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Monday, June 21, 2021
BOARD MEETING NOTES
June 2021 Board Meeting Notes by Steve Flickinger..
Thank you Steve for all the time and effort you put into this so that we members can be better informed. It is very much appreciated.
Click on each page once or twice for a larger view...
Steve, Daryl spoke to everyone on compliance. The community is divided into 10 sections. He went into section 1, wrote up a few complaints and closed a few cases. Tracy assured everyone Daryl is not going onto people's property.
The RV storage area has been collecting monies from members for years with zero accountability. From what I remember from a few years back...SHOA wanted to repair the electrical in the lot that had fallen into disrepair.
They announced and they were raising fees on those utilizing the lot to pay for those repairs. Those of us who use the lot asked where all the monies from the years SHOA had been collecting fees was now.
We were told all fees had been put into the general fund and line item accounting was not done so SHOA could not track the money. After the uproar from the members SHOA decided they could fix the electrical using funds from all the fees that had already been paid and they did not need to raise the fees for using the lot.
Around this time Clancy got involved and SHOA decided to try and "upgrade" the storage area. They hired a company to re-design the area. I don't know how much they paid this company, but it was obvious from the submitted proposal that the company had no clue about RV's. More wasted money. I do not know where/when SHOA "found" all the money to throw at the storage area.
The current changes could be from the same company they hired to do the previous re-design or maybe they found another company...but either way they spent more money for another design and included the recycle area in this go-round.
It's unfortunate that SHOA did not track the monies collected from the users of the storage area. Granted, they did expend some money to pay for grass/weed control and perhaps gravel every few years, but there should have been plenty of monies collected to cover those costs. Either way, SHOA made a ton of money off those fees and spent next to nothing maintaining the area.
I suggest members and the board look at the Articles of Incorporation, Article 2 #19. It is the intention and purpose that the business of said corporation shall not be carried on for profit either to itself or for the benefit of its members, and wherever it is authorized to collect charges or assessments it shall have no power or authority to us said charges or assessments except as necessary to cover the actual cost or expense of the act, duty, power or transaction performed. Seems really clear to me. This would also pertain to that $200 transfer fee on property transactions. The chipping site doesn’t charge an actual fee only donations, but it costs us money every year I know in listening to the treasures report, these items are considered a good item of income
I guess my question is, How is Kurt Olds handing out 4 vote ballots in his campaigning? Are Trustees just handed a stack of ballots to take around and have filled out?
Yes please allow the 3 vote ballot to count if a 4 vote ballot is not cast, even if I have a 4 vote ballot and only vote for 1 my vote should count! I don’t always vote for everything in State and local elections, but what I do vote for counts!
@9:19, that is a good question. What is he meaning "handing out"? It would be nice if Kurt, Ric or even Tracy came on here to clarify by their name so we all know and and this way we have transparency and communication with everyone, but I won't hold my breath.
Isn’ t it strange how you have Board members handing out ballots. I am sure that a lecture on who and what to vote for comes along with it. Remember a few years ago when a previous Board member canvassed the neighborhood asking for a vote on issues. I believe the Board launched a vicious effort to silence him, sparing no false accusations. So now Board members condone doing the same thing with no consequences. If Olds approached me, I would totally ignore him. His family seems to harbor a serious case of Excessive self importance. Minich had been a reasonable fellow until Clancy goth hold of him. For some reason he latched on to Clancy’s “spend, spend, spend, after all the HOA can just get more money”. We know that Clancy thought that perhaps over 600,00 times. The. Follow on is that Minich’s ego then took over, to the pleasure of his other Board members. The only way you will make the HOA a family group friendly neighborhood is to remove the entire Board and replace them with community minded representatives. Remember, even a new improved group will be criticized in the beginning and will have to prove their vision. Good luck.
If someone is handing out ballots, where is it covered in the bylaws. I would think there could be only one ballot per member household. So there is no control number for each ballot to provide chain of custody?
What was the rationale to discontinue the live stream for the meeting where the introduction and Q&A of candidates took place? Looks there were other very important agenda items as well.
The board room has limited occupancy and not all members are available to watch the live stream when it is occurring.
Regardless of whether or not members are permitted to physically attend the monthly board meeting, the meeting should ALWAYS be live-streamed and then posted on the website. This creates a permanent record that can be accessed at any time by all members. Nothing less is acceptable.
Other than the obvious dislike some people have for Olds, can someone please explain what is the big deal of anyone handing out the 4 vote ballots to anyone who needs it? The ballots go to an independent counter. They confirm that only one ballot is counted per household. So what's the issue? How is it different than when people go around asking for members proxies where they are getting actual votes?
They are not going around "asking for members proxies". They are asking to be named as the proxy on the ballot. It has been outlined on here, the process for casting your ballot.
It is probably a legal issue, but, being able to make a "copy" of a ballot and using that to cast a ballot, does not seem right. Perhaps our ballots should be printed so they do not allow to be a copy submitted. Perhaps numbered. The problem is the door can be opened for fraud. Portions of the handed out proxy could contain boxes checked and candidate names checked without the voter catching it. Verbal false claims could also be made.
A better, more ethical way, would be to hand out a sheet (non-ballot) asking to be named as a proxy. A kind of get the vote out thing. Any current Board member not up for re-election should not be going around soliciting votes for anyone, not because it is illegal, but because it casts suspicion on their motives.
In my opinion, for Kurt Olds to be on the Board, and his wife as Tree Committee Chair, is a clear conflict of interest for them both. This would apply to any Board or Committee chair.
Our association Board members are referred to as Trustees. It is a position of trust by the members, that they will act according to the rules, in the best interests of all members. That trust is earned and not a given.
The level of trust that members have in our Board is as low as I have ever seen. Newly elected Trustees will have a big job regaining member trust. It won't be easy, and will take time, but it can be done and they will be judged by their actions and non-actions.
Why would anyone need a ballot? Every member is mailed one with the return envelope to the Designated Election Committee Chairperson Pretty easy when handing out that ballot to volunteer to be a proxy! Just saying! The ballot that goes out in the mail should be the official ballot
Because going around, knocking on doors with new ballots can lead to corruption. What happens if a person already voted and the 'door knocker' convinces them to vote again only vote for different candidates? Which ballot is counted? I can presume the 'door knocker' has an advantage in every door bell rang if they are allowed to supersede an official or first time voted ballot. Perception is everything! This is, once again, SHADY AS HELL!
This whole process is troublesome. Absolutely no reason for this PROXY process.
The biggest red flag is the fact that the PROXY is permitted to vote for the member if the member checks the YES box. This should NOT be allowed. The MEMBER should vote, NOT the PROXY. Essentially, in that case, the PROXY is voting multiple times.
The ballot should be left EXACTLY as it is submitted. If it's blank, leave it blank. If the member voted for less than 4, so be it. If the member voted on the "select 3" ballot, Janet will notify them to resubmit the correct ballot.
NO ONE EXCEPT JANET SHOULD BE TOUCHING THE BALLOTS!!!!! We need to do away with the PROXY ballots and have direct balloting!!!
Please, please, please do NOT send in a blank PROXY ballot.
Olds is not running for a position, but is a seated Trustee who should know better than to do this - if he is. Ms. Corey keeps accurate records to the extent she can, but handing out copies of the original ballot is being used as a ploy to promote Old's preferred candidates, while he has no formal role in the sending or counting of ballots.
The same Trustees keep finding ways to finagle, mislead and cheat in the election, as they see a lot of support for new personalities not bent on their own narrow agenda. Kurt had to be silenced twice at the May meeting as he harped on and on about the Bylaw change proposal being the work of a minority of malcontent troublemakers....
It is uncommon for HOAs to allow their Board of Trustees to create or revise Covenants without member approval. It is a false statement to say that the intent of the Bylaw change is RADICAL, when our HOA is out of sync. with nearly all HOAs.
We need honest people on the Board, too tall an expectation for Mr. Olds to properly serve the community.
Another thing that was mentioned at the meeting when discussing the 4 vote/3 vote issue. Ric contacted Sam the attorney (saying Gary had conflict of interest) and the attorney stated that he doesn't work for the BOT or the association but is Gary's personal attorney (interesting).
That is quoted directly from Ric. The attorney would not talk to Ric and hung up. The attorney then called Gary and Gary called Ric to see what was happening.
OK, it IS because it's Olds. Got it. If not than do you all feel the same with my neighborhood busybody going around backing Rhonda or are you hypocrites?
Btw Cox, your old hero Patrick went around handing out printed ballots with HIS choices on it, but that's OK right?
The obvious issue is that Olds is handing out unauthorized ballots, when he is not authorized by the HOA to perform any election related tasks.
Who he canvases for is not a concern. Board members canvas every election. But Mr.Olds and Mrs. deLeest are sowing fear of other candidates by making wacky claims about the intentions of the competition.
These pitiful people can't avoid lies to influence voters, when they don't personally know the other candidates, to make these false claims.
We have a nine member Board, and a single Trustee does not make decisions for the community. A reminder to Gary Williams by the way, the entire Board is tasked with making community decisions. Not the president alone, and not the "Executive" Board, both Gary's preferred methods of taking action.
You live in the past and dwell on manufactured fears and boogeymen. Patrick hasn' t lived in S.S. for at least 2 years.
Don't see a problem with people handing out SAMPLE ballots while campaigning. To be ethical, the SAMPLE ballots should be marked as a SAMPLE and include a disclaimer stating "THIS SAMPLE BALLOT IS PROVIDED BY (THEIR NAME and CONTACT INFO).
Do see a big problem with the business manager posting a negative comment on this blog in writing regarding one of the candidates. The business manager and all employed staff should remain neutral and keep their opinions to themselves.
And the ballots can be returned to the office? That's a problem too.
I don't approve of anyone walking around handing out ballots. Who's stopping someone from forgery? The current BOT has an advantage. They know who owns what property and they know the voting history of each member and can forge those who rarely come here and who rarely vote.
Maybe the 4 new candidates could take out a page or a letterto the editor in The Observer. State the misinformation, what they stand for, and contact info. A lot of the older residents read the paper. Though I was told previously the newspaper does have some tie in to board members, so may restrict unless an ad is paid for.
We've heard that members of the Board went to the "Observer" and threatened legal action if they printed anything they didn't like. The Paper is protected by the Constitution. I'm sure that they are always careful about what they print, who the source is, and clarify what are opinions and what are facts.
But anyone asking the paper to print something, needs to be mindful of unsubstantiated claims and heresay, usually not acceptable.
Good question. I often question some of the remarks here because there's never any concrete proof, just 'word on the street' remarks and this could possibly be a diversion to keep our productivity away from the goal.
Until someone provides George with something real, we should presume it's just fodder for thought.
Is June 23, 2021 at 11:09 AM stating that some people are sending in fraudulent proxy ballots? Filling out a ballot with another member's account number or address and signing that member's name? Doing this because they know which members never vote so the fraud would never be discovered?
This is a serious accusation. Sure hope this is not happening.
So the question I would have for the association is.....do they keep a record of member voter participation from year to year? And if they do, who has access to that information?
The new candidates should hand out SAMPLE ballots with their 4 name marked. Handing out SAMPLE ballots is a common campaign practice.
But I would add that they should put a big colorful sticker on the ballot and state: "This is the way we'd like you to vote because we'd like to change things for the better in Surfside and we will do our best to listen to you, communicate with you and represent the interests of all members."
Reading a lot of these comments just prove what I said during the Q&A session. This board needs to do a self-review of its practices. Board discipline is big. No favoritism! No abuse of power! A successful board will radiate to the members it is serving!
Sample ballots with the actual candidates names on them and then marked IS NOT common practice unless the candidates are Jane and John Doe, this would, again, be SHADY AS HELL.
I like what June 23 1:25 said, unless someone can actually prove these dealings, it's just trash talk and takes away from our dignity and strength. Send George an email with proof please. It's too unsettling to undermine the entire BOT system unless it's really happening. Please show us!
I agree there is always reason for caution when startling events or actions are reported here. Yet we hear differing opinions about the soundness of using ANY KIND OF BALLOT, as a ploy to get votes.door to door. Annette has been handing out flyers with false claims about her opposition.
This crew has been known to use inappropriate means to get what they want, so there's no reason to doubt these reports. We should ask Ms. Corey about counterfeit ballots showing up, come election day.
No doubt, the BOT's antics with the 3 vacancies was sure to cause confusion at the least, if it didn't get overlooked. We need honest people on the Board, who don't pretend to be the only capable members worthy of serving.
Well said Cori! Up until recently, this BOT has gotten away with everything. Members have had enough of their crap and are finally standing up to them. Lets get good honest people in there to work FOR the membership and have good honest communication with the membership. Oh and Tracy, don't come on Facebook accusing me of saying there was a misprint on the ballot! That is not what my comment was. My comment was, "they will claim it is a misprint". Two different meanings. But rest assured, there clearly is a misprint on the 2nd ballot. My and Must, are different.
Kurt stated he was handing out 4 vote ballots during the recent BOT meeting per the written minutes I read! The 3 vote ballot was wrong but Ric Minich strongly defended it as being correct to myself and JoAnne. JoAnne contested it with a letter to the board and ballot was changed to 4 votes! She was then attacked by Ric Minich at the board meeting on 6-19, sorry you were wrong Ric and should step down at the Annual Meeting.
We as members can not TRUST anything this current BOT does, and I am not sure we can trust anyone in the office. All of them are minions for the BOT and their future is in their hands! I say clean house and start over, sell off the water department and build that clubhouse on some of the 53 lots Surfside HOA owns. If we need additional money sell some lots!
What kind of insecurity does it show when a person needs to put up yard signs for an H O A election? Williams and deLeest have been a big part of the problem for the last decade or so. They need to go.
I will vote for the four newcomers. New blood is badly needed.
That's a great point 10:02. Annette even has a fancy studio portrait along with her statement in the newsletter, apparently taken 5 or 10 years ago.
The pretense of bringing professionalism is not an advantage to the role as Trustee. Bringing honesty and integrity - doesn't require being well dressed or slick advertising.
At the Annual Meeting, any member present can make a motion to remove Kurt Olds from the board. All it takes is a second and a simple majority present, to remove him from the board immediately. The motion to remove does not require a cause. They can be removed "without cause".
And I assume Annette hasn't worked in a professional environment for a couple decades based on her current way of dealing with members and allows her personal endeavors to override a lot of common sense and graciousnesd. Remember, she got to see all the BOT applications prior to running, and am sure she is concerned for the status quo. Gary is the same, but also lacks some of the intelligence required.
Olds, like the rest of the old guard, doesn't really care what others want, as long as they get theirs. He is a perfect example of a board member that has to go, along with Williams.
Saw some "vote for me Gary Williams" way up Sandridge, around 190th. Desperate times I guess or maybe, egomania? There will be a bunch of people looking for him on the mid term election ballots from the county, for sure, hahaha, just kidding......
Poor Gary baby. Only place he can put his signs is at his yeller place or outside Surfside. Sure going to miss his safety message. Still waiting for him to come by and lift my heavy pot for me. That is what he said at a board meeting. To avoid back strain, if you need help lifting something, just give him a call. Would you ask him for help on anything? I think NOT.
Yes Steve, her flyer is a blatant lie. That is not what Larry, Cori, John or I are about. Yes, I too know she played a part of writing neat and tidy. I have seen the paper, and it mentions driftwood, bouys and crushed rock. There is a group of bullies that want to control every aspect of our lives. We are free to decorate how we want. What is art to one, may not be to another, but that is what makes us all unique .
oh lord, if the landscape here, which is basically sand, rock, buoys, driftwood, dune grass, and weeds, doesn't suit your delicate eyes then it's probably time to move somewhere else. good grief, what a bunch of nonsense. there's always something to do or be mad about if you keep looking, so stop looking.....
Well there was a comment on here stating my mother in law had Gary Williams signs in her yard, and that should tell people something. What it tells people is she is dating Jim Flood who is user, loser and a womanizer. Has a lady in Pennsylvania and Arizona too. We have not seen my mother in law, by choice, since October. What does that tell you.
Wow Ronda 2:22, After reading Annette’s flyer and having read most if not all of your own blog posts, I would say that there are no lies at all. You have no idea as to how much time she has invested in serving Surfside. She was initially elected to uphold the existing covenants, which she has done. Never missed one meeting in more than three years. The neat and tidy stuff is not even close to what was initially written to only deal with neglected or abandoned properties, garbage, etc: etc: That has been since rewritten and promoted by an existing sitting board member. You surprisingly don’t mention his spouse going around the neighborhood telling everyone what they can and cannot have in their yard! So you really should lay off the wild accusations, making you look really, really bad! You have no clue as to what you are getting yourself into, it’s not a part time job, just ask George how brutal it can be! Half the people will love you and the other half will hate you. If you are elected, you will find out that you are only one vote of nine, you will need other board members close associations to be successful. Pick your liaisons carefully!
As for 3:26, not true! But since it’s written here on this blog I suppose it must be?
@7:35, wild accusations? Her flyer, and I quote "A special interest group is attempting to change the historic intent of our HOA Articles, Bylaws and Covenants" is a lie. Half already love me and half, I'm sure dislike me and or my opinions. I dont let it get to me, nor do I let you get to me. I'm sure Annette put a good deal of time into her 3+ years. This place is worse off now and it's time new faces and ideas have a chance at it. Never missed a meeting in 3 years, thats great! I never missed a day of work in 17 years. I know I would be 1 of 9 board members.I also feel all of our members need to start having a say in what goes on and we damb sure need more communication with our members!
The BOT only works more because they want to work more because they are bored small minded people without a life. Honestly, stop looking to make trouble. Stop looking to make something complicated because you need to be important some way. It's so unappealing. Get a life.....
60 comments:
I don't know about everyone else but I don't have a money tree growing in my yard!
Steve,
Daryl spoke to everyone on compliance. The community is divided into 10 sections. He went into section 1, wrote up a few complaints and closed a few cases.
Tracy assured everyone Daryl is not going onto people's property.
The RV storage area has been collecting monies from members for years with zero accountability. From what I remember from a few years back...SHOA wanted to repair the electrical in the lot that had fallen into disrepair.
They announced and they were raising fees on those utilizing the lot to pay for those repairs. Those of us who use the lot asked where all the monies from the years SHOA had been collecting fees was now.
We were told all fees had been put into the general fund and line item accounting was not done so SHOA could not track the money. After the uproar from the members SHOA decided they could fix the electrical using funds from all the fees that had already been paid and they did not need to raise the fees for using the lot.
Around this time Clancy got involved and SHOA decided to try and "upgrade" the storage area. They hired a company to re-design the area. I don't know how much they paid this company, but it was obvious from the submitted proposal that the company had no clue about RV's. More wasted money. I do not know where/when SHOA "found" all the money to throw at the storage area.
The current changes could be from the same company they hired to do the previous re-design or maybe they found another company...but either way they spent more money for another design and included the recycle area in this go-round.
It's unfortunate that SHOA did not track the monies collected from the users of the storage area. Granted, they did expend some money to pay for grass/weed control and perhaps gravel every few years, but there should have been plenty of monies collected to cover those costs. Either way, SHOA made a ton of money off those fees and spent next to nothing maintaining the area.
I suggest members and the board look at the Articles of Incorporation, Article 2 #19.
It is the intention and purpose that the business of said corporation shall not be carried on for profit either to itself or for the benefit of its members, and wherever it is authorized to collect charges or assessments it shall have no power or authority to us said charges or assessments except as necessary to cover the actual cost or expense of the act, duty, power or transaction performed.
Seems really clear to me. This would also pertain to that $200 transfer fee on property transactions. The chipping site doesn’t charge an actual fee only donations, but it costs us money every year
I know in listening to the treasures report, these items are considered a good item of income
Excellent notes Steve. If every committee and others could do their notes like this we could have more communication.
I guess my question is, How is Kurt Olds handing out 4 vote ballots in his campaigning? Are Trustees just handed a stack of ballots to take around and have filled out?
Yes please allow the 3 vote ballot to count if a 4 vote ballot is not cast, even if I have a 4 vote ballot and only vote for 1 my vote should count!
I don’t always vote for everything in State and local elections, but what I do vote for counts!
Rich Minich as election chairman, is it legal for members to hand out ballots? We all get one in the mail which should be your official ballot
@9:19, that is a good question. What is he meaning "handing out"? It would be nice if Kurt, Ric or even Tracy came on here to clarify by their name so we all know and and this way we have transparency and communication with everyone, but I won't hold my breath.
Isn’ t it strange how you have Board members handing out ballots. I am sure
that a lecture on who and what to vote for comes along with it. Remember a few years ago when a previous Board member canvassed the neighborhood asking for a vote on issues. I believe the Board launched a vicious effort to silence him, sparing no false accusations. So now Board members condone doing the same thing with no consequences. If Olds approached me, I would totally ignore him. His family seems to harbor a serious case of Excessive self importance. Minich had been a reasonable fellow until Clancy goth hold of him. For some reason he latched on to Clancy’s “spend, spend, spend, after all the HOA can just get more money”. We know that Clancy thought that perhaps over 600,00 times. The. Follow on is that Minich’s ego then took over, to the pleasure of his other Board members. The only way you will make the HOA a family group friendly neighborhood is to remove the entire Board and replace them with community minded representatives. Remember, even a new improved group will be criticized in the beginning and will have to prove their vision. Good luck.
If someone is handing out ballots, where is it covered in the bylaws. I would think there could be only one ballot per member household. So there is no control number for each ballot to provide chain of custody?
Someone ask Mr Olds what he meant by this at the annual meeting next month. Then he will have to answer in front of everyone
What was the rationale to discontinue the live stream for the meeting where the introduction and Q&A of candidates took place? Looks there were other very important agenda items as well.
The board room has limited occupancy and not all members are available to watch the live stream when it is occurring.
Regardless of whether or not members are permitted to physically attend the monthly board meeting, the meeting should ALWAYS be live-streamed and then posted on the website. This creates a permanent record that can be accessed at any time by all members. Nothing less is acceptable.
Other than the obvious dislike some people have for Olds, can someone please explain what is the big deal of anyone handing out the 4 vote ballots to anyone who needs it? The ballots go to an independent counter. They confirm that only one ballot is counted per household. So what's the issue? How is it different than when people go around asking for members proxies where they are getting actual votes?
They are not going around "asking for members proxies". They are asking to be named as the proxy on the ballot. It has been outlined on here, the process for casting your ballot.
It is probably a legal issue, but, being able to make a "copy" of a ballot and using that to cast a ballot, does not seem right. Perhaps our ballots should be printed so they do not allow to be a copy submitted. Perhaps numbered. The problem is the door can be opened for fraud. Portions of the handed out proxy could contain boxes checked and candidate names checked without the voter catching it. Verbal false claims could also be made.
A better, more ethical way, would be to hand out a sheet (non-ballot) asking to be named as a proxy. A kind of get the vote out thing. Any current Board member not up for re-election should not be going around soliciting votes for anyone, not because it is illegal, but because it casts suspicion on their motives.
In my opinion, for Kurt Olds to be on the Board, and his wife as Tree Committee Chair, is a clear conflict of interest for them both. This would apply to any Board or Committee chair.
Our association Board members are referred to as Trustees. It is a position of trust by the members, that they will act according to the rules, in the best interests of all members. That trust is earned and not a given.
The level of trust that members have in our Board is as low as I have ever seen. Newly elected Trustees will have a big job regaining member trust. It won't be easy, and will take time, but it can be done and they will be judged by their actions and non-actions.
Why would anyone need a ballot? Every member is mailed one with the return envelope to the Designated Election Committee Chairperson
Pretty easy when handing out that ballot to volunteer to be a proxy! Just saying! The ballot that goes out in the mail should be the official ballot
@June 22, 2021 at 11:17 AM
Because going around, knocking on doors with new ballots can lead to corruption. What happens if a person already voted and the 'door knocker' convinces them to vote again only vote for different candidates? Which ballot is counted? I can presume the 'door knocker' has an advantage in every door bell rang if they are allowed to supersede an official or first time voted ballot. Perception is everything! This is, once again, SHADY AS HELL!
This whole process is troublesome. Absolutely no reason for this PROXY process.
The biggest red flag is the fact that the PROXY is permitted to vote for the member if the member checks the YES box. This should NOT be allowed. The MEMBER should vote, NOT the PROXY. Essentially, in that case, the PROXY is voting multiple times.
The ballot should be left EXACTLY as it is submitted. If it's blank, leave it blank. If the member voted for less than 4, so be it. If the member voted on the "select 3" ballot, Janet will notify them to resubmit the correct ballot.
NO ONE EXCEPT JANET SHOULD BE TOUCHING THE BALLOTS!!!!! We need to do away with the PROXY ballots and have direct balloting!!!
Please, please, please do NOT send in a blank PROXY ballot.
VOTE for all 4 NEW candidates.
JOHN, LARRY, CORI, RONDA!!!!!
Olds is not running for a position, but is a seated Trustee who should know better than to do this - if he is. Ms. Corey keeps accurate records to the extent she can, but handing out copies of the original ballot is being used as a ploy to promote Old's preferred candidates, while he has no formal role in the sending or counting of ballots.
The same Trustees keep finding ways to finagle, mislead and cheat in the election, as they see a lot of support for new personalities not bent on their own narrow agenda. Kurt had to be silenced twice at the May meeting as he harped on and on about the Bylaw change proposal being the work of a minority of malcontent troublemakers....
It is uncommon for HOAs to allow their Board of Trustees to create or revise Covenants without member approval. It is a false statement to say that the intent of the Bylaw change is RADICAL, when our HOA is out of sync. with nearly all HOAs.
We need honest people on the Board, too tall an expectation for Mr. Olds to properly serve the community.
Another thing that was mentioned at the meeting when discussing the 4 vote/3 vote issue. Ric contacted Sam the attorney (saying Gary had conflict of interest) and the attorney stated that he doesn't work for the BOT or the association but is Gary's personal attorney (interesting).
@June 22, 2021 at 12:37 PM
WAIT WHAT????????
Someone needs to call this attorney ASAP to verify. This would be a serious problem, not only for our HOA but for the attorney himself.
That is quoted directly from Ric. The attorney would not talk to Ric and hung up. The attorney then called Gary and Gary called Ric to see what was happening.
OK, it IS because it's Olds. Got it. If not than do you all feel the same with my neighborhood busybody going around backing Rhonda or are you hypocrites?
Btw Cox, your old hero Patrick went around handing out printed ballots with HIS choices on it, but that's OK right?
The obvious issue is that Olds is handing out unauthorized ballots, when he is not authorized by the HOA to perform any election related tasks.
Who he canvases for is not a concern. Board members canvas every election. But Mr.Olds and Mrs. deLeest are sowing fear of other candidates by making wacky claims about the intentions of the competition.
These pitiful people can't avoid lies to influence voters, when they don't personally know the other candidates, to make these false claims.
We have a nine member Board, and a single Trustee does not make decisions for the community. A reminder to Gary Williams by the way, the entire Board is tasked with making community decisions. Not the president alone, and not the "Executive" Board, both Gary's preferred methods of taking action.
You live in the past and dwell on manufactured fears and boogeymen. Patrick hasn' t lived in S.S. for at least 2 years.
Don't see a problem with people handing out SAMPLE ballots while campaigning. To be ethical, the SAMPLE ballots should be marked as a SAMPLE and include a disclaimer stating "THIS SAMPLE BALLOT IS PROVIDED BY (THEIR NAME and CONTACT INFO).
Do see a big problem with the business manager posting a negative comment on this blog in writing regarding one of the candidates. The business manager and all employed staff should remain neutral and keep their opinions to themselves.
And the ballots can be returned to the office? That's a problem too.
I don't approve of anyone walking around handing out ballots. Who's stopping someone from forgery? The current BOT has an advantage. They know who owns what property and they know the voting history of each member and can forge those who rarely come here and who rarely vote.
This is fraud and everyone knows it!
@6:37, this comment is obviously part of the olds, deleast, Pachman, Harris crew
Maybe the 4 new candidates could take out a page or a letterto the editor in The Observer. State the misinformation, what they stand for, and contact info. A lot of the older residents read the paper. Though I was told previously the newspaper does have some tie in to board members, so may restrict unless an ad is paid for.
Does anyone have of copy of this ballot olds is supposedly handing out?
We've heard that members of the Board went to the "Observer" and threatened legal action if they printed anything they didn't like. The Paper is protected by the Constitution. I'm sure that they are always careful about what they print, who the source is, and clarify what are opinions and what are facts.
But anyone asking the paper to print something, needs to be mindful of unsubstantiated claims and heresay, usually not acceptable.
@June 23, 2021 at 11:59 AM
Good question. I often question some of the remarks here because there's never any concrete proof, just 'word on the street' remarks and this could possibly be a diversion to keep our productivity away from the goal.
Until someone provides George with something real, we should presume it's just fodder for thought.
In my humble opinion.
Is June 23, 2021 at 11:09 AM stating that some people are sending in fraudulent proxy ballots? Filling out a ballot with another member's account number or address and signing that member's name? Doing this because they know which members never vote so the fraud would never be discovered?
This is a serious accusation. Sure hope this is not happening.
So the question I would have for the association is.....do they keep a record of member voter participation from year to year? And if they do, who has access to that information?
Does anybody have any faith in all that this election is above board and honest? I certainly don't.
Independent third-party verification is certainly needed in this case. We do not want to listen to the SHOA mouthpiece.
The new candidates should hand out SAMPLE ballots with their 4 name marked. Handing out SAMPLE ballots is a common campaign practice.
But I would add that they should put a big colorful sticker on the ballot and state: "This is the way we'd like you to vote because we'd like to change things for the better in Surfside and we will do our best to listen to you, communicate with you and represent the interests of all members."
VOTE for Ronda, John, Larry, Cori!!!!!!!
Reading a lot of these comments just prove what I said during the Q&A session. This board needs to do a self-review of its practices. Board discipline is big. No favoritism! No abuse of power! A successful board will radiate to the members it is serving!
Amen Cori!!!!
Sample ballots with the actual candidates names on them and then marked IS NOT common practice unless the candidates are Jane and John Doe, this would, again, be SHADY AS HELL.
I like what June 23 1:25 said, unless someone can actually prove these dealings, it's just trash talk and takes away from our dignity and strength. Send George an email with proof please. It's too unsettling to undermine the entire BOT system unless it's really happening. Please show us!
VOTE Ronda, Larry, John and Cori!
Kurt stated he was campaigning with ballots during the meeting this past Saturday! I dunno ask him how he does it?
I agree there is always reason for caution when startling events or actions are reported here. Yet we hear differing opinions about the soundness of using ANY KIND OF BALLOT, as a ploy to get votes.door to door. Annette has been handing out flyers with false claims about her opposition.
This crew has been known to use inappropriate means to get what they want, so there's no reason to doubt these reports. We should ask Ms. Corey about counterfeit ballots showing up, come election day.
No doubt, the BOT's antics with the 3 vacancies was sure to cause confusion at the least, if it didn't get overlooked. We need honest people on the Board, who don't pretend to be the only capable members worthy of serving.
Well said Cori! Up until recently, this BOT has gotten away with everything. Members have had enough of their crap and are finally standing up to them. Lets get good honest people in there to work FOR the membership and have good honest communication with the membership.
Oh and Tracy, don't come on Facebook accusing me of saying there was a misprint on the ballot! That is not what my comment was. My comment was, "they will claim it is a misprint". Two different meanings. But rest assured, there clearly is a misprint on the 2nd ballot. My and Must, are different.
Kurt stated he was handing out 4 vote ballots during the recent BOT meeting per the written minutes I read! The 3 vote ballot was wrong but Ric Minich strongly defended it as being correct to myself and JoAnne. JoAnne contested it with a letter to the board and ballot was changed to 4 votes! She was then attacked by Ric Minich at the board meeting on 6-19, sorry you were wrong Ric and should step down at the Annual Meeting.
We as members can not TRUST anything this current BOT does, and I am not sure we can trust anyone in the office. All of them are minions for the BOT and their future is in their hands! I say clean house and start over, sell off the water department and build that clubhouse on some of the 53 lots Surfside HOA owns. If we need additional money sell some lots!
What kind of insecurity does it show when a person needs to put up yard signs for an H O A election? Williams and deLeest have been a big part of the problem for the last decade or so. They need to go.
I will vote for the four newcomers. New blood is badly needed.
That's a great point 10:02. Annette even has a fancy studio portrait along with her statement in the newsletter, apparently taken 5 or 10 years ago.
The pretense of bringing professionalism is not an advantage to the role as Trustee. Bringing honesty and integrity - doesn't require being well dressed or slick advertising.
At the Annual Meeting, any member present can make a motion to remove Kurt Olds from the board. All it takes is a second and a simple majority present, to remove him from the board immediately. The motion to remove does not require a cause. They can be removed "without cause".
Amen to that, Steve! Integrity is a big word, which apparently is lacking, with all these issues going around.
And I assume Annette hasn't worked in a professional environment for a couple decades based on her current way of dealing with members and allows her personal endeavors to override a lot of common sense and graciousnesd. Remember, she got to see all the BOT applications prior to running, and am sure she is concerned for the status quo. Gary is the same, but also lacks some of the intelligence required.
Olds, like the rest of the old guard, doesn't really care what others want, as long as they get theirs. He is a perfect example of a board member that has to go, along with Williams.
Saw some "vote for me Gary Williams" way up Sandridge, around 190th. Desperate times I guess or maybe, egomania? There will be a bunch of people looking for him on the mid term election ballots from the county, for sure, hahaha, just kidding......
Sad and pathetic is all I see..........
Poor Gary baby. Only place he can put his signs is at his yeller place or outside Surfside. Sure going to miss his safety message. Still waiting for him to come by and lift my heavy pot for me. That is what he said at a board meeting. To avoid back strain, if you need help lifting something, just give him a call. Would you ask him for help on anything? I think NOT.
Don't forget Minich, he needs to go as well, in my opinion.
Yes Steve, her flyer is a blatant lie. That is not what Larry, Cori, John or I are about.
Yes, I too know she played a part of writing neat and tidy. I have seen the paper, and it mentions driftwood, bouys and crushed rock.
There is a group of bullies that want to control every aspect of our lives. We are free to decorate how we want. What is art to one, may not be to another, but that is what makes us all unique .
Was it too tall?
oh lord, if the landscape here, which is basically sand, rock, buoys, driftwood, dune grass, and weeds, doesn't suit your delicate eyes then it's probably time to move somewhere else. good grief, what a bunch of nonsense. there's always something to do or be mad about if you keep looking, so stop looking.....
neat and tidy, what bunch of hooey.....
Well there was a comment on here stating my mother in law had Gary Williams signs in her yard, and that should tell people something.
What it tells people is she is dating Jim Flood who is user, loser and a womanizer. Has a lady in Pennsylvania and Arizona too. We have not seen my mother in law, by choice, since October. What does that tell you.
You make the motion and I'm sure many will 2nd it
Ronda what???? Is that the house up on Sandridge? oh my, As the World Turns in Peyton Place with All My Children.
You just can't make this stuff up right?
Sandridge? No, she is on J
Wow Ronda 2:22, After reading Annette’s flyer and having read most if not all of your own blog posts, I would say that there are no lies at all. You have no idea as to how much time she has invested in serving Surfside. She was initially elected to uphold the existing covenants, which she has done. Never missed one meeting in more than three years. The neat and tidy stuff is not even close to what was initially written to only deal with neglected or abandoned properties, garbage, etc: etc: That has been since rewritten and promoted by an existing sitting board member. You surprisingly don’t mention his spouse going around the neighborhood telling everyone what they can and cannot have in their yard! So you really should lay off the wild accusations, making you look really, really bad! You have no clue as to what you are getting yourself into, it’s not a part time job, just ask George how brutal it can be! Half the people will love you and the other half will hate you. If you are elected, you will find out that you are only one vote of nine, you will need other board members close associations to be successful. Pick your liaisons carefully!
As for 3:26, not true! But since it’s written here on this blog I suppose it must be?
@7:35, wild accusations? Her flyer, and I quote "A special interest group is attempting to change the historic intent of our HOA Articles, Bylaws and Covenants" is a lie.
Half already love me and half, I'm sure dislike me and or my opinions.
I dont let it get to me, nor do I let you get to me.
I'm sure Annette put a good deal of time into her 3+ years.
This place is worse off now and it's time new faces and ideas have a chance at it.
Never missed a meeting in 3 years, thats great! I never missed a day of work in 17 years.
I know I would be 1 of 9 board members.I also feel all of our members need to start having a say in what goes on and we damb sure need more communication with our members!
The BOT only works more because they want to work more because they are bored small minded people without a life. Honestly, stop looking to make trouble. Stop looking to make something complicated because you need to be important some way. It's so unappealing. Get a life.....
VOTE FOR Larry, Ronda, Cori and John
This is getting worn out and tired!
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