How Should Homeowners Decide Who to Vote For?
The 2010 Board of Directors Election
Also included at the end is an audio clip illustrating the kind of pressure that Unity exerts.
Here are the three candidates I am voting for, as they are listed and numbered on the ballot:
3. Lyndall Ruiz
4. Dan Forgeron
6. Carl Weinstein
With so many well qualified candidates running for board, how is a homeowner to choose? Of course the convenient and easy choice would be to follow the three candidates on the Unity ticket. The Unity ticket had sent out those post card reminders, twice just in case you forgot who they were supporting. From my perspective, though, one might get confused as to why one candidate was conspicuously omitted from that ticket. That omission was Carl Weinstein, a former Unity candidate and current board member who is running for reelection to the board.
That omission has a lot to do with what the Unity ticket is all about. Sadly, Unity is not looking for diversity of opinion on the board. Far from it, what Unity wants to achieve is for board members to either keep silent or, if they happen to speak out on those very rare occasions, that they parrot the agreed upon official line. Anyone who has attended board meetings in the past year can appreciate what I am talking about. Even on seemingly controversial topics, board members are frequently silent, almost as if they have lost their capacity to speak. For the most part, they all vote in unison. And if they should speak, they frequently have nothing relevant or informative to contribute, except to mumble some form of agreement on what is being proposed. I find this practice both troubling and embarrassing. As a result, the community is typically left in the dark about what had taken place, and more importantly, about what individual members think about the issues under consideration. That frequently mute display of ineffective leadership is a real loss to the community. Sadly, that is what we have come to expect as a result of homeowners casting their vote for the Unity ticket. As more Unity friendly candidates are elected, the board has become less and less effective as a governing body whose purpose should be to represent the interests of the community.
Now if I were Senator Harry Reid or Senator Mitch McConnell, I would insist on nothing less than total loyalty and obedience if I were in control of either side of the US Senate. But this is not the Senate. Nor should we expect repeated silence and strict loyalty to prevail on what is a community-supported board that should fairly represent the interests of all homeowners. I believe that it is simply a disservice to the community when board members refuse to speak and be accountable for their decisions, in effect, choosing to hide behind their silence. Their repeated silence demonstrates a lack of interest or contempt that is simply unacceptable.
Homeowners may rightly ask what difference does it make if board members are mute and merely wish to go along with whatever Mike Dixon, Roz Berman or Jack Troia had decided what was best for the community. After all, they are all volunteers and we assume that each wanted to do what’s best for community. Right? And if they should make an error in judgment along the way, that’s usually acceptable and the price and burden of being a board director or officer.
Along that line, one assumes that board decisions and actions were always taken openly with full disclosure and were not designed to harm others. As a matter of principle, that sounds nice. But in the real world, was that necessarily true here? I say, no. Unfortunately, recent experience has taught me that key board actions had been taken which resulted in a deliberate and substantial financial harm against the homeowners who live in Villa Neighborhoods, an old but continuing issue. I am raising this issue not as an example of harmful wrongdoing but to illustrate the unhealthy atmosphere that exists on the board, one that has allowed the board to seriously deviate from acceptable financial practices. While that should have never been allowed to happened, we are still faced with the consequences today.
I would suggest that the successful election of so called Unity candidates over the years has allowed the board’s officers to make key financial decisions without proper oversight or effective input by their fellow directors. I’ve heard it over and over from board members, “I let them handle it,” or “I assume they know what to do,” while absolving themselves of any responsibility. As a result, board officers can pretty much do as they please without being challenged by their peers. Is there an example I can point to where the board’s officers created such substantial financial harm? Yes, when the board deliberately fabricated the financial database of Neighborhood reserves to produce what they deemed to be a favorable outcome, an outcome that was designed to conform to their prior bad actions. Did the board benefit from their wrong actions? Yes, as I have written elsewhere.
As far as Carl Weinstein is concerned, he happens to be the only board member who has been willing to speak out on important community issues, explain his position on certain board approved decisions, and who has demonstrated a measure of independence. While others sit hopelessly in silence on the board, Carl is often the lone director who has something of interest and importance to contribute. However, the price Carl has paid for doing so was to be dropped from the Unity ticket. If you believe the community deserves to know more about what is going on and value Carl's contributions, I strongly urge you to support and vote for Carl Weinstein in his bid for reelection to the board.
Of the three Unity team candidates running for the board, the only one that makes any sense at all is Dan Forgeron. I believe Dan Forgeron should be reelected to the board as I believe he has provided and will continue to provide valuable leadership in the area of improving financial management. On other hand, I see no real benefit to the community in voting for the other two Unity candidates, Jerry Gardberg and Celeste Bove, unless you believe that stacking the board with Unity candidates is a worthwhile objective. While they no doubt will garner support from being on the Unity ticket, a vote for Jerry and Celeste will not contribute to the needed diversity of opinion and independence the community so desperately needs. A vote for Jerry and Celeste can only help guarantee a continuation of unchecked leadership and the absence of effective peer review.
Of the remaining two candidates, we have Kay Frank and Lyndall Ruiz. While Kay is outspoken on community issues and a hard-hitting contender deserving of your consideration, I question whether this is the right time for Kay’s candidacy. As the board evolves, her leadership qualities will prove to be more welcome and more useful in future elections. Given Unity’s past lock on election outcomes, Kay would not appear to be an ideal choice as an alternative to those who are inclined to view the Unity candidates favorably but are open to considering others. As a result, I am supporting Lyndall Ruiz for the board. As a former attorney and Sun City Anthem board member, Lyndall Ruiz brings with her a unique and welcomed perspective along with a proven commitment to the community. Her independence and willingness to speak out on community issues should prove to be a needed addition on the board.
Ron Johnson, May 1, 2010
Here is a more recent and dramatic example of how Unity conducts a meeting. If you have not attended a board meeting recently, you may have heard a rumor that Unity President Jack Troia does not hold homeowners in high regard, especially when he does not know how to respond or does not welcome the inquiry. Although you might think that Jack should have calmed down by now, here is a clip that will demonstrate otherwise. This is from the April 14th Emergency Board meeting held about two weeks ago on the issue of the ballot fiasco. A resident asked a question about whether early voting would be allowed on the 2nd election go-around since it had been allowed on the 1st go-around. Instead of answering the question, Jack lost his temper, eventually telling the homeowner to keep his mouth shut and to leave the room. [It was ultimately determined that early voting was not allowed.] If that were not bad enough, we also learned how his fellow Unity board members responded to Jack's outburst? They sat in stone cold silence. That's how Unity is working to achieve their objectives in Sun City Anthem. Governing under that kind of uncalled for pressure is unacceptable. It's little wonder that most board members are unwilling to openly share their own views about anything.
Click HERE to listen to that short audio clip of the Emergency Board meeting.