It is that time of year again. Harbour Square Elections are just around the corner. I have decided to run for the Board of Directors for the 3rd time since I moved in in the fall of 2008. Why do I continue to expose myself to this kind of exquisite abuse? I have been asking myself this question all week. I need to come up with my campaign slogan and get my letter written to the membership this weekend if I stand any kind of chance and yet my thoughts are still so muddled and confused.
I did choose my business card logo. I have been introducing myself and handing them out at the gatehouse in the evenings this week. I have 3 owls on a branch. I guess because I will always be watching and thinking. But that is as far as I have gotten. Maybe if I think out loud I can make some sense of why I want to do this thing.
I know what I do NOT want. I do not want more of what we have had for the last 2 years. We have had a board of directors that has thrived in secrecy and absolute power. They have abolished all volunteer committees and taken over all functions of our once thriving and cooperative cooperative. No longer is there a feeling of consensus building and community. All we have is fear and mistrust. We live in a prison like atmosphere where a few, very few, rule the roost like a fox guarding the hen house. The management has driven off any kind or well meaning employee and all the rest must report any exchange with a resident to the management or be reprimanded.
Even though we are located in the District of Columbia, we were incorporated in Delaware so our Board insists we don't need to follow the laws of either State or District. They are a rouge entity unto themselves. They hold executive sessions where no minutes are kept and important decisions are made that will affect our coop for years to come. For instance they voted to back the waterfront development in a secret meeting They also negotiated the contract with the management company in secret with the terms and prices kept secret from the board who was asked to vote on the contract with out the terms being know to all but the President. No copies of the contract were available for review by anyone. The board also regularly has sessions that constitute a quorum where business is conducted that are not announced and business is conducted that have no minutes kept even though both Delaware and DC law say this is not right.
What I do want to have is a cooperative that is based on open meetings that adhere to the letter of the law. I want to have a board that welcomes input from the owners and incorporates that input into every decision. I want to be a member of the board that does my research to be knowledgeable about every issue that the board is confronted with. I would hope that instead of getting the board books on Friday before a meeting, we would get an informational book at the Tuesday working session the week before the board meeting. I would like to see more owners attend the working sessions and have break out groups where group participation could take advantage of the great wealth of knowledge we have here at Harbour Square. It could be known as brainstorming night where no idea would be too off the wall to be considered. If it is good enough for the Army, surely it will work for us.
I am a member of CAI (Community Associations Institute), I have worked as a facilitator for the Army Family Team Building Program, I have written constitutions and bylaws for organizations ranging from Officers' Wives' groups to bringing churches current with state law, I have read and understand the DC and Delaware laws governing the common interests and ownership of real estate.
Basically, we all just want to live our lives and be left alone. Too many rules can bankrupt a community. Look at the case in Fairfax's Olde Bellehaven community.
Feud
over sign could force Fairfax's Olde Belhaven to sell square
All that happened over 2 inches on a sign. I don't want that to happen to Harbour Square. With some of the shenanigans that our current and past 2 year's board have pulled, there have been distinct opportunities for exactly this kind of action to have happened here. With 6 openings on the board due to resignations and departures, Harbour Square has a unique opportunity to go a different direction. We have got to go forward into the future. Our best assets are our grounds, our roof, and our people. Although the new landscape master plan is a beginning, in past years we have neglected our grounds, squandered our roof , and lost a bunch of people. Let's not continue.
No comments:
Post a Comment