As published in The View, November 2021:
President
Many of you have no doubt heard the quote, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Although its origins and author(s) are in dispute, that quote or some version of it has been variously attributed to many people including P. T. Barnum, who talked about “fooling people.”
In a Homeowner’s Association, it is the job of the elected Board of Directors, like our own – comprised of five of your uncompensated volunteer neighbors – to manage the affairs of the community. Naturally it does not call for “pleasing all of the people all of the time.” What it does require is a lot of time and effort by each director to become familiar with and educate themselves about all the issues which regularly arise.
From there, a vote by all directors is used to decide what is best for the community as a whole, while remaining consistent with the requirements of our Governing Documents, the law, and financial realities. The financial realities of many of the Board’s decisions about budgeting affect homeowners in different ways depending on their personal circumstances, and the Board must always consider this during the budgeting process.
By the time you review this article, the budgeting process which has been taking place during the late summer and early fall will have already been completed and communicated to our fellow homeowners. This is an intensive predictive process involving many considerations and compromises in which the Board gets assistance and takes advice from volunteer committees, paid legal and financial advisors, insurers, our contractors for various services, as well as our management company and its personnel. In addition, the budgeting process is also informed by communications from many homeowners.
I have been on your Board and privileged to function as President for approximately eight months now. I myself am not on Nextdoor, but what goes on there does from time to time come to my attention because others report it to me. Nextdoor seems to be a great vehicle for various matters, especially for information about common problems, services, suppliers, and vendors and for discussion by homeowners. On the contrary, Nextdoor is not a proper place for communicating with the Board or the management of our HOA.
You can find the addresses of the committee chairs, our management, and the officers of the HOA, including all five Directors, in the first few pages of each issue of The View magazine. Cut them out and put them on your bulletin board or next to your computer or phone. When you have something to add or suggest, please reach out by communicating through email or by the official site of scshca.com.
The word is mightier than the sword, and your volunteer neighbors on our committees and the Board, as well as those we contract with to assist us in the management of our city in the sun, will listen and respond. It may not always be what everyone wants or would prefer to hear. But your suggestions will be taken into consideration when planning for the benefit of the community as a whole.
I remind you that my main focus – even before I was a candidate running for our Board – has been to protect the integrity and financial stability of this community for all. The Board and I want to express our gratitude again to the volunteers who have stepped up to work hard for this community. You have shown a great desire and passion to complete the missions you have taken on as well as a beneficial ability to work well with others around you. Thank you very much.
Contact the author at john.macdonnell@scshca.com.