My opinion....What's Yours?
Based on what we know now, and what we can expect in the future, what I suggest is my opinion on a course of action that might not only preserve our association, but also improve it. If we are to survive as a homeowners association, we must first again get back the confidence and trust of the membership. I think that can be done by doing the following:
1. Remove the four (4) members of the Executive Committee from the Board.
2. Board size reduced to five (5) possibly to four (4) later.
3. Replacements elected by the remaining five (5).
4. Call for a special membership meeting to be held at the Ocean Park School.
Speakers with reports would include:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Association legal representative
Association audit firm
Introduction of new employees:
General Manager
Full time Compliance Officer
New Water/Field Manager
5. Formulation of new compliance committee
6. Water/Field Committee
7. Continuation of Architectural Committee
8. Reformulation of Community Relations Committee
9. Elimination of assigned trustees to any committee
Details and scope would be provided by the Board. Professional management would free up much time for the Board to concentrate on policy.
These are my thoughts at this time. My thinking can change with others providing their thoughts and opinions. At least, this may spark some discussion on the need to make changes and/or improve what we now have.
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51 comments:
I vote for complete and permanent dissolution of this corrupt HOA.
Your proposal does not mention anything that directly addresses the corruption, does not mention opting in to the new wa state community law passed in July 2018, does not mention transparency, and does not mention safety as in a safety committee.
That new law passed in July is for HOA created after July 2018, that does not apply to SS, probably why he didn't mention it.
That is not true. You are wrong.
I agree with 8:13 AM.
http://www.halpernrodriguez.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111<emid=158
https://ams-nw.com/2018/06/08/wucioa-what-you-need-to-know/
The bill creates a new chapter in the Revised Code of Washington that governs the formation, management, and termination of condominiums, cooperatives, and planned communities (such as communities governed by homeowners' associations) created after July 1, 2018. The bill refers to these three types of communities as Common Interest Communities (CICs). It provides uniformity among these 3 types of communities, instead of being governed by separate statues.
Further down in the webpage, Who Does It Affect?
Second Bullet: An association may elect to opt-in.
Our Annual Meetings gather only about 150 to 200 owners - less than 10%. There are only about 300 votes cast annually, including proxies. In contrast, some counties in the State had over 70% voter turn-out in the last election. That should convey that the level of member participation is pitifully low, and that is a huge factor in enabling corrupt or inept governance.
Where the HOA Board has failed to establish any oversight of our Water Dept., our membership in large part has failed to take any responsibility for oversight of the HOA Board. While much of the conversation on the blog is snarky and useless, the information George shares is really the only means the members have of knowing what actually goes on in monthly meetings and in between.
Meetings often skate over controversial policy decisions by giving them an agenda number and taking quick votes. Attending meetings doesn't assure that members will be given much information about Board actions. George is able to fill in some of the blanks, and tie some fragments together to help clarify what the BOT is up to.
If the membership is able to effectively launch a retooling effort, and the Board is willing to dismiss the Executive Board for its' efforts to disguise its' corruption and overspending, that in itself is a big accomplishment, and would be reason for optimism for our future. There are many things the HOA has done well, and many revisionists don't seem to grasp how complicated dissolving the HOA would be.
We have a lot of community property, most of which requires continual maintenance. It would probably take years to dissolve the HOA, as properties would all need to be sold, and with neglect, HOA structures torn down. We all have a stake in the Water Dept. and it needs to continue uninterrupted, and staff employed.
The community is at about 2025 member households, and would continue to require some semblance of central management. Retooling is enough to hope for, and a big effort would be required to go all out in trying to draw disenfranchised owners into helping to rebuild the HOA with new people, and a fresh perspective. I'm not sure we can manage any kind of changes in our governance even though we will continue to fail given the same course we're on.
We desperately need broader communications that would include electronic voting, and that is why the Board has been dead-set against it. We need an impartial site that periodically informs owners of critical issues - a bit like the blog without conversation. Input would be welcomed but no cross-talk would be published on the site.
10:30 makes sense to me.
Myself also, although i still think the threat of dissolution needs to be on the table, as a last resort in battling disreputable people.
Remove the executive committee? No big surprise there. Basically you want to do the same that Blagg tried to do and failed. It is no secret you have had this vendetta against some of those those on it long before these recent issues. Please at least explain why Mr. Turner, who just got elected and had no part with this water thing, needs to be removed just to appease you and a few vocal members on here.
10:30 sez .... The objective is not to act out a "vendetta" as you call it, and that was not Blagg's intent either. What has been suggested is that the other members of the Board determine who has put our community in jeopardy by ignoring any semblance of oversight or management of the Water Dept..
That should include Williams, Flood and Winegar, with Winegar being a happy enabler of William's lawsuit secrecy and overspending. I think the BOT as a whole needs to show leadership and remove Trustees who have colluded to keep the community unaware of their most questionable actions. Is Mr. Turner in that camp, or is he willing to help the community climb out of this mess by removing these individuals, and retooling our procedures and management ?
I agree that he may be interested in helping us rebuild an HOA with integrity, which none of the others are trustworthy enough to do.
If you don't comprehend that this Board is broken, then you are part of the problem. This is not all of Bill Neal's creation, as much as some may wish to place blame on him alone. North Beach and Surfside HOA have failed in their responsibilities to oversee our largest asset and its' employees, and put our entire community's future in jeopardy of lawsuits and huge settlements for wrong-doing. Some or all of the Board needs to be jettisoned.
I don't see any information pertaining to an Executive Committee on the SHOA website.
Something does need to be done, but we may be prudent to wait until all the cards fall (fines, criminal investigation, etc.) before we make radical changes to anything.
Am I missing something? Is someone willing to tell me what the Executive Committee is, what they do, and who the members are?
All that info is on shoa website.
I can't find it. Where is it located?
You have to look at the operations manual
The Executive Committee is the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. They are meant to meet in an emergency, only when the full Board can't be called. This was before the electronic age. It is now used as a secrete group to make illegal decisions and take action in violation of our governing documents. This is why they all should be removed from the Board.
Guilt by association comes to mind immediately. A clean sweep is needed.
All are guilty of collusion in one fashion or another - anybody who stated an opposing opinion has been vilified and minimalized.
I certainly hope you do not expect this bunch to play by the rules. They've already proven they will not.
They broke laws and tried to cover it up. They let their own self interests get in the way of following the rules. Those who stood by and did nothing, are just as guilty. They kept information from one another as well as the members. I agree that they should all be removed. I'm new and didn't know is not an acceptable excuse. Being a board trustee is more than a free cup of coffee and an appreciation dinner.
I hope the investigators interview SHOA members.
They have interviewed past and present water employees.
Do you think we have a high possibility that this investigation or these investigations will result in WA state 64.38 RCW violations and charges?
Is a federal investigation.
So you all think the BOT is out burying pipe, purposefully trying to pollute your water and theirs, their wives and kids water? They had no idea until they were told by Mr Neal that he had directed the staff to do so. Why would the BOT have any criminal findings against them??
Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Ever heard that before?
With that reasoning 3:42, since they now know, why is Neal and north beach still involved? Why have they still not been transparent? Why have they lawyered up? Etc.etc.etc.
Criminal Conspiracy will do for a start. BOT has colluded as a group to withhold information, misrepresent the organization, and generally run things as they saw fit, conveniently forgetting proper process, and making a mockery of organizational rules and policies.
There may also need to be further examination of their actions, as RICO statutes may apply.
Yes 12/05 6:01 PM and Others. I am keeping records of all correspondence between myself and SHOA. I am keeping records of all correspondence on this blog. I have begun requesting records from external organizations such as Pacific County.
For example, Laura Frazier told me that ballots were not sent to members to vote for the BOT election on November 17. Members on this blog stated they received ballots to vote for the BOT election on November 17.
Wow, particularly as a new member, this really makes me angry.
3:09 Write in ballots have never been sent out. I think you are confusing a proxy and a write in, write in's are only from those who attend the meetings in person.
Fact check...
The proxy ballots sent to all members of record, included space for write ins. You had the option to write in 0, 1, 2, or 3. A complete review and disclosure of the voting results would reveal that a number of write in votes for Mr. Olds, was done by Board members who were given written permission to cast ballots for members. This is an example of a voting process that is flawed and gives members the opportunity to cast a ballot more than once. Our governing documents forbid this. They clearly state ...One member, one vote.
3:42 ... Surfside shares oversight responsibility with North Beach. Who do you think pays for the pipe annually ? Surfside HOA at $150,000 a year. Who do you think pays the Water Dept. salaries ? Surfside HOA. Who writes the annual budget for Surfside ? Surfside HOA, as directed by the Board of Trustees. Why does Surfside have a Water Committee which Mr. Flood (former pres. and current vice-pres.)has been a member of for many years ? To address issues relating to the largest asset and budget item in Surfside Community - the Water Dept..
Who wants to pretend that the pile of asbestos pipe on the Water Dept. backlot for a couple of years was invisible to curious Board members ? You. Where IS the Water Dept. ? Just off of J Place accessible to all Surfside members. I've been on a tour of the entire grounds, and know that it is perfectly obvious that the backlot is a wetland area and a possible issue with permitting.
Who would pretend that Mr. Neal, who was sent to school by Surfside HOA to learn the business a few years ago, should be entirely unsupervised and the safety of workers and Surfside residents left without oversight ?
Water Dept. manager Bill Neal has often been in attendance at monthly BOT Meetings and available for questions. I attended 2 different BOT Meetings where the pipe was discussed at length, and photos of the broken asbestos pipe were passed around the conference room.
Much of the discussion was about the necessity to replace the asbestos/concrete pipe, but don't recall any discussion of proper handling or disposal, which should be common knowledge after at least 50 years of restrictions on its' handling.
Wow. I have not followed this blog much since the debacle of the Annual Meeting, in which members were denied by President Gary Williams, backed up by the attorney who profits from the errors of the Board, their legal right at a meeting with the requisite quorum, to make and vote on floor motions to amend the governing documents. At the time Gary Williams promised members they could vote on the initiatives in the Nov Budget Meeting.
Not surprisingly, the referendum presented to the Members in Nov were not the same two I proposed in July - one to amend Articles & Bylaws to require approval of membership to changes in Governing Documents and another to amend Articles & Bylaws to authorize electronic voting and to implement prior to the Jul 2019 elections. These referendums not only didn’t make the ballot as I had proposed, but the Board had the audacity to use the member-paid ballot mailing to recommend that members reject electronic voting!
SHOA Members will never get the rogue Board under control until they engage with the Association and vote - either in person or by a properly designated proxy. The Board’s refusal to accept proxies presented in person by the proxy-holder is another clear example of its successful actions to suppress voting. They clearly do not want members to participate and vote - else the minority owners will lose control of Surfside.
Perhaps the Board’s incompetence and perhaps illegal actions will soon do them in, but this will leave all the members to pick up the cost of legal fees and fines - and the mess of trying to put together a means for cost-effectively continuing the operation and maintenance of our common facilities. I for one, think we should hand this over to an association/property management company. A new, minimal board would still be needed, but with limited authority pertaining to budgeting, policies and oversight of the management services contractor. SHOA would have no employees.
If ever we needed the ability to conduct Association meetings and voting electronically, it is now. Members who do not participate in voting should be fined for their negligence in upholding their commitment to the rest of the members to elect competent leaders with integrity - and who answer to ALL the members.
Should just get rid of this unworkable hoa n use proceeds from sale of assets to pay for coming lawsuits. Members would prob still have to pony up to pay off.
No matter how many times Blagg says it, members were NOT denied. She and her posse tried to pull a fast one and the majority of members who were there voted it down.
The real fast one was the staged write in of Old's with support from some on the board. Blagg's attempt to give back power to the members by electronic voting and information was seen as a threat to the status quo. Not only was Blagg denied, but more importantly, the members.
I'm new since April 2018. I don't care if Kurt Olds told me "That is the way the proxy vote has always been done" right before he was illegally seated on the BOT.
Terminate, end, stop proxy voting now!!!!!
We are not a large for-profit corporation, listed on Wall Street or not. We are not shareholders!!!!!!
Surfside motto:
PAY UP AND SHUT UP
How is a write in candidate Illegal??? You could've written someone in, maybe if you had you wouldn't be complaining about who it is. If people had written a name everyone liked this wouldn't be a topic
Still defending an indefensible bot. Getting really old and very transparent.smh.
They need defending for sure. Not olds defending here but from a mouth piece.
The SHOA BOT has three mottos.
PAY UP AND SHUT UP
LET A LITTLE SHIT HAPPEN NOW AND THEN
Actually, we all know the third one too well.
YOU KNEW WHAT YOU SIGNED UP FOR - Of course this one implies to us all, there is no chance of changing the rules and indirectly implies the first motto, PAY UP AND SHUT UP
10:40. So the trolls have not quieted down after all. I see that your anonymous, baseless assessment of my character and motives continue.
Since the day I made the decision to run for Trustee and jump into the cesspool of an HOA, I have had but one motive: to give all members a louder voice and greater control over the SHOA and BOT. This remains my motive on behalf of the silent majority of Members who continue to be silenced, neglected and abused by a corrupt and self-serving Board.
There are over 2200 members of SHOA, but a handful of members who represent less than one-fourth of the Members have control of Surfside and they retain this control by keeping a stranglehold on communications and decision-making. They do this through many devious means:
1) They withhold complete and accurate membership lists and contact information from other members by charging an exorbitant fee and by redacting email information, all in violation of the RCWs. They do this to stifle communications between members - particularly those who do not reside full-time in Surfside.
2) They abuse their power through control of Surfside communications - the Weekender, Surf-n-Sider, Facebook page and even official mailings to members. Members who wish to include information in publications are silenced by the editorial control of the Board and it’s puppet Community Relations Committee. On the other hand, the Board editorializes their own agenda - to the point of using a SHOA-funded mailing to recommend a NO vote against electronic communications.
3) They have circumvented the state RCWs by not allowing members to bring matters to the floor for a vote, even though there was a quorum of members at the Annual Meeting.
4) The Board has violated the RCWs by conducting secret meetings, failing to execute their fiduciary responsibilities and by not making decisions based on the best interests of ALL members.
5) They have suppressed the voting rights of members by rejecting signed proxies presented in a meeting by the designated proxy. They advocated against electronic voting for the same reason - they do not want all members to vote or they risk losing control. They are unwilling to conduct fair elections - one of the few occasions where the Board’s transparency has been so apparent.
Not saying the board has done a good job or been transparent. We are saying that Blagg is simply another kind of bad. Surfside needs some improving by folks that are more like the tributes that we heard about George H Bush this past week.
Whistle blowers are not trolls Deb. Think again. Try for self honesty as you think again.
Please keep as many records as you can.
I have no desire to ever serve on the Board again. I just want good leadership from Trustees, who listen, are transparent, honest, exhibit integrity & are willing to set-aside their own self-interests on behalf of the diverse interests of the entire Association. I also want myself and all members to be allowed to easily communicate with one another by email & through SHOA publications, to be able to vote either electronically and/or by mail-in ballot and to eliminate proxies entirely. We could easily establish a cohesive cyber community to facilitate interactions, voting and information-sharing by implementing one of the affordable hosted websites included in the Technology Committee report to the Board, that was never acted upon or shared with all members for their awareness and feedback.
Amazing how Deb has coherent thought and voices her opinions logically. While her detractors hurl vitriol like chimps at the zoo.
Sorry, but both your self interest, and your troll-like tendencies are showing again.
Deb is more than welcome, her comments are spot on, and the only reason you argue is that silly self interest mentioned earlier. Its not as if you have facts or anything.
This place is in trouble. The fact you deny that gets sillier every day.
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