The members speak
The members exercised their right to make motions and vote on them. It is now the responsibility of the Board to take immediate action as directed by the members. The motions and vote are not a "guideline", they are a mandate as prescribed by law.
These issues should be taken up at the August 2021 Board Meeting. These vote decisions represent the will of the entire membership. Any attempt by any Board Trustee to delay or alter the motions, should be seen as a deliberate attempt to subvert the will of the members. If that Trustee is a member of the Executive Committee, (President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer) They should be removed from their position by the remaining Board.
I strongly urge members to attend the August Board meeting in person if you can or by video at least. We have to be vigilant and hold the entire Board accountable for what they do and don't do.
Motions from the floor:
Beth Bauer moved to reevaluate tree heights. Candice Carteen seconded. A verbal vote was taken, the motion was approved.
Claudia Bell moved to continue the moratorium on tree cutting. Marta Towne seconded. A verbal vote was taken, the motion was approved.
Steve Cox made a motion to have the Board reexamine the $200 property transfer fee. Gwen Wagner seconded. The motion was approved.
Rick Dunbar moved to Review all covenants vs RCWs to ensure they were in compliance. Ronda Christoph seconded. Seconded. The motion was approved.
Since so many people had left the meeting, it was unclear if a quorum still remained.
The motions will be used as a guideline by the board.
103 comments:
The vote tally says it all. Majority has spoken and trees are the rub. I think a quorum, whether physical or in spirit remains. The numbers don't lie.
The tree covenant is a cheap lazy way to get out of paying for view rights. There's nothing in my house deed saying someone owns the rights above my home. There's nothing in their house deed saying they own view rights.
Cheap and lazy. Views need to be purchased. They can go to court if they want to fight for a view. That is if they can find an attorney to take on that imaginary fight.
Yes, we must make sure there is no finagling out of proceeding with the motions. There probably would have been more had they not been delayed until the very end.
We need a whole new format for the annual MEMBER meeting. Start with election results already tallied (no proxies), selection of execs and then floor motions. Leave all the reports and speeches to the end.
But more importantly, RIGHT NOW, the focus is to be on the motions currently on the table!! We will definitely be attending the August board meeting.
The quorum is always based on the total ballots plus the in-person attendance. There were over 500 ballots cast, and the Pres.,Gary Williams asked that the motions portion of the agenda be moved to the end of the meeting.
There has not been a moratorium on tree topping as George indicates, so needs to be acted on right away.
And don't know what this business is about "purchasing a view". It is time to abandon this covenant, and approach complaints about obstructed views to compliance enforcement.
The time has come to require PROOF of obstructed views.
Since we had a record number of Voters, the quorum was established. There is no question of that, and it should not affect any of the motions that were proposed later in the meeting.
I hear the roar, all the time, from people I know on J, but, but I bought a view home. Imagine if everyone on G said the same thing and decided it was their right to a view and plowed down the dunes. People on G own up to mean tide only, but hey, they bought a view home too, isn't it their right to impose on someone else for that view?
No one is "entitled" to a view here. Don't know where that is written, can't find it anywhere. In other places, take New York for instance, you would have to purchase the rights to unobstructed views, preventing any surrounding properties from obstructing. This is not cheap as it devalues the surrounding properties by limiting structure height and plantings etc. This would be recorded on all deeds involved.
Real estate purchases give the property owner rights to the air above and ground below to the heavens and eternity of the four corners purchased. Now, of course, this excludes government involvement, planes, utilities etc. and is an exaggerated interpretation of air and earth rights, however, does provide legal protection to the space above and below your property for your personal enjoyment.
I suspect the founders of this HOA wanted to make top dollar on the ridge lots and designed these covenants of house height and tree height to gain those dollars without legally including this in purchase deeds (because then value for lower level property would decrease). It's all about the dollar, otherwise, the tree limits and house limits would be imposed on every parcel/area in this HOA.
Greed is the problem. But with greed comes responsibility. Legal consequences. Do it the right way and hell ya, we will cut our trees. Show us the money or back off.
This is just the way I see it. If someone has a different perspective, great, change my view. That's all I got to say.
That's all you need to say. You got it right with enough said.
I know someone who sold property in N. Dakota but kept the mineral rights of the earth, and this is legally binding and on the deed, so I understand what you are saying.
We do need to stay on top of the board and see that the motions are upheld and agree we do indeed did have a quorum. And yes yes yes the entire voting process is a mess and needs revision.
I will keep checking back here to see if numbers are needed for attendance in August. I will be there if this is what it takes to do the right thing.
@ 12:42 Anonymous
You are 100% correct and thank you for putting that in terms ALL MEMBERS can understand. Please let’s stop killing trees to try and give a view that is not guaranteed to anyone, sorry your realtor said you had a guaranteed view,. That’s likes saying you have unmetered water, free RV dump station, free waste disposal ( I can dump my grass clippings at my other house), friendly employees that we pay to serve us.
Pretty much all the trees have been cut now so we’re good for awhile with our view!
Hopefully, no one sues us, which they can, and would probably win.
Hopefully someone checks Tracy's computer and see what she looks into on company time.
Anyone who made motions at the annual meeting, please show up at the August 21st meeting. Ric and Tracy are attempting to overrule you and will go with no quorum was available. This is the crap that needs to stop. It's not about power anymore! It's about what our community wants AND RIC AND TRACY NEED TO STOP THEIR CRAP
There was an approved quorum. It was signed off by the former board president.
746 - If they try to bury these motions, you're going to get that wish for a lawsuit.
No one "wishes" for a lawsuit, however, I would be up to joining if the radical minority continues to subvert our wishes.
Some people need to be very very careful with their behavior. This is not their kingdom any longer.
Big 'IF' here, IF the board is using Tracy or any other paid staff for their deviance to usurp the will of the people they need to be removed, immediately. Employees are not pawns to use in any dirty power play. Employees need to feel safe in their positions to make sound decisions for the homeowners without fear for their jobs.
IF, and I repeat, IF, this is happening, it is a big dirty, once again on the board, particularly the President for putting anyone in this position. Employees are not serving just for the will of the BOT. Let them do their jobs without any games or fear.
I made the last motion, but there probably wasn't enough people left to make a quorum.
I thought it was a MEMBERS meeting, yet the board and staff got chairs and the members were made to sit in children's bleachers for many hours.
I proposed we rent chairs for the members on our next members meeting, but Gary didn't ask for a second and did a fast shuffle on the reason they made adults sit in children's bleachers for hours, and then everyone left.
Yes and Gary also cut off the floor motions earlier in the meeting when they were brought to the floor when there was a full house. Hmmmmm wonder why that was. There is ABSOLUETLY NO DOUBT that the motions would have passed earlier in the meeting by an even larger margin. The annual meeting needs a complete re-do..........the agenda is not that of a MEMBER meeting. We will see how the new board handles this situation. My hope is they will do what the MEMBERS have requested.
No need to rent chairs. The school has chairs and they have been on the floor at all the other annual meetings. Also, many members normally bring their own chairs. Apparently the school redid the floors and then asked us not to put any chairs on the floor. Still don't know why it was OK for the board and others to have chairs. ????? Also, Still don't know if the school scheduled our annual meeting knowing they were redoing the floors and it would be a problem but failed to tell us or if the HOA knew about it and failed to secure another venue. ????? Regardless, inexcusable to expect people to sit on elementary school bleaches for upwards of 5-7 hours.
I understand now our new president Ric and our lovely office manager Tracey are trying to say the floor motions are not legit and there was no quorum which is not correct. Gary signed that we had a quorum and this needs to be stopped. We all need to show up for the first meeting on August 21st to stop this nonsense. I’m about ready to hire an attorney and go after these idiots. The members spoke and they don’t like it and are trying to stop it. I also understand the office staff is spreading rumors that are simply not true. Another reason we need to get rid of the staff and hire people that have the members interests at heart. The office should have sent out an email to make the members aware of the things they are trying to do so we can all be there for the next meeting. I will be going door to door to my nieghbors homes to inform them of what they are trying to do. This too will be stopped if they know what’s good for them.
Mr. Minich has a way of interfering when he doesn't know what he is talking about. He also made a statement that the Board would be getting to work on these motions to make them a reality.
The quorum in the meeting is determined both by members present, AND ballots received.
Add to that add the fact that Gary cut off the motions part of the meeting, asking to move on and return to the motions later. There were over 500 ballots recorded. With a School Board limit on occupancy of 209, leaving some members waiting outside or choosing to go home.
Read the new RCWs quoted on the Blog currently.They clearly outline what constitutes a quorum, and it was clear that the entire meeting qualified. In a meeting of over 4 hours, some members were certain to leave, leaving at least half that many people still present.
And what the hell does Tracy have to do with any of this? She has no say, is not a Board member or HOA resident/owner. Where did this info come from ?
If this is accurate, both of these people need to be disciplined.
OH SHIZZ, Here we go AGAIN, Ok, where is the August meeting? Guess all 300+ of us need to show up AGAIN. FFS these people are thick!
Address please!
Williams had no business leading the Members meeting, Tracy had no business making any statement or even speaking at the Members Meeting! She is not a member, she is an employee of Surfside. This has got to stop, the members need to take back this Community and actually have employees and Trustees that are truly held accountable for their actions! All members need to show up at the 8-21 BOT meeting, not that we as a multi-million dollar HOA have a meeting place for all of u!s!
IF this is truly happening, there's some mental capacity in question here. I'm being serious. Is this person really capable of being President of this HOA?
How can we find out if this is really going down? Ronda? Cori? Larry? John? Do we need to attend the August meeting?
The motion passed and are valid. RCW 64.34.336 Quorums. (1) Unless the bylaws specify a larger percentage, a quorum is present throughout any meeting of the association of owners of units to which twenty-five percent of the votes of the association are allocated are "present in person or by proxy at the beginning of the meeting."
@9:27, yes you should attend. Motions were made by the members, seconded and Gary took a vote. These are not in any way shape or form guidelines as they are calling them. Show up, let your voices be heard for the better of the community, not just for a few bullies.
I would suggest we plan on having the August 21 meeting outdoors. There may be a lot of members attending and I don't think our meeting room will accommodate. We can bring our own chairs.
Well now I'm just plain pissed off. We shouldn't have to babysit. Whose bright idea was it to make this guy president? He's next on the bye bye list for sure.
The way this HOA BOT operates is ruining my life. I shouldn't need to have this many people I don't know or want to know in my life.
Can we just start working on dissolution? And don't come on here and tell me to move, you can move if you don't like my comment.
Thinking about this @10:50 and I get it. There is not one benefit to this HOA at all. Now I have a house and parcel I love but a whole bunch of extra people in my world telling me what I can and cannot do. There's zero benefit to any of this and would completely support dissolving. The small sum of extra money for water and garbage would be a huge relief to this chronic headache. I retired because I was sick of people telling me what to do.
I'll be at this meeting but I won't be happy about it!
The office has yet to update their own website or even post the video to listen to the meeting.
Get rid of Tracy!
@1050 @1144 - I've been waiting on the sidelines. Its been many long years since the HOA chair , the architectural committee chair, and a truly evil folk on the board literally were catalysts in ruining my retirement , my marriage , my health and any hope for happiness on this little worthless piece of sand that is basically an RV lot with no human rights. Trees are finally giving up, and it falls in disrepair as I no longer travel there much. You see, I no longer have a family to bring there.
I would be willing to put up a substantial sum for legal fees pertaining to dissolution of this HOA and send the shysters packing. But I cannot do it entirely myself. This is not that difficult to organize , and, there are a couple of good peninsula counselors that would take this on.
I know there are several like minded members out there with means. Just exactly where do I go to network on this project? Its been personal now for way too long. My time to help is running out.
It has been brought up so very many times how we need better communication between the board and members, but it’s still a huge void! Checked on the Official Website for information about meetings, this is what I found: last trustee meeting minutes are from May , the minutes from 2020 Annual meeting not there, the last annual minutes are from 2018! The Board of Trustees list is from 2020-2021 with incomplete information, the new board members are not listed! And they wonder why we come to this blog to share information?
That web site is a joke! Sure hope we aren’t paying much for it!
Is this undermining of our motions being advertised? What is being done to notify members they need to come to the August meeting because our motions are in the process of being rejected even though they were legally approved? With the attorney's present as well!
This needs to be on the website immediately. I implore the board to post something about this so everyone who wants to uphold these motions arrive to fight this rotten behavior.
@5:54 AM- I too have a bit of money to throw in the hat. Not sure how to go about this, but agree, there's no benefit to this HOA and it needs to go away. Ridiculous. I'm outraged!
It would be very helpful if the board of trustees list was updated on the Official Website! I know the new trustees have been assigned their Surfside email addresses, so how about letting us know? Kinda hard to contact the trustees when the needed information is not available!
How many meetings are we going to have to attend? Is this going to go on and on until we rid the board of the vermin? How is this happening? The attorney's were sitting in the room when this was on record as a legal quorum and the vote was taken as it always has in the past, without contest. Because it is a topic (trees) a few don't agree with, this is happening? This is feeling very sickening.
What can I or we do to make this madness STOP?
An important point: the attornies present did not express objections or cautions during the motions period. Williams accepted the results as valid. Newly appointed President Minich accepted the motions as valid, and assured action on them. (point made in this strand).
Clearly the RCW quoted here establishes these motions are valid and binding.
Important to note: These were not promoted as "demands", but were considerate of the process involved to consider policy changes needed. First a moratorium on Tree Enforcement is an entirely benign action, but a realistic first step toward loosening the restrictions, or eliminating them.
And the 2nd part of the motion is for the Board to review, amend, or eliminate the covenant.
Another motion is to review the need for the $200 title transfer and inspection. Given a new compliance officer at great expense, and a new computer program being implemented to track compliance issues, there should be no need for an inspection. (Once again, advisory).
Definitely wondering where Tracy fits into this. She has no valid advisory role. She has also had great difficulty accepting any member criticism, and has quickly become aggressive, claiming she will not offer her assigned services to anyone who criticizes her. That in itself should be reason to dismiss her. So what is she doing in the middle of Board business ?
We have seen that there are many unexplained decisions attributed to the HOA law firm, that seem tailor-made to the Board president's preference. We need to see how this motions matter proceeds, viewed with a skeptical eye. The HOA may need to find a new firm that doesn't cater just to the Board president as this one has.
Just great, I thought this was my forever home. Retire, have first year to move here, get settled, second year ruined by COVID, now third and fourth and all the rest ruined by an HOA? I can't do it. Really, this is absurd. Who are these people who have nothing better to do?
@ Joanne, my email is
rchristoph@surfsideonline.org
Hi Ronda....At what point were you aware that only 3 newly elected Trustees would be given 3 year terms ?
My concern is that some members of the Board have tended to take liberties in manipulations of elections, as the 3 vacancy ballot demonstrated.
It is my uuderstanding that the Board has no authority to arbitrarily set terms of office, and that this is actually a member decision, as are all Bylaw changes.
It is true that leaving your term at one year, there would be 3 vacancies next election. Resignations have been common in Surfside, so hard to say if anything is gained by reducing your term.
Going by the docs, you should be serving 3 years as everyone else who is elected outright.
Thank you! So much for good communication, huh?
Maybe all the new board members should post their Surfside emails here so we can contact them with HOA questions or concerns!!
I would be more than happy to donate money and I have an excellent law firm that can take care of this once and for all. My attorney will chew them up and spit them out. I’m sick of this 💩. Tracey and the rest need to be fired. Contact Ronda or Joanne and they will know who to contact if this is something you all would like to do.
@3:42 Thanks for the info, will do. I believe it's time. Ridiculous. Sad we have to sue ourselves.
@ 3:42 7-21-21
Please message me thru FB, we need to start getting back our community. I have said for quite some time that if an attorney and litigation is needed then I was willing to put up! Too bad our members which are Trustees can’t hear the people they are a part of but also represent and follow their wishes and not their own agenda! But just gonna say typical HOA!
Let’s give the board a chance to work. Work in progress. Meetings are getting scheduled. Assignments are getting finalized. All of your sentiments are sentiments of many. This is a worthwhile work; and it is not easy. I don’t have the authority to speak for the board. I take your trust and confidence seriously, will serve you the best I can. Let’s pray for a better SHOA as a whole. Have a good evening.
charms@surfsideonline.org
Thanks Cori for your Surfside email!
We did great things by getting 4 new Trustees, but our President and BM are already starting to go against the members wishes. Ric Minich could not even figure out how the election should have been run but yet somehow he was elected President, see a future of 5 to 4 votes. Can Rhonda or Cori prove me wrong? Don’t get me wrong great to see changes but hopefully we are not living a dream cause seems the good ole boys are still in control.
I always had the understanding the candidate taking 4th was a 1 year term. Had Clancy not left, he would still be on the board and his term would be up next year along with Olds and Minich.
The fact that the opportunity for some much needed changes in policy seems not only possible, but pretty certain, is reason for excitement. Along with that is an underlying fear that some of the same forces that have kept Surfside locked in a backward environment fearful of change, will spoil the optimism.
I'm not sure Cori is fully aware of the damage done and skepticism so many feel. The HOA has had a law firm on retainer, who are primarily at the president's disposal, telling him whatever he wants to hear.
It's pretty certain that the lawyers will try to stop the progress the motions attempt to jumpstart. It seems likely the new Trustees will have to fend off the attempts to stop significant changes to the Tree covenant.
If this takes place, the Board may need to find a new lawfirm, and forge on with new policy. There is no reasonable defense for this mandatory topping program, gone on for far too long.
Members deserve communication, and you will get that from me, I have nothing to hide.
Apparently it is a board policy not to have more than 2 meetings a month. I get that, trust me, I don't want to look at half them more than I have too. What I do not understand, and needs changed, is they say a board group email constitutes a meeting.
Just how in the hell do we communicate through out the month. No wonder members are always in the dark. Even the board does not want to communicate!
All I can say, is show up and support us on August 21st and let your voices be heard.
I'm hardly pleasant at noon, let alone 8am on a Saturday, but I'll show up if I have too. I'm ready to just hire counsel and send them into this shit show in our stead.
We voted, it was certified, in front of legal, so why are we needing to come have a do-over?
I'm pretty furious actually. Hopefully, I will cool down by then, but who knows. I'll be the one throwing daggers with my eyes........
Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure what you've been told, but Mr.Clancy's term has nothing to do with it. All 9 positions were filled at election time. The Board decided to create a one year term in order to maintain this nonsense of having 3 vacancies come election time.
As I have said, I don't believe the Board has the authority to set terms of office. I'll go back and read our docs to refresh my memory, but I think that this is a Bylaw issue, and only the membership can change the Bylaws.
It makes no sense to REQUIRE 3 when the Board can be as small as 5 members, but the Operations Manual says "at least 3" meaning 4 or more is fine.
Nearly every year there is a resignation, and those vacancies are required to be filled by Board appointment. Appointees serve only the remainder of the year's term. (not the full remaining term of the resigned Trustee).
To my knowledge, there is no provision for 1 year terms for those elected outright. This was an invention of the Board, which may or may not have been voted on.
I find that it is difficult to remember all of the details in our documents, and I have to reread them periodically. But it seems that some Trustees never become very familiar with them, which is a handicap to abiding by them. Some Board members prefer guessing/doing what they want.
What we have here are a bunch of flakes trying to fanagle their way out of contracts they voluntarily entered into with their neighbors. If they don't want to live up to their commitments, they should move. The writers of all these slanderous posts will be unmasked when this gets before the court too. It would be a lot less expensive for all involved if the flakes simply did what they said they would when they purchased their property or sell it and live "free" somewhere else.
The covenants provide means of amending or eliminating any given rule or standard. That people express disatisfaction with some kinds of policy or the actions of the Board is not slanderous.
HOAs are intended to operate by a democratic model, the Trustees representing the will of the members as well as enforcing some standards as needed.
The Blog is simply a venue for expressing personal opinions and exploring interest in ways the community can change in beneficial ways. The community currently favors changes in some policies and direction.
Most everyone is abiding by our covenants as far as I can see. Most of us don't go around the community looking for things to gripe about. You apparently do.
The Freudian projection in your last sentence gave me a chuckle. Especially coming from the biggest whiner I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.
You clearly are a Board member or defend them no matter the issue, or deception they propagate. I don't "whine" about anything, but am a vocal critic of the Board, when I object to their actions.
If you have met me in any other circumstance than a Board meeting, you would know that I am always personable. You've got your own problems here, and you know nothing about me.
Freud's got nothing to do with it, except your nasty attitude interfering with good judgement.
Actually Steve, what you do is make unfounded accusations with no evidence and cast aspersions upon people who have done nothing wrong. You are not a nice person at all.
6:46 and 1:01 (same person). Kurt, you are a sore loser, and in the minority.
If the accusations are not false, present your evidence. Your imaginings don't count.
I rarely make accusations, and if I do they are verifiable. I've never had a cross or angry exchange with anyone in Surfside, and am certain that you have not had a conversation with me in person to base your nasty attitude on.
Got a bit of a grudge there don't you ? I'm betting you are into some sneaky business to be so defensive.
Come express your greivances to me in public and if you merit it, I'll take a minute to clear this up for ya. By the way, I never comment anonymously so not sure who you think answered your nasty claim.
"Unknown" has spent their life selfishly and it's time people like this just get the hell out of the way. Let those of us left who care and/or still have loved ones or children to raise clean up the mess they made. Your moment in the sun is over and you have done a disastrous job, so go be evil somewhere else. We are going to clean up this catastrophe and you will just have to learn to like it or leave yourself......Boy, Bye.......
So you got nothing but BS allegations that you created out of thin air. You're pathetic.
Excuse me, but your statement "I never comment anonymously" by your own admissions is false. Now if you would have said you don't comment anonymously anymore, that would have been correct.
And btw, when someone commented on the tree you have on your main house you went off the rails making accusations against people that were false. This is just one example, I don't have the energies to type anymore at this time just to give you something else to lie about.
Seriously Cox? Do you really expect us to believe if Annette had come in 4th instead of Rhonda for Clancy's spot you would have been OK with the board changing the 1 year term to 3?
Wow Ronda, your comments July 22 at 9:39 am about the other sitting board members that you don’t even know, and having not been to one meeting yet shows how much you don’t know! I’m pretty sure after that comment they don’t want to look at you either! What a way to start off! You need to read the RCW’s on what you are allowed to do as a trustee to be open and transparent with meetings between you! Then maybe you will post a decent well thought out comment or statement.
Looks like Tracy has her talons in the Surfsider based on the first part about the meeting. She dreads losing her status with the BOT.
You are grasping at straws to premise your grudge against candid criticism of the Board. About 3 years ago attacks of your kind became rampant and very ugly. I commented a few times as Captain Crunch. I quickly decided that I would always use my name or wouldn't comment. So practically speaking I never comment anonymously and you are a fool.
I have no idea what your stupid tree story is about. The tree you speak of has never been sited as non-compliant, and is well under the 24 ft. Limit.
Good luck with your anonymous grudge match. It's such important work for the community !
Until Gary Williams announced that the 4th position would only receive a 1 year term, I had no idea this had been decided. There is no foundation to support the Board randomly manipulating candidate's terms, and Annette LOST.
The Board has routinely marginalized Board members not on the Executive Board. Private meetings and secretive decisions have often taken place, particularly with Williams as president. So while your point is valid, so are Ronda's misgivings about the lack of respect she is likely to face, whatever she may say or do. We wish Ronda well, and thank her for volunteering.
I just read the bylaws and it clearly states (Article IV section 2) that each year three trustees will be up for election. And in section 7 that if we lose a trustee during their term then one is appointed till voting time and the new voted candidate fill the remaining term of the lost candidate.
I recommend everyone read The Articles of Incorporation and The Bylaws and you will learn it's not so easy to change things. 2/3 of the members vote to make a change to the Bylaws and we sometimes can't even make a quorum (10° of members).
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I read.
The Articles require 2/3 vote to change. The Bylaws can be changed at any member meeting by a simple majority. I'll consult the Bylaws but I'm quite sure that there is nothing about anyone completing the remainder of the vacated term. I think the doc sez whoever is elected serves a regular 3 year term. There is something about such documents that makes it difficult to recall or pin down. I acknowledge that happens to me from time to time.
Changing the Bylaws requires that proxies/ballots be sent to all members to vote on the change, so reaching a quorum of 10% is quite doable.
By the way, all appointed seats on the Board must be on the ballot to fill by election, so if 3 more Trustees terms end, there is no provision for one year terms. The Operations Manual sez "at least 3 vacancies will be filled - obviously allowing for MORE full term openings, and not specifying how many more.
Most everything in the Articles is specific to the birth of the community, the Bylaws and Covenants guiding practices in general.
Please read Article IV section 7, Steve
They even talk about dissolving and what it takes to make that happen.
GRRRRR, just talked with a neighbor who received a notice from HOA and was going to take out all their trees instead of trimming every couple years, they did not know about the moratorium!
WHAT IS BEING DONE TO NOTIFY PEOPLE OF THIS???????
Cori, Ronda, Larry, John
I want a list of everyone who received a tree letter. I will personally knock on doors and notify if I have too. I'm sick of this nonsense.
I also need the meeting minutes from July 10. Surely these have been transcribed by now right? I looked all over the web page and the FB page, can't find them. Any ideas where this is located?
The July 10th "official" Board minutes are not published until approved by the Board at the August Board Meeting. The best you can get is the "Summary" published in the Weekender following the Board Meeting. This has always been the practice.
I have read our documents many times, but intend to review them today when I have time. I find that it doesn't stick in my mind in every detail, and it sometimes is contradictory. Thanks for caring about our community and justice for the members.
We hear that the seated Board members may contest the meeting motions, so conpliance should hold off while these issues are reviewed at the August meeting. They have consulted the attorneys which in itself will not decide anything. It may delay any definitive decision, but no need to cut any trees in the meantime.
This is the most messed up bull crap of an HOA! We showed up, in numbers never seen before, most likely because of the tree nonsense, and NOW it's a contested motion?
Oh hell to the NO. I'm about to blow a gasket!
Utter disrespect for the members and the process by the BOT. They need to be stopped. Tyranny at it's most pathetic.
Carol Sue Koessel....I consulted the Articles and Bylaws once again, and see that my memory failed me on the appointment situation. Like you AND George have said, the duly elected replacement is to serve the remainder of the term, if any remains. I have to say, I don't think that is appropriate or necessary, and it is an inadequate reward for going through the election process. I also see no advantage or rationale for insisting on 3 or more candidates every election.
I think that a better approach is to limit repeat terms, as that has served to create a group of people the community cannot seem to get rid of and secretive practices by the president and Executive Board. The community has not seen a significant change in the covenants in decades, which has not served the community well. That's my opinion, and many others as well.
So it makes sense to give Ronda a one year term, according to the Bylaws. I also think that it was proper to have 4 vacancies on the ballot. That keeps the outcome a matter of following the Bylaws, and not because the BOT mandated it.
Carol Sue Koessel....I meant to mention, the Articles, Article IX states the conditions required for Bylaw amendment, a member authorized matter, easily done.
There are problems greater than terms right now, the enforcement officer and our BOT President have some issues that need to be investigated! Possibly by law enforcement, a member has been harassed and possibly physically attacked by Daryl and according to his statement our President did not have the time to be involved. This needs addressed immediately.
Cox, please refer to your comment @ 8:52 on July 22. I'm going to take you up on that offer when there's a chance to meet you in public. It won't matter if you think it merits it or not but we will discuss the issue of you having to resort to childish name calling when someone points out false statements you have made. It will be interesting to see if you are quick to call someone a fool in person as you are sitting on your rotund a$$ behind a keyboard.
@10:16 big talker, who are then? No fair, so you have to sneak up on a person? And, I didn't see anyone calling names except you.
Your irritated nerve says it all. Really, you are sounding clownish. Expose yourself. We would luvvvvv to know who you are.
well 10:30, besides the fact you can't make a coherent comment, you can't read either. Go back and read the comment at 10:06 and you will see the stupid name calling.
10:16....Boy, you're just Mr.Tough Guy aren't you ? I haven't got 10 seconds for a verbal assault, and beyond that, assaulting people you don't know lands even overconfident assholes in jail. At 69 years of age, I don't do hand to hand combat, but I will promise you a visit from the police.
Choosing fights with people on blogs....maybe you're needing a little counseling huh ?
My Mea Culpa: Doug’s description of what happened between the son of a member (Ritchie) and myself is completely inaccurate. Richie started following me around while I was out doing escrow checks. Being stalked this way was rather unnerving and put me on edge. When I returned to the office he pulled in front of me and I asked him if he wanted to speak to about something or words to that effect. At this point he said don’t speed on my cul-de-sac. Now first of all, none of you have ever seen me speed in Surfside because I never do. I am well-aware that some people don’t want me here and I am smart enough not to hand them a reason like speeding when I my goal is supposed to be compliance. I refuted his claim and that went back and forth for a while and at some point, admittedly got frustrated with his false allegation and dropped an f-bomb, but not in reference to him personally. I deeply regret that. I had just come off a nasty summer cold and while the cold was gone I was still physically and mentally fatigued from the experience. At some point before that Ritchie’s dog came up to for a pet and I spontaneously petted his dog. He yelled at me not to touch his dog. This further frustrated me because I love dogs and dogs love me and his dog wanted a pet from me. Believe me, I have fostered and re-homed 384 rescue dogs in my life and I know when a dog wants a pet. Anyway, I ended up using the f-word and like I said I deeply regret that. It’s hard to sit still when someone is blatantly lying about you. Still it was wrong and am sorry. Anyone who has seen me drive this neighborhood knows very well that I do not speed, slow down further and give a wide berth to pedestrians, pets and wildlife. If there are children nearby, I slow way down. Truly, accusing me of speeding is absolutely ridiculous. Furthermore, Ritchie lives on a gravel cul-de-sac. I am very mindful of the off-road tires on my truck and am very careful not to allow the wheels to slip and throw gravel around. Lastly, how does one truly speed on a cul-de-sac in the first place?
I did not harass, touch or threaten Ritchie at any point in our conversation as the HOA parking lot camera and Ritchie’s own recording of our conversation will most surely attest to. Remember, he stalked me. I may have been frustrated but like the speeding, bullying, harassing, threatening, and least of all physically assaulting someone, is definitely not me.
Continued
I believe the people that I have dealt with in this HOA like me and appreciate me. When I drive in the neighborhood I always try to smile and wave at the people I pass. I have helped end (knocks on wood) a neighborhood feud that was festering since before I arrived. I am kind to the people struggling to come into compliance due to financial and other private issues. For instance, the county is having a tire amnesty in August. So, as I went around to check properties with junk/trash violaions, I handed them a print out of the Weekender page that advertised it and told those people I would come by AFTER work the day before and throw their tires in my truck and take them in for them. I have truly hoped to make a difference here. To help those people who need it bring their properties into compliance and increase their net worth in so doing. I do not believe any of these people are hopeless. The other thing you should know is that really love this job and care deeply about this community. I want to build cohesion and good relations between neighbors, something clearly in far too short supply here. When I accepted the job, Tracy told me the switch to proactive compliance was so neighbors wouldn’t be at each other throats, not her words, she’s far more eloquent than I. What really seems to be missed on this blog is that Tracy and I do not care what your rules are. That is your business. Our business is enforcing the CC&Rs, AS WRITTEN. Tracy has a boss. Your BOT. That you elected. I have found all Surfside HOA employees to be very honest and transparent people who follow your rules to the letter. The way Tracy gets beat up here is awful. I have managed people for the vast majority of my adult life and I can tell you that you guys are lucky to have her. And I appreciate having a boss I can respect, which has not always been my experience. And frankly I come pretty cheap, I’m part-time making a much lower wage than I was accustomed to before I semi-retired. I am intelligent and have always had great relationships with the people who worked for me, worked with and who I worked for. I have thrived in two very different industries, aerospace and construction accessories.
In closing, I beg your forgiveness for my weak moment. I hope you all will grant me your forgiveness for this stupid faux pas. I have no dog in your fights. I only want to succeed in my job, which is to make Surfside the place that I think you all want it to be (based on the CC&Rs, as written). But I think we all agree that a softer touch was required and I believe that I have provided just that, along with a helping hand on my own time. Please don’t make me sorry I ordered that “Love Thy Neighbor” bumpersticker for my truck. The world needs it and we need it.
Respectfully,
Darryl Groner
I also apologize for the typos. It nearly 3 am and Doug's post has kept me up way past my bedtime.
And there it is, the old Cox "I'm a victim" ploy. Funny how you jumped to assault when all that was said was an interest in if you were as rude as you are in person as you are on here. And to the counseling, you're the one that has said you come on here for therapy. Now go ahead and twist those statements too.
First it was fool, now more childish name calling with Tough guy and A$$hole. So let me lower myself and return with the same. You can dish it out but you can't take it, can you?
Darryl, sorry to hear you were treated this way while out doing your work. Most people do not agree with treating employees aggressively or disrespectfully. I appreciate your understanding of the position and how you must know we are 100% in objection to what you were hired to do, but this is by no fault of your own and is 100% on the BOT, who we are successfully working to remove and bring about more positive experiences for everyone.
A couple words of advice, take it or leave it-
1. Say it, forget it, Write it, regret it. Don't come to the blog and throw yourself on your sword. There's too many mean people and a few trolls who come here who will make things worse for your soul.
2. Ignore the pearl clutching nuns. Trust me, they act like a few swear words are the worst thing ever happened to them and it's a lie. Strong language is often necessary when in stressful situations. Don't beat yourself up for something so small.
3. Do not hitch your wagon to Tracy. She is lacking in some key skills to be a successful BM and truly doesn't understand that everyone is her customer, including blog owners and writers.
4. Do not spend a huge amount of your life in a miserable job. Life is short and if you find yourself truly unhappy, go find something at least halfway enjoyable. It's not worth it and you don't want to end up bitter like some around here.
I have heard around the community that you are truly a very nice person and hopefully this position doesn't burn those qualities to the point of no return. I also believe Doug's comment would have just went by the wayside had you not lost sleep over it and come to explain.
It's going to take a couple days to get over this encounter, but this too shall pass. Please enjoy your weekend and sorry to hear you were sick and hope you had a COVID test even if vaccinated. I hear the variants are breaking through the vaccines.
And to any members or residents of this community- It is NEVER OK to take matters into your own hands. If you believe a crime is being committed by anyone in this community, it is your responsibility to contact the HOA office or 911. If you can, get pictures and/or detailed descriptions but Do not approach, follow, or try to solve these issues yourself.
Thank you very much for the kind words. I honestly don't hitch my wagon to anyone. I pull it myself. We will have to agree to disagree on Tracy. I work with her everyday and I think she has a very difficult job and handles it well.
Please understand, I love my job. I love Surfside. I have been in HOAs before and never before have I seen one that offered so much and charged so little. I think you have a really great thing going here. Make the tweaks you need but my goodness, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. You all should be very proud of what you have here. I just don't know how so many people in paradise became so angry. Please, whether I stay on here or not after this incident, you all gotta start loving each other and stop the meanness. Like Ringo says, peace and love brothers and sisters, peace and love. Please.
Move on! This Darryl incident has become “he said, she said”! Unless there were witnesses to all of the incident, we will never know. I’m sure there is some truth to both stories. Right the wrongs, clean up how people are treated and move on! This is not helping our cause to clean up the HOA.
You seek confrontation over some ridiculous comment on a blog, so yeah, you're playing the "tough guy" with someone you don't know at all. Remaining anonymous, you are unwilling to be vulnerable, but want to confront me over a trifle-that's pretty unhinged.
I offered to hear your complaint if you were civil, and you told me I would have to listen in any case. You work hard to rehash things I've said years ago to belittle me. That's obsessive and wacky. Get some help. Go away , maybe learn to whittle. Harassing people on the blog isn't much of a hobby.
Well, well, well. What we have here is the classic example of someone standing up to a bully and the bully crying to momma. It's "Annette accosted me" all over again.
FWIW, I didn't see it as any threat. Cox did his usual schtick and then invited people to come talk to him in public if they had a problem with it, so someone took him up on the offer. Still, if you make a habit out of pushing someone's buttons eventually someone is going to push back. Words do have consequences.
You have a weird take on this, another anonymous nag, with an ax to grind on anyone who disagees with you over something. Complete with the misrepresentation of my comments from months or years ago. I don't ever seek to bully anyone, but here you are AGAIN out of the blue, jumpin' on the bandwagon. I have a notion who you people are, it's just not worth my time to find out. You refuse to be vulnerable by remaining anonymous.
And by the way, read my comment carefully, I didn't call this "commenter" an a* hole - it's an "if the shoe fits" comment. He identified as such. Stupid games. I'm done.
For the love of God, drop it! Can't we all just enjoy this beautiful place we live? Someone is in their last days and that makes me very very sad!
Couldn't agree with you more. I hope to see our friend soon, but can't get down to Surfside for a few days. We visited a week ago which I appreciate so, and am in denial a bit over this. A special friend.
Time to end this conversation. I and a few others have seen a more detailed explanation of what happened. At the request of that person, I have not disclosed the identity. The compliance officer did that. My suggestion was that a complaint be filed with the explanation and be addressed to the Board. This way, the entire Board will see it and the response. It is the Boards responsibility to investigate and take the appropriate action if any is needed. What troubles me is the climate of hostility and distrust that has built up over the last couple of years. The Board has to take responsibility for that. Hopefully, this new Board will turn things around and we can get back to making this HOA the kind of community the members want. While this is my blog to administer, I do not know why Tracy or the compliance officer would post or comment on here. I can see them doing it with a positive posting or report, but not stuff that simply throws fuel on the fire.
Post a Comment