People over POA. That’s what we all, well, almost all, of us
think. I would not think of Hot Springs Village as a corporation. I don’t
believe we are stockholders. I believe we are a community. We should be using
municipal rules. Instead, we have, I don’t know exactly what. “Although board
members are elected to serve on the board of director’s, a homeowners
association is not a representative form of government.” That was from a
handout at the board orientation. Another: “It does mean that favoring a minority
interest over the interests of the association as a whole can get a director
into trouble.” (We saw this first-hand with Mermel being reprimanded by the
board president).
To further support this crazy notion that we are a
corporation, listen to the manager and president: “The time for dissent is
before a vote. After a board vote, members should accept the results and work
as one. Once the board has spoken, the board has spoken.”(manager). “You can
have an opposing viewpoint, but we hope it is not taken to an extreme.”
(president). This doesn’t strike me as democratic. Democracy requires dissent.
To squelch that in any way is to move away from a citizen oriented form of
government. Yes, dissent makes life hard for the leadership, but that’s how it
should be.
Our leadership needs to be reprimanded, which the election
has seemingly done. I have no idea what the new director’s will do. Hopefully,
they will challenge this notion that we are a corporation vs community.
Hopefully, they will suggest that we need to adopt municipal rules. Hopefully,
they will make our governing more transparent. Hopefully, they will bring it
from behind closed doors.
This whole notion should scare you. Or better, make you mad.
People over POA.
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