Board Member - hair-trigger?


Does the Board President have an obligation to get a Board Member under control?

When a board member reacts in an over-the-top manner to harmless events, the question naturally arises whether that person really belongs on the board of the HOA.

I was reminded of a night (January 25, 2002) at a Richland 2 school board meeting. Before the meeting started, I stepped forward to introduce myself to a woman who had taken a seat in front of me. I didn't know who she was, and I had never seen her before. Unknowingly, I used words that must have struck fear into her heart. 

What did I say? In a calm, friendly, polite manner, all I said was, "Hello, I'm Gus Philpott." 

What did she say? "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! DON'T TALK TO ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Talk about being blind-sided... I asked the two men and the student with whom I had been speaking if they knew who she was. They didn't know, either.

She turned out to be Supt. Baron Davis' wife, and she was a teacher at Blythewood High School.

As a result of her outburst, I was asked to leave the meeting and, later, I received a Notice of Trespass. I was banned from school property until the end of the school year. When I attempted to appeal to the School District, the Board Chair refused to allow me on campus to defend myself at a Board Executive Session.

About a month later, a new acquaintance informed me, "You do know that you got set up; right?"

What does this have to do with the HOA?

The same knee-jerk reaction is happening right here in the HOA. When someone does something that a board member doesn't like, a board member is quick to call "Foul!" and threaten legal or criminal action, even going so far as to file a complaint with RCSD.

Our nation is dealing today with yesterday's political assassination of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah. A lot of people disagreed with Charlie. Did he call the police? Did he threaten legal action? No, he invited debate.

We've got the Hard Left on the HOA's Board. They won't discuss. They won't debate. With them, "It's my way or the highway." They shut down talk. Remember the April meeting, when so many people showed up because of the trampoline issue? What happened? After Committee reports, the Board President declared, without a vote, that the meeting was adjourned and walked out! Trampolines still have not been discussed! 

Months later, Danny Trapp wrote in the President's Report in the September 2025 Summit Scoop, "Trampolines are not permissible. They are illegal due to their temporary status. Temporary structures are not permitted in accordance with our guidelines. They are also a liability."

One-two board members decided that. Was there ever a board discussion and vote about trampolines? Not that I know of. Trampolines aren't "illegal". And a trampoline in a homeowner's backyard is not a liability to the Association.

So there! Stick that in your ear. Sit down and shut up. This is how the HOA Board operates today.

If you speak out about the Association, even if you quote the Governing Documents, the HOA might just sue you. Ask me (Gus) about that. (Actually, the HOA didn't sue me. Someone filed the court action in the name of the HOA, without the Board's ever having approved that legal action!)

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