The coming Board of Directors’ election is the time where the current Board sets itself in a position to continue its power and control of the Aquarina Community. Let’s look at the means by which this process is crafted to keep the current cabal in place. The mechanics are as follows.
- The first hurdle is to corral the needed majority of voters to attain a quorum. The last election was short a majority up to the day before the election. Pleading for voter participation by First Service Residential squeaked the required number to create a voting event. This certainly shows the Residents’ apathy and probable disenchantment with the ACSA.
- To possibly ease the voting process for the Residents, electronic voting has been introduced with ACSA purchased computers and software. Unfortunately, as is well known now, this type of voting is susceptible to manipulation. Are roughly 400 plus Aquarina ballots too much of a burden to count, where the check and balance of securing the ballots and hand counting them involves oversight and authenticity to the count? Computers and its software can be subject to an ease and quickness of change. As a past ballot watcher for national elections, I know and oversaw the electronic process, where a key is available for software access and a button is activated for a total count. At the last Directors’ election, we were told hand written ballots could be submitted; however, when I passed over my ballot, I was scolded by First Service Residential onsite staff, that I must enter my vote at the computer, or my ballot would be refused.
- Let me say that I salute the Residents that volunteer to be Directors and provide their energy and time to support the community. Among those I just described, were individuals who had a whole community vision, and who attempted to offer community minded actions rather than political cabal decided actions where the cabal agenda for power and control were practiced.
- These community minded individuals were basically forced out or proselytized by the cabal directors, whose established and continued majority position on the Board reign with their control.
- One of the means, among many, which I’ll explain, is the appointment of Directors rather than voting them in, which are Bylaws allow, when a current Director unexpectedly resigns. Wouldn’t a cabal Board of Directors appoint one of their acolytes?
- To show the cabal’s assertive assurance with its actions in the community, a Board President resigned in mid-term, in the midst of self-inflicted controversy, and was replaced with an appointment of a Resident. Now this past President is boldly back as a Board Director candidate. Do you think this is an act of self-assurance for the ACSA to do as it wants, and re-instate its acolyte? Absolutely! And here’s one vote this Director Candidate won’t receive, and I wager that I’m not alone.
- We have ACSA Board Directors, who are also Board Directors in their neighborhoods. This blatantly can be a conflict of interest. Ironically, this exists with ACSA Directors as Directors in a Pool Neighborhoods. As we know, the Pool Neighborhoods were steamrolled by the ACSA, i.e. the ACSA commanded and ordered how the Lakeside Pool would have an unneeded partial demolition, and an unneeded total renovation. The whole situation was contrived with misinformation, and where requested ACSA explanations of its pool decisions were refused and ignored. Bottom Line – If ACSA Directors are also neighborhood Directors, then they should recuse themselves with matters when neighborhoods have issues with the ACSA. For example, a situation occurred where one of the Pool Neighborhoods’ Directors asked if the other two Pool Neighborhoods’ Directors would join in enlisting an attorney to draft a request for Lakeside Pool documents to determine what was holding up the pool’s renovation, since ACSA transparency and disclosure were non-existent. This request for Pool Neighborhood assistance was refused by the other two Pool Neighborhood Directors, where one Pool Neighborhood had two ACSA Directors on its Board, and the request was never communicated to these Directors’ Residents. Again, there is an assurance of control and acting as it pleases among the ACSA Directors. Certainly this matter should have been brought to the Residents attention for a discussion.
- The Aquarina community needs a Resident participatory process with its ACSA Board of Directors. I know a situation where a Resident was perpwalked out of a meeting for asking a pointed question that did not want to be answered. The folks at the meeting complained, but to no avail. I have been removed from a committee, and I have been turned down twice after volunteering for community committees. The ACSA does not want a dialogue, it wants only listening. As has been experienced, the ACSA will unfairly and brashly strong-arm its position with its Residents.
- A lack of information is also a technique by the ACSA Board. With this Directors’ election we were told there were three openings, but were never told which of the Directors’ had their positions expire, and the positions being up for a vote. Further, I have multiple times requested the location of the Lakeside Pool’s $300,000 plus assessment, and its spending, and was told it was in the budget, which I challenge anyone to locate. It apparently is buried among community funds. Accounting principles require a separate accounting.
It is so obvious that this cabal group’s mantra is to do what it wants with impunity, and only offer information, if asked, at its own time, and only if it feels necessary. Obviously, politics, and its fuel to entice for power and control, is succeeding. The revolving door of administration at the discretionary and unneeded renovated restaurant, and the debacle of the discretionary and unneeded Lakeside Pool renovation are the ACSA’s trophies for its self-assertiveness to and its control of its Residents.
With millions of dollars being annually spent, it’s appropriate and expected that an HOA have a check and balance system in place where a democratic Resident participation is required.
I am always open for a dialogue with these community matters; however, is compliance and complacency in control?