By Cheryl Dowden, May 5, 2020
In an interesting email sent to Villagers yesterday afternoon, an ex-leader of the community announced that he/she is back and voiced his/her opinion. Ex-leader started off by saying that so many people had told him/her that they were appreciative of being kept informed of upcoming Board deliberations and he/she wished to encourage Villagers to make their voice heard by the Board.
Supposedly all bias was removed from this individual’s commentary. In the same spirit, I will give you my unbiased commentary.
Some of the subjects covered in the ex-leaders email are bulleted below:
- The Board retained the services of Rose Law Firm. The ex-leader stated that Rose Law Firm represents Cooper Communities, Inc.
This is incorrect. CCI WAS represented by Rose Law Firm in the past. (*Correction below) According to their website, Rose Law Firm is the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River and traces its beginnings to November 1, 1820, before Arkansas was a state. Part of Rose Law Firm’s mission is to provide “innovative, personalized legal solutions delivered through” their “commitment to excellence.”
- This ex-leader also went on to talk about the Special Meeting held on April 20 in which the Board had 14 motions on the agenda. This ex-leader said some Board members had not received these motions (and supporting documentation) until less than two hours prior to the meeting.
This is only partially true. ALL Board members were provided with documents at the same time. Ex-leader omitted the information as to the reason why the Directors and Officers did not have the documents. What is not stated in ex-leader’s email is that the POA staff still had not set up the secure email accounts for the new Board Members. Due to this curious delay by the POA staff, Chair Podawiltz chose to distribute the agenda and motions all at one time to everyone. Undoubtedly it was not originally planned to have such a late distribution of the documents. Currently, as of Sunday, May 3, there were still reports of problems with Board Members’ email addresses with Board emails bouncing back to the senders. Hopefully, the POA staff has the Board email situation straightened out at this point in time.
- Nine of those motions were tabled and two were withdrawn during the meeting. The Board passed three motions, which were: elimination of the Governance Committee, elimination of the Finance Committee, and the establishment of the Finance and Planning Committee:
Let’s address each of these motions:
- Elimination of the Governance Committee- This committee was initially in violation of HSVPOA’s governing documents. At one point, the ex-Chair temporarily suspended HSV’s By-laws to get around this. In the opinion of many, this committee was controlled by the CEO and used to control the Board.);
- Elimination of the Finance Committee- This committee was chaired by staff, which in my opinion gave full control of this committee to the CEO. The old Board had previously changed the By-laws so that staff and Board were full-fledged voting committee members and no longer only liaisons;
- The Finance Committee was replaced by the establishment of a Finance and Planning Committee.
Admittedly, the new Board had an overly ambitious agenda for their first meeting, but we can see that they are on the right path to representing the Villagers who voted them in. This is a refreshing change from some past Boards majority Members. The past few Boards did not seem to feel that they needed to represent their constituents and proceeded with their own agenda which appeared to be in line with the agenda of staff.
- The Board announced they will be holding Discussion Sessions, the first and second Wednesdays of every month from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. During this session, the Board Members will discuss pertinent predetermined topics and then answer questions from the community on those topics from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. All questions submitted by the community must be governance-related. Any operational issues should be taken up with HSVPOA staff. Click here for more information about the first Discussion Session.
- Of particular note, ex-leader mentioned the Protective Covenants and the Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP). Ex-leader stated that the elimination of our Protective Covenants, which are referenced multiple times in the Declaration, would have far-reaching implications for Village property values. “Property Owners should watch closely to see what form any new protective covenants take.”
At the Special Board Meeting, the new Board announced their intention to get further input from the community before proceeding on these particular issues. I do not believe anyone is suggesting that the community be without Protective Covenants, but only that the Protective Covenants be restored to something closer to the pre-CMP Protective Covenants. In regard to the CMP, it is obvious the new Board believes the community should have a plan, but that the CMP, as it stands now is not the RIGHT plan for us. This has been stated by numerous Board Members.
The community majority has expressed their desire to be rid of the New Urbanism Comprehensive Master Plan and the accompanying new 119-page oppressive Protective Covenants. Folks, please continue to let the Board Directors know how you feel about these two issues. One good opportunity to do this will be at the first Discussion Session to be held tomorrow, May 6, 2020. Questions and comments may be submitted to boardmembers@hsvpoa.org. Of special note is that this email address also goes to the CEO.
All-in-all, the new Board had a great start at their first meeting. Ex-leader, we thought you were through with Village politics, but I guess not.
Click here to go to the HSVPOA Official YouTube Channel for live-streams and recordings of meetings.
*Correction due to being told misinformation. Both CCI and HSVPOA are represented by Rose Law Firm. If there is a time when this is a conflict, Rose will represent neither CCI or HSV.
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This is my opinion and yours may vary. Thank you for reading. Be sure to bookmark this website so you don’t miss any upcoming articles.
If commenting on this article, please do not mention the name of ex-leader. Any comments with ex-leader’s name will be deleted.
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Nikki Hare
05/05/2020 — 12:25 pm
We full support the new and improved Board!!! Make the CMP go away
Patrick
05/05/2020 — 12:51 pm
Inside source tells me that Lesley Nalley (CMP) is still being looked at and Newly Elected Board is considering updating it even though New Members ran against it. Lesley Nalley the Highest Paid CEO in AR is the problem; she got her new bonus but what did property owners get in return?
HSVP C
05/05/2020 — 5:02 pm
Patrick, I don’t know where you are getting your information from. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the new Board is considering keeping the CMP.
Tom Blakeman
05/05/2020 — 1:06 pm
Apparently I did not receive this email from whoever this ex-leader is. I’d like to see it. Someone please forward a copy. Thanks.
Mary Odom
05/05/2020 — 2:13 pm
We are very excited about our new Board and know they will do what is best for HSV…something the previous board did not do!!
Lynda Narug
05/05/2020 — 2:44 pm
Anonymous emails should not be published as they are unverifiable. Ex-Leader could go all the way back to the beginning of HSV. “If you can’t share with all the class, don’t bring just enough for your friends” !
HSVP C
05/05/2020 — 3:21 pm
Lynda, this was not an anonymous email. This was specifically shared this way for a reason. Please do not tell me what I should and should not publish. If you had asked nicely, I am certain that someone would have shared this email with you, but instead, you chose to say I was only sharing with my friends and that the email was unverified. I assure you, many, many people can verify this email. To consistently attack those who are on your side is never justified. Thank you.
Alan
05/06/2020 — 12:26 pm
I took her comment as it is not verifiable by ALL the readers. It is semantics but instead of writing the article referencing the email it probably should have been stated that the email reportedly said this or said that.
Why is the email so secretive? Who is the former director?
Andy Kramek
05/05/2020 — 4:48 pm
Lynda, as Chreyl said, this was not anonymous – in fact it was explicitly signed by the author and included the following statement:
“If you know of anyone who would like to be included on this email distribution list, please forward this email to them and have them click here to subscribe.”
If you would like to subscribe, I would be happy to forward you the email. Just tell me where to send it.
Dave
05/06/2020 — 12:27 pm
Can you send it to a.dave25@yahoo.com?
Carroll W Allison
05/08/2020 — 10:21 am
carrollallison@sbcglobal.net
Anonymous
05/05/2020 — 7:12 pm
Please tell me how a post from “Anonymous” is any different than one from “Chipmunk,” or for that matter a letter written by “A Concerned Villager” or one by “Anonymous.” We also have a report on a “past HSV Leader,” without giving the person’s name. Do you only not like these monikers when they disagree with you. It seems to me this site lacks consistency.
Minn Daly
05/05/2020 — 2:50 pm
Cheryl, thank you for posting above info on NEW blog. When I received it I thought I must still be living in legacy wonderland. One great thing about our country is freedom of the press & to the people. Any one has a right to blog, but facts are facts & our community elected a very good group for our NEW BOD, & our membership supports them. If a group wants to join above blog that’s up to the individual. Our NEW BOD, Unlike legacy BOD are transparent, our NEW BOD hired a prestigious law firm & will NOT have a stable of attorneys that represent the POA. This BOD LTD& K with chair Dianna have a mess to clean up & legacy group would like to discredit all they do. it is a mess but my money is on our NEW BOD to get it corrected. Minn Daly
Mark
05/05/2020 — 3:20 pm
I have no clue to whom this is regarding, but I’m of the opinion that past leaders created this mess. I have no interest in their opinion. I believe we now have 5 board members that will take things in a new direction. Once they trash the CMP, fire Nalley and remove several of her minions, we’ll be in a much better place.
Chipmunk
05/05/2020 — 3:28 pm
All the woodland creatures know this to be true as well. Thanks Mark!
Wes
05/05/2020 — 7:33 pm
Cheryl. That’s a STRETCH calling that person an ex-leader. Crappy might be a better term. Lol. Does she think anyone cares what she thinks at this point and time? She should of taken the two yes men with her when she left
Chirs
05/06/2020 — 7:34 am
This all seems very strange. What is going on?
Who is this mystery person? Why are they bothering us?
Why are they sending anyone an email?
Who wants their email?
Who wants their input?
Who wants their thoughts?
Anyone??????????
Very strange indeed.
Very strange.
Andy Kramek
05/06/2020 — 8:52 am
As Cheryl has said, this emasil was not anonymous – in fact it was explicitly signed by the author and included the following statement:
“If you know of anyone who would like to be included on this email distribution list, please forward this email to them and have them click here to subscribe.”
If you would like to subscribe, I would be happy to forward you the email. Just tell me where to send it.
Karen Bump
05/06/2020 — 8:31 am
I do not understand why this ex-leader would send such an email, except to obviously discredit the current board at every step of the way. It doesn’t seem on the up and up for someone to do this unless they have an ulterior motive. And I do not mean by the goodness of their heart to help their friend keep her job. Is there something more to gain for this individual? What could that be?
I appreciate the new board and what they are trying to do. I hope all the disinformation being espoused in the email is ignored by the masses and our village can get back to normal.
Andy Kramek
05/06/2020 — 12:23 pm
Karen, I’d say you understand exactly why this ex-leader sent the email. It has one purpose and one purpose only – to spread disinformation that attacks the new Board members.
RAB
05/06/2020 — 11:32 am
Does anybody really think that this new information coming from C. Erickson will be unbiased?? “I will try to remove all bias from the information that I share” is her commitment to readers. But it is plain to see that even this initial message is slanted. If there was to be no bias, why does each listed point to be discussed, contain a warning to members, “watch closely” what is happening to the CMP and Protective Covenant issues. This is just a subtle way of telling people there is going to be some bad, or negative actions taken with these two subjects. A non-slanted message would just be a mention that the CMP and Covenant subjects would be addressed. No warning of her suspected wrong doing.
Why do you think this new blog is to be published? We all know that the ex-BOD chair was big fan and mouthpiece for our CEO, and insured that her wants and wishes were supported by the legacy Board. Where do you think much of her coming information does and will come from, other than her close friend, our CEO. Due to her previous position and obvious thinking, she will have access to information that the normal owner will not be privy to.
Yes, she has a right to express herself and her ideas. However, to present her coming messages as unbiased, not slanted or middle-of-the-road, is wrong and very unethical. This sneaky, underhanded disguise, gives people an indication of how free of spin these messages really will be.
Mark
05/06/2020 — 1:04 pm
I hear there will be a slightly used tiara for sale very soon, along with a massive stack of documents suitable for recycling. Fire up the Uhauls!
Patrick T. McCarthy
05/06/2020 — 2:51 pm
I would like to see the original ex Bd member email too. Can someone send it to pat_mccarthy@juno.com.
I’ll hold any comments until I see the actual email.
Norm
05/06/2020 — 4:47 pm
Anyone who posts an anonymous post should be disregarded. You can’t even get a letter printed in the Voice without a name. There’s a reason.
HSVP C
05/06/2020 — 5:15 pm
First of all, Norm. who are you? Do you think posting in your first name means anything? It does not. At least I have the courage to use my whole name on this website and elsewhere. Secondly, if you would like to disregard me, you certainly have the right. But it appears we have your interest, as you are here on my husband’s website reading the articles. Thirdly, there was a very good reason the article was written the way it was and it takes nothing away from the meaning. Anyone can be critical, but if he is not actually doing anything positive, then his criticism amounts to a hill of beans. Your criticism amounts to just that- a hill of beans.- Cheryl Dowden
Gene Garner
05/07/2020 — 8:22 am
I didn’t receive this email but if it’s from Cynthia S. Erikson it’s another misguided screed from a misguided former chair of the BOD.
Erikson co-authored a “memorandum” with Lesley Nalley avowing to defy AR statutes by refusing to record any changes to the Protective Covenants. Here’s the gist of the memo;
“The Protective Covenants may be further amended from time to time by the Board of Directors pursuant to the terms of the Protective Covenants without further notice being recorded in the real estate records.”
The irony is, they then filed the “memorandum” with the Garland & Saline County Circuit Clerk’s Office.
Most Realtors know ACA 14-15-404 (b) requires all deeds, bonds or other writings affecting real property must be recorded to be enforced.
In other words what she writes should be taken “with a grain of salt”—Gene
Patrick T. McCarthy
05/07/2020 — 5:00 pm
First, I’m not the editor of the “hsvpeople” website and don’t presume to be. The editor will decide what to print, what edits to make and what comments to make about any posting. However, I am able and want to comment on this posting.
The anonymous part of it really gives it some mystery but, after obtaining the email, I can only think of one reason to have made it so mysterious. And that reason is to not give this person by name, a prior Board member with initials CE, a sort of blog on a website that is not there to be neutral and has a clear intent and mission – and clearly a website that does not represent the viewpoint of this person (initials CE) as exhibited by her actions on the Board. If CE wants to get thoughts out to Villagers then she should probably go on Nextdoor or with direct email. That’s all I can come up with as to why the material was published the way it was – as sort of anonymous. I should also note that it was copyrighted and maybe that was a factor.
However, since the material is out there I would like to comment further. I think the prior Boards going back about four years slowly and methodically mucked things up. To me the whole thing started with the 2 tier votes but that did not do it and I don’t think that Board was directly part of this process. It took time, misguided Boards and a POA that was overreaching. Neither these Boards nor the POA had the best interests of the owners in mind when they went about their business. And most of all they did not have the desires of the owners in mind most of the time. Also, while they often maintained that they listened, they did not.
After 4 years of trying, more and more owners had come to see how these Boards operated and the numbers of like-minded owners against their actions had grown. And that produced this past election vote for a new direction, as other past elections had tried to do, and against continuing on the path outlined by the most recent and other past Boards. So, now the control has shifted and the old guard is not happy. So be it! The new Board has a big job ahead unraveling the mess of these past Boards. They will have successes, make some mistakes but they will have one thing that the other Boards did not have or deserve. Owners will trust that they are trying to do their best and represent their interests. No one can predict the future but I think they will succeed in getting us back on track.
As far as what past Chairpersons or prior Board members think about what is happening I really don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about it. They stepped up and served but some of them did not deliver. It’s just that simple. We need to move on and try to fix what they broke. And getting any so called unbiased information from them is not a plus for me. I will listen but in the back of my mind will be that “actions speak louder than words”.
Jerry Jay Carroll
05/07/2020 — 6:00 pm
Welp, to cut to the chase, the mystery woman is Cindi Erickson. 87 people opened her post, which she says was a 5% uptick. It is well known she and Leslie Nalley were thick as thieves and you can add Mz Nancy to the pack. Cindi knew she would be trounced so she didn’t want the humiliation and did not run for reelection. She, like Nancy, are smarting from the upheaval they and the slackers on the old board brought on themselves. They thought the rumblings from the property owners was the standard stuff the board of directors hears before every election and blew it off only to be astounded when it turned out to be different this time. The board believed Luehring would just be sand in the gears and they were right. She said she was “targeted” for removal for casting the vote that guaranteed Leslie Nalley continued employment despite all of the controversy that has swirled around her and the dislike for her high-handed manner and arrogance. “I will fully support any retaliation claim and hostile work environment claim made by CEO Nalley,” Luehring has written. “If removed, I have no fiduciary responsibility to support the Association. I have been targeted and this is a character attack.” So yet another lawsuit. This is revenge, folks.
Moe
05/08/2020 — 6:07 am
To refer to this “mystery” person as a “leader” is being quite generous. Follower is more appropriate.