Letter to HSVP Editor from Andy Kramek, April 30, 2020
It appears, from some of the comments appearing on certain Social Media, and in the press, that the vast majority of residents of Hot Springs Village are already unhappy with the actions of the new board. This is a little strange given that the actions taken to date (and there have been less than three weeks since the new board was seated) are completely in alignment with the manifesto on which, at least three of, the newly elected members ran. The results of the election made it pretty clear that not only residents but also non-residents, wanted to see significant changes in the management of the village.
The top three candidates Sherman, Omahondro, and Garrison, polled 24,043 votes out of the 30,952 cast. That is 77.6%! Adding in the fourth candidate, Denger, who ran on a slightly different platform, but generally agreed with the others, the vote for decisive change grows to 28,264 (91.4%). The one candidate who ran on the necessity of maintaining the status quo, Choyce, polled just 2,688 votes (8.6%). So despite what appears to be an orchestrated campaign of misinformation on some Social Media platforms, and partisan press outlets, it is clear that the reality is the exact opposite of what is being portrayed.
Not only do the vast majority of property owners want to see a major change in the direction in which the village is moving, but they also want major changes to the way, and by whom, it is managed. The new Board has already made some progress in that direction and we can expect to see more changes for the better in the coming months. Rome was not built in a day and the years of misguided management, not to say mismanagement, cannot be undone overnight. The Board needs the continuing support and help of every like-minded property owner to ensure that the clear wishes of the real majority are heard and acted upon.
I urge them to stand, along with Chair Podawiltz, on their principles, and keep the promises on which they ran, despite the blatant and open hostility with which they are already being treated by the other hold-over Board members and their supporters. I, for one, stand fully behind our new members on the Board of Directors and wish them every success in their efforts.
Written by Andy Kramek, April 30, 2020
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Jan Parker
04/30/2020 — 12:11 pm
I voted for our new board members and am behind them 200%.
It’s a shame that there are people trying to discredit them.
Julie
04/30/2020 — 12:27 pm
I support this new board and everything they have done so far.
Why anyone would not support them is beyond belief.
Wake up people….without this new board and the actions they are taking HSV is doomed.
Seriously.
Tom Blakeman
04/30/2020 — 12:33 pm
Andy is totally correct. Our new board members (along with Diana) were voted in with a mandate for total change. It is sad that the two holdovers don’t get it.
This shouldn’t be surprising though. The holdovers and their supporters comprise a tight, dark and pervasive web. They have been in power for a while and won’t give up easily.
It is up to us to support our new board majority however we can.
Phil Lemler
04/30/2020 — 12:49 pm
Think of HSV as a 5 gallon bucket.
We keep pouring water into the bucket but it has a large hole and the water rapidly leaks out … wasted.
POA management, most of the last several boards and many of those who support the CEO/CMP …. want to continue to pour water into the HSV bucket… wasting precious water!
Along comes a set of new directors, representing a like minded constituency, and everyone can clearly see there is a hole in the bucket … it only makes sense to fix it before pouring in any more water.
Unfortunately, the new directors who urgently want to fix the hole, before any more water is wasted, are fighting against a CEO who is guarding the bucket.
Patience!
Steve Bender
04/30/2020 — 4:19 pm
Right on the head!
Minn. Daly
04/30/2020 — 1:34 pm
If you watched the HSV BOD meeting it was evident that Nalley, torrmey, leuring was negative on everything, argumentative as well as attempting control on subjects. Attempting to unhinge the Chair, but LTD & K did not allow that to happen! Our NEW BOD has made the number one decision to hire the best LAW firm to deal with issues on legal matters & they have the intelligence, intellectual abilities & capabilities to deal with individuals who are seeking control. Facts are on the side of our NEW BOD & I am certain that they are capable takeing charge of the CEO situation as well as restructuring HSV as needed. ROME was not built in a day & this swampy mess can’t be corrected in 6 weeks. Give them time. Minn Daly
Gene Garner
04/30/2020 — 2:14 pm
The previous Boards have performed so badly many Villagers are complaining before this new group has a chance to show what they can do. And the system is so polluted with favoritism, incompetence and really bad judgement that it will take a while to correct the problems.
Diana has been consistent in her rhetoric and actions, even when she’s been ignored and over ruled, so we know what to expect from her now that she’ll have a chance to be heard.
The new guys, LTD & K, had the good sense to elect Diana as Chair and have also proved with their votes that they will do the right thing.
I have a lot of confidence in this new group but I know I won’t agree with everything they do. There are some hard decisions that will have to be made and some of us won’t like the results. But the bar is really low, so if they bat .500 I’ll be happy.—Gene
Valerie Phillis
04/30/2020 — 4:34 pm
Thank you Andrew for the FACTS. HSV now has a VERY competent Board of Directors. They will no doubt have to make some difficult decisions to clean-up the financial mess HSV is in however they are VERY capable. Let’s give our support to them and the time it takes to move forward with changes.
I thank each of the new BOD’s – Dick, Kirk, Lloyd, Tucker & Diana for their commitment to HSV.
steve bylow
04/30/2020 — 4:36 pm
I saw the letter to the editor and my comment is “so what”. The new Board was too aggressive and made some mistakes.
Sorry but independent naysayers need to come up with something more significant than “they tried to do to much” and “the CEO and other Board members had to correct the Chair” to convince the majority of villagers that the past leadership was was headed in the right direction.
The fact that the New Board Chair immediately acknowledged they they had been too aggressive is refreshing.
It is great the New Board Members and Chair are taking charge like they said and creating a foundation for positive change.
I expect those who supported the status quo to complain. That’s OK – just listen to the complaint, check for relevancy, and move on. Don’t waste time and energy engaging.
Steve
Mark
04/30/2020 — 4:50 pm
I fully believe they’ll get it done. Great start and best wishes to our board. 100% support from my house.
Lynn Folkers
05/02/2020 — 7:07 pm
It sounds like all are in agreement here that the new board is moving in the right direction. How can we contact them an let them know we are behind them 100%? I know they would like to here from all who support them I would.
HSVP C
05/02/2020 — 7:12 pm
Lynn Folkers, thank you. Here are the Board Member email addresses:
Diana Podawiltz, Chairman | dpodawiltz@hsvpoa.org
Lloyd Sherman, Vice-Chair | lsherman@hsvpoa.org
Tormey Campagna | tcampagna@hsvpoa.org
Kirk Denger | kdenger@hsvpoa.org
Dick Garrison | rgarrison@hsvpoa.org
Nancy Luehring | nluehring@hsvpoa.org
Tucker Omohundro | tomohundro@hsvpoa.org
Marcy Mermel | mgmermel@hsvpoa.org
Dan Aylward | daylward@hsvpoa.org
Lynn
05/02/2020 — 7:18 pm
Thank you for the emails. We all need to take some time and let the new board know we are behind them 100%. I am!!
Sam Taylor
04/30/2020 — 5:29 pm
Thank goodness that we finally have some people on the board who are both competent but also have some integrity! They ran on a platform and are doing their best to follow through. Two others ran on ideals that would sound very favorable to what the majority of Villagers want toI, but have failed miserably in their time on the board to live up to their campaign promises. Too bad they sold their souls!
Judy Weatherly
04/30/2020 — 8:28 pm
Andrew and others..thumbs up to all of you. Out house supports also supports the new board members and are willing to help them anyway we can.
They are already working on positive changes. Give them a few months and we’ll start seeing more changes that they said will happen.
Drain the swamp!
Thank you Diana..LTD..Kirk and their supportive spouses!
Cathie Moeller
04/30/2020 — 9:04 pm
We’re 100% behind what the new Board, along with Diana, are doing. They’ve seen a measure of the tactics the old guard will use and I’m quite certain they will break down the barriers put in front of them one by one, emerging on the side of common sense at some point.
There is strength that comes from saying what you’ll do, then doing what you say and that is precisely what LTD and Diana are doing. A majority of Villagers are 100% behind Diana and LTD. I think they’ve made a great start with rewriting the Finance Committee Charter and getting rid of the incestuous Governance Committee.
Progress is being made, it’s just going to meet with more resistance than perhaps anticipated. I’m quite certain that will change and, if help is needed in the fight, we stand ready to get into the brawl if necessary.
Brenda Sallee
05/01/2020 — 5:31 pm
Well stated!
Vicki Husted
05/01/2020 — 5:50 pm
Cathie Moeller 04/30/2020 — 9:04 pm
I agree with about 98% of the comments on this page, and am firmly behind Diana, Lloyd, Tucker, Dick and Kirk, but you come closest to comments I would have written myself, particularly your 2nd paragraph and your final sentence.
Thank you, and thank Diana and our newly elected Board Directors. It would be wonderful if Nancy and Tormey would return to the campaign statements and promises they made to get elected, but even if they don’t, I have faith that our new Board will get the job done that the majority of Villagers elected them to do!
In the Fab5 I trust!
Jerry Jay Carroll
05/01/2020 — 10:03 am
A slippery eel and a certifiable dunce don’t make up much of an opposition. If the board majority ignores the weak fire from the flanks and gets on with business, they will make progress untangling the mess created by Lesley Nalley and the nodding stooges she manipulated so easily in the past. But, as others have pointed out, it will take mess. Meanwhile, somebody said Nalley’s resume was posted on LinkedIn. I imagine the words “dynamic, take-charge leader” appear on it somewhere.
Ralph T.
05/01/2020 — 12:05 pm
Andy: Right on my friend and neighbor! We support our new BOD members and Diana.
Lesley must go! It’s been said before and I’ll say it again: No new assessments! Not one dime until Lesley is history! Not one dime.
Linda Anderson
05/01/2020 — 1:22 pm
Diana, Lloyd, Dick, Tucker and Kirk LOVE HSV and are on a mission to turn HSV around. To bring back the understanding that the Budget needs to be balanced, that proper By-Laws established to release control over the Board and property owners, to ensure that maintenance becomes the main priority, and continued open meetings to promote Trust and Transparency. And finally to release HSV from the grip of power and control by the current leadership. Tough challenges during a difficult time.
STANDING WITH YOU 100%.
Thank You For Your Hard Work.
Lorri Street
05/01/2020 — 4:52 pm
Just my opinion…but did anyone else think that all of a sudden Nancy Luering became such a knowledgeable and eloquent speaker during the BOD’s meeting on April 20th?? My guess (since she wasn’t physically present at the meeting) is she had a previous Board member—you can guess who–feeding the pushback information directly to her. It wasn’t lost on me for a minute! Nice try CE…now get your nose out of the current BOD’s and POA’s business. Don’t you have a boat to float…somewhere??
Andy Kramek
05/03/2020 — 10:27 am
Now that is an interesting observation, Lorri. As you say, Nancy’s behavior at the meeting was very different from that which we have seen in the past. I’m not sure that there is anything wrong with a Director seeking advice from third parties, even from a former Chair of the Board – but not during a Board Meeting. It would, to say the least, be most improper for a former Director to be participating directly, and in real time, in a Board meeting.
Dennis W.
05/28/2020 — 7:04 am
Fully support the decisions of the new board so far….and yesterdays decision of replacement of the CEO and back to the General Manager position
Ronald kastler
06/03/2020 — 11:25 am
Please understand that this is a suggestion that maybe helpful at the appropriate time.
Before long the bloated payroll will surface as a major expense for the POA. Creating a job description can help to remedy the situation. Because some employees earning $60,000, $80,000 or $100,000 or more a year do not have a job description their compensation is based on a longevity system. Meaning the longer the service the more they are paid. In the absence of a job description performance against goals and objectives or accomplishments are difficult to evaluate. Therefore, there are no annual performance reviews.
The burden for writing a job description should be placed on the incumbent, not the BOD, not a committee just the incumbent. Writing a job description is a major task and very time consuming, so the BOD should direct all employees earning $60,000 and more to write their own job description using the following suggested guidelines. These guidelines are only a suggestion, incumbents should feel free to add any responsibilities that the guidelines do not address. Once the job descriptions are written they can be compared to similar responsibilities in other like organizations and used to establish a comparable pay range.
The completion date for the job descriptions should be set several months in the future with periodic reminders of the due date to allow for enough time to complete them.
These guidelines are intended to help you prepare your job description some suggestion may not apply so feel free to add any additional areas that are a part of your job.
(SUGGESTED GUIDELINES) in no priority order.
*What is the primary purpose of your job?
*Explain your most difficult challenge in the job.
*How many employees do you supervise?
*How many annual performance reviews do you write?
*Who reports to you daily?
*Who do you report to?
*Do you prepare any financial reports?
*What committees do you belong on and why?
*Explain how you got your current job.
*What are your most important accomplishments in your job?
*How do you spend most of your work day?
*What are your budget responsibilities?
*Who do you meet with on a regular bases both internally and outside of the POA ?
*Explain your written correspondences , who to, how often, and the purpose.
*What reports do you write?
*Who replaces you when you are on vacation?
*What special skills are required for your job negotiations skills, CPA certified, professional certification.
* What professional associations do you belong to as apart of your job?
*What previous management experience is needed in your job?
*If you were going to replace yourself what educational requirements would you recommend?
*Who trained you for your current job?
*Have you ever terminated any employee, explain.
*Explain a situation where you had to hire an employee.
*Have you ever written an accident report, explain?
*How often do you meet with your peers from other organizations, explain.
*What meetings do you schedule on a regular bases?
*Do you have to give group presentations, explain.
*What research do you do on a regular bases to improve your job?
Please let me know if you received this and if it has any value.
Thanks Ron