Nominating Committee Nonsense

The following email was sent out from the HOA office on October 24, 2025 at 5:37PM in the name of Tanisha Holmes, Board Vice President. It likely went only to Voting Members.

The message says Tanisha is the chairperson of the Nominating Committee (but the Minutes of the October 7, 2025 Board Meeting do not list her as a member of the Nominating Committee). No Minutes of any Board Meeting reflect that appointment.

The bold wording is in the original. My comments are in red italics. 

Message from the Nominating Committee Chairperson

The election for new members of the Board of Directors will be held prior to the Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, [sic] November 11th, at 6:00 p.m. (30 minutes before the Board meeting) at Brookland Baptist Church. Three positions are open for election. November 11th is a Tuesday. There are FOUR positions open. 

Serving on the Board of Directors is an excellent way to become more involved in the life of The Summit, as the decisions made affect every aspect of our community. Becoming more active in the community helps knit you, as an individual, into the fabric of The Summit’s life, allowing you to contribute to the greater good of the community as a whole. 

There is a wealth of valuable experience within The Summit that can greatly enhance the functioning of the Board and, in turn, enrich the lives of our residents. If you have ever felt disappointment in some of the Board’s decisions, serving on the Board will give you a more direct voice in the decision-making process. Having new individuals serve helps prevent the Board from becoming stagnant or operating in a “we’ve-always-done-it-this-way” rut. In short, the Board needs new voices to stay fresh and better represent all residents.

Interviews for Board of Director applicants will be held on November 1st at 9:00 a.m. at The Summit Office.

If you have any questions about running for the Board, or would like to suggest a neighbor as a candidate, please feel free to contact the Association Office at 803-865-0609. Applications for the Board had to be turned in at the office by October 3rd!!! 

Thank you for the vital role you play in this important process of electing Board members.

Sincerely,

Tanisha Holmes
Chairperson, Nominating Committee

 

The meeting before the Board Meeting is called the Annual Meeting of Voting Members (AMVM). The election of directors is part of that AMVM. Other business of the Voting Members should be conducted, but seldom is.

The very first item on the agenda for the AMVM should be a presentation of a list of legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members, compiled and certified by the Property Manager.

Then the Secretary of the AMVM should call the roll. After the roll is called, the Secretary should state whether (or not) a quorum is present. If there is no quorum, the AMVM must be adjourned and no election of directors can be held. 

If there is a quorum present, the AMVM can proceed with the election of four directors. The terms of Danny Trapp, Brenda Bryant, Linda Potter, and one vacancy* are up for election.

If the HOA's Neighborhood Committee (not to be confused with the 28 local Neighborhood Committees) had done its job over the years, there would be 28 legitimate Voting Members. It didn't. There is only one (1). Only Barony Place has a legitimate, duly-elected Voting Member.

If there is a quorum at the AMVM, the election of four directors can be held. 

When the Board Meeting starts at 6:30PM, the first order of business should be the announcement of the results of the election, and the four elected directors are to be seated.

The second order of business should be the election of officers of the board. (In previous years, this step has been skipped, and the election of officers has occurred in a secret, closed, Board meeting a few days later.)

Disappointment in "some" of the Board's decisions? Seriously? The “we’ve-always-done-it-this-way” rut? That is exactly how the Board has operated for the past two years. And that's exactly how the upcoming election of directors will be conducted.

As of the October 7 Board Meeting, the Meeting date (second Tuesday) was uncertain.

As of October 17, the HOA's meeting was NOT on the calendar of the Brookland Baptist Church Northeast. Is it now? 

This Board (Danny Trapp, President) and past Boards (Justin Martin, President) have not been interested in "the wealth of valuable information within The Summit." Proof of that is the December 2024 lawsuit against Gus Philpott (me). The proof is the allegation of "false accusations and continual harassment" in the lawsuit. My polite and business-oriented emails with suggestions to follow the By-Laws and CC&Rs and to seek legal advice resulted in that lawsuit. 

* The vacancy on the Board was filled improperly by the appointment of Patricia Pollin in November 2023. She was never eligible to be appointed as a director. Three Board members would not have voted for her, if they had known she was not eligible. (She still would have been appointed, in spite of at least one Board Member who knew about her ineligibility.) This untold story that may be revealed in court.