Conflict of Interest

I believe that a conflict of interest exists on an association board whenever board members receive treatment that the average association member would not.  This was proven to me at the last board meeting I attended.  A new owner asked how many infractions it usually took before a letter of reprimand was sent.

The property manager went into a long and involved statement that I will boil down to: it takes more than one infraction before a letter is sent because the nature of the infraction needs to pass muster i.e. the management company needs to make sure that it's a valid complaint and not just some crank sounding off.

Then a board member chimed in with "unless it's a board member; then the letter comes immediately."

This is a blatant conflict of interest.  In this case the board member's complaint gets sent along without the regular vetting process.  And, let me tell you: the board is full to the teeth with cranks.  If the board of directors of the Village Woods Owners' Association are participating in this kind of conflict of interest and getting this kind of preferential treatment, what else are they doing illegally?

One thing I can point to is discrimination in terms of whom to use to fill board vacancies.  Just as one cannot choose one's neighbor, neither can the board of directors choose who will sit with them on the board.

I want to be one such person.  There are at least two more I know of and perhaps many more who have not been placed on the board to get the number up to that which is required by the association's bylaws.

In short, the board of directors of the Village Woods Owners' Association are not only participating in conflict of interest and discrimination, they are putting themselves, the association and management company in harm's way.  These are actionable offenses and a person with a lot of time on his hands and an axe to grind (an axe, mind you, that is legally and morally correct) can cause enough trouble so as to be elected to said board...

This will be brought up to the board and staff in person at the next meeting.