Should Barony Place have a Voting Member?

Here's a question for homeowners in Barony Place. And maybe for homeowners in every one of other 27 neighborhoods in The Summit's HOA.

Should you have a Voting Member (VM)?

What does VM do for you? Or, rather, what would the ideal VM do for you?

1. Represent you. Since you, the homeowner, don't get to vote for Directors of the HOA, the VM is your voice at the ballot box every November.

2. When the Nominating Committee comes up with its slate of nominees for Directors, the VM should inform you, let you know who the nominees are, and ask your opinion.

3. The VM should carefully review the qualifications of the nominees. If incumbents are running for re-election, they should not be shoe-ins. Did they do a good job during their past two-year term? Do they deserve re-election?

4. The VM should be available for your questions and be responsive to you. The VM is between you and the board; between you and the management office.

5. If you contact the office and are not satisfied with the response, you should be able to go to your VM and know that the VM will follow through on your behalf.

6. The VM should be questioning the board about its efforts and results.

7. The VM should be paying attention; e.g., in February 2022, the board approved a $42,000 contract with Johnson Controls for key fobs to get into the pool. Not a peep out of the board since. And no key fobs!

8. The VM should be communicating with you about the monthly board meetings; e.g., when the Treasurer says month-after-month that the finances are in great shape, but doesn't tell you about ever-increasing bad debts, the VM should be waving a red flag!

9. When the board leaves a director seat vacant for 18 months, the VM should be demanding that the board declare the seat vacant and appoint a successor.

10. And when a seat is vacant but the President fills it for six months, instead of the remaining 18 months of the unexpired term, the VM should be waving a red flag.

11. When the President allows an election of five directors, instead of the four permitted by the By-Laws, the VM should be waving a red flag.

If all the VMs paid attention and realized that the Board is accountable to them, the current problems of the HOA would not exist.

Barony Place does not have a Voting Member. 

The HOA's attorney wrote to me on September 6, 2023 that "The Voting Member for Barony Place is Billie Jones." I wrote her back to challenge that.

On September 7th the attorney replied, "The Board recognizes Billie Jones as the current Voting Member for Barony Place."

The Board has no basis for recognizing Billie Jones as the current Voting Member. Barony Place has not had an Annual Neighborhood Meeting (required by the By-Laws) in more that five years.

While the VM serves until the next election, the VM should not ignore the By-Laws and fail to call the next year's Annual Neighborhood Meeting. She can be re-elected, but an election must happen.

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