HSVPOA Board Meeting 11/20/19

By Frank Leeming, November 21, 2019

Good news from yesterday’s POA board meeting

Congratulations to board vice-chair Tormey Campagna for having the good sense to withdraw his silly idea yesterday about banning video cameras and tape recorders from POA committee meetings.

And I apologize for writing Tuesday he wouldn’t have been so far around the bend to propose such an idea, suggesting he was doing it because he was told to.  I was wrong.  Tomey told the board meeting yesterday it was his idea.

At any rate, the idea is back on the shelf where it belongs.

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And congratulations to board chair Cindi Erickson for having the good sense not to embarrass the board and CEO Lesley Nalley by playing a recording made by vacationing director Diana Podawiltz “apologizing” for telling it like it is at a recent seven-minute board meeting called to approve the 2020 POA budget.

Podawiltz, an accountant, said Nalley was capitalizing items in the 2020 budget that historically have been expensed.

“In my opinion,” Podawiltz told the board, “there is no logical business reason for violating the accounting principle of consistency and a possible violation of the accounting principle of conservancy.“

Nalley was furious and demanded an apology.  Podawiltz recorded a message explaining why she said what she did and left to attend the wedding of her son in Arizona.

Despite Nalley’s harassment of Podawiltz for speaking her mind in a public meeting, there was no need for the recording to be played.  Nalley’s unending need for control is well known and did not need to be put on display once again.

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Erickson announced yesterday she hopes a consensus can be reached Dec. 6 on creating a new standing board Finance Committee.  That’s good news.

As a board committee, it should be headed by a Villager, not a staff employee like the Chief Financial Officer.  The CFO should be a liaison to the committee, not it’s boss.

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More good news yesterday was the introduction of Paul Sage as the POA’s new marketing manager.  Nothing is more important than developing a deep and comprehensive marketing program to sell the Village.

Sage’s background suggests he knows his job is more than tuning up the public-relations side of things.  Marketing can and must be much more than that, and is an essential element of the POA’s future

The best thing Sage could do would be to urge Nalley and the board to create a standing board Marketing Committee.  The Village has many bright residents full of good marketing ideas and experience who would be delighted to help Sage and the board shape a new marketing program.

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It also was announced yesterday a new subcommittee of the Governance Committee has been created to study POA elections.

Two members of the subcommittee, Keith Keck and Jerry Yeric, said they’ve been tasked with studying how POA elections could be improved.

While a noble goal, some might ask: Why is a study is needed?  There has never been a hint of scandal or impropriety in a POA election.

Maybe I’m becoming a conspiracy nut, but with this POA administration and board, I’m suspicious of changing anything as fundamental as our election process.  Fortunately, there are excellent members on the new committee and I’m sure they’ll do what’s right.

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If you didn’t see the story this morning on KTHV-11 on the Home Plate Cafe, click here.  It’s fun to watch.

By Frank Leeming, November 21, 2019

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