant time with:
*Under Old Business, your board launches a discussion on John Walton's Welcome Committee. NOTHING has been done to welcome new residents all year long. Now it is so important that we spend an inordinate amount of time on it, even though the general consensus is that any welcome event should be held after the annual meeting. It seems some on the board have discussed this prior to the meeting. DeMarchi says they have an idea to help Walton. There are 24 families who have moved in and not been welcomed (Nothing has been done since the end of 2010 and some of these board members have been in their board seats that long.). It is suggested and a motion made by Walton to invite families to a meet and greet with the board and present those who attend with a $20 Walmart gift card. The discussion goes on for some time and then it is time for me to both thank and praise Barrier. He says something about he doesn't feel that handing out association money...he isn't sure it would be allowed to basically write residents a check. DeMarchi wants to know what the difference would be between buying them a sandwich at the Manor House or giving them a Walmart gift card. Edmund LaFrance cautions not to do it. Now we get into a labored discussion about bags with plants and community information in them that could be left at the new resident doors, or a meet and greet with beverages and food at the office. It went on and on. At times they said there was $200 in the budget to welcome new residents, then someone discussed using part of the 2013 budget. At some point Anderson offers to give $20 so they can move on. Could someone just welcome the new residents? Some have been here so long that it would be embarrassing to WELCOME them now.
*McMillin's Grounds Report went almost as long. The problem was that it was almost entirely about the golf course. He had met with the new management and discussed with them what he felt they should do about a number of things. He spent time explaining each of his suggestions. He was going to do a follow up visit with them to see if they had taken his suggestions seriously. This also went on and on and on. Why take so much time on something we don't own and quite frankly, why would they listen to him. Just toward the end he mentions that he has talked to them about maybe leasing the pool to the WPA! It could be set up with memberships for Wedgefield residents, only. Why? What is alarming is that McMillin wanted that pool in 2009 when I was on the board. One of the family members from the golf course owners sat on the Board. That time the offer was made from the golf course to the board. The board considered it and McMillin wanted it. Some of us on the board asked numerous times to be provided information on the cost of running it, cost of insurance, etc. No one would provide that information and yet, McMillin continued to want to move forward with it. It was voted down. Would you lease a business, or portion of a business that was struggling with membership?
Mc Millin wanted to seek approval to buy no more than $600 worth of fall flowers for the front entrance and nearby area. Someone asked about the budget. Again, the thought that maybe some could come from 2013 came up. Why?
*Barrier had a Community Liaison Report this month. How? I don't know. It would seem to me that you would have to answer someone in order to report on it. I've reviewed the correspondence file. He hasn't answered anyone. Instead he says he has two things and gives a snarky, from the board table answer to residents who may or may not be there. I sat through it and I don't understand the first item. You can draw your own conclusions. He says that personal emails between residents coming to the office with personal disputes needn't be on his computer. I have no idea, except that DeMarchi had both sent and received emails at home from the resident with 2 lots that became 4. Finally, the lot owner had sent his big thank you to DeMarchi to the office. When I reviewed the correspondence file it included those that were sent and received from DeMarchi's home. Maybe Barrier was reprimanding DeMarchi.
Next Barrier implies the some residents may be trying to use the Confidentiality Agreement to remove a board member and they can't. He further states that he disputed the Confidentiality Agreement with DeMarchi when it first came up. Then he says you can't remove a board member using it. Next, he looks at DeMarchi and asks him if he intends to step down from the board. DeMarchi says, "no". Barrier then says that he feels DeMarchi is an excellent board member. Do you think that was rehearsed? I do. Back to the subject. I ,and I know of one other resident who protested the Confidentiality Agreement have each written the board. From the beginning each of us stated that our governing documents would not allow the board to self remove another sitting board member. It was the board attorney who said that those who broke it, could be removed. So Barrier was just adding drama, hoping to cast aspersions on residents that were untrue, and failing to address the fact that DeMarchi and several of the board members are the only ones who have breached the Confidentiality Agreement. So the Board who imposed it on resident volunteers, misused it on many occasions, can do as they want and not suffer the consequences. Now Barrier would like to hang false accusations on those who write. He fails to answer them because the truth would sting.
*Janine Cline provided the best financial reports we've seen since February. She states that there are a few items to work on but the improvement is noticeable. Someone states that DeMarchi and Cline are working on the financial reports. McBride volunteers to help. He says, "let me know and I'll be there." It appeared he was ignored once again. Just see what happens during the resident questions.
*At one point in this long meeting as discussions regarding budget are in progress, McBride says that directors need to go through the financial reports and understand them. He asks if everyone reviewed the financials prior to the meeting (not word for word but equivalent). DeMarchi asks when the board received them. McBride gives an answer of two or three days. DeMarchi says he hasn't seen them and he may have deleted them. Yet, our board, at least twice during the meeting talked about maybe they could use money budgeted in certain line items, this year??????
There will be more on the meeting later in other posts.
During the resident comment section a resident says that since residents are required to put concerns, questions, etc., in writing that it is reasonable that they should be answered in writing. They ask President Walton what progress has been made on the committee he said he would form to set a procedure for answering residents. You may remember that during the September meeting our president said he would form a committee to work on it. John McBride volunteered, was ignored, and another board member reminded the president that he could select who served on the committee. Well, he should have taken McBride up on his offer and then maybe something would have been done. Our president reported he had done nothing regarding forming the committee. I guess that he and his board don't think it is important to answer residents. After all his Community Liaison doesn't answer and keeps his job. Your presidents appoints him and could relieve him of that responsibility and hasn't. Your president has watched your board ignore the newly approved policy manual directives on answering residents. Your president has presided over meetings where DeMarchi announced new guidelines for answering residents and no one followed them. Your president has stood by while our management company has failed to answer residents. Why would he hurry now when the annual meeting is next month?
The sorry thing about all of this is your board - those who have their seats for one or two more years, those who have to run for re-election, seem to take for granted that it is OK to ignore the residents. Three of the current members - Anderson, DeMarchi, and Walton (John) are running for re-election. As you vote remember that they have accomplished very little, set rules that only they break, set more rules that they don't follow, and sit by while others on the board fail to treat each other decently - break the Code of Ethics our president so wanted everyone of them to sign and yet they want your vote. There are three board seats open and four candidates. The only candidate who has not been part of all of this is Wijthoff. Give Wijthoff your vote. Note: Wijthoff has not asked for this endorsement and The Wedgefield Examiner has not sought his opinion on this article.
OUR NEXT ARTICLE WILL BE WRITTEN ABOUT THE CONDO REGIME WHO WAITED 3 MONTHS TO GET A PAYMENT BACK FROM THE WPA.
