By Lloyd Sherman, November 23, 2020
I’m back to thank those who supported me in my two-year run for the Board and respond to a few criticisms leveled. I understand the frustration and disappointment many of you feel, but until you have actually walked in the other person’s shoes, all you know is what your opinion is, and typically that is not based on facts. That being said, let me tell you that my resignation was not about “taking my toys and going home!” It wasn’t about not being able to work with others (well, most of them anyway). It was not about getting my way! What it was about was a general lack of awareness that the Board as a body was moving right back into the territory we have already traveled, combined with certain members of the board violating their oath of office. I gave this board a chance to rectify the issue that became the tipping point for me, and they failed to do so. So yes, I made a tough decision that in my estimation was the only decision left open to me to protect my health. I have been the caregiver to my wife for 15 years after nearly losing her to strokes and brain bleeds. That became an overriding factor in my decision, along with health issues I was beginning to exhibit. So, criticize if you will, but it can’t be any worse than the venom spewed at me and other board members by our caring property owners. Serving is a thankless job, and anyone running should be aware that it doesn’t matter how much good you do or work you are willing to put in; it will never be enough. How much longer did you want me to stick around and watch as a majority began shifting responsibility back to staff? What good did you really think one individual was going to have in this fight? I will assure you it wasn’t enough for me to ignore my family obligations and watch my health go downhill. It was a personal decision. Mine and I had my reasons. Many of them, but unless each and every one of you spent time with me, I don’t believe you can understand the magnitude of those issues with spending extended time with me.
I made some mistakes, and I play those over in my mind time-and-time again. And Stephen Rust, you are right; I should have voted no to Diana’s removal as Chair, except that I believe she was ready for that to happen anyway, so I abstained from voting for her being blindsided like she was. Truth be known, I wasn’t brought into the loop of what was getting ready to transpire until 20 minutes before the meeting. I called Diana one minute before the meeting was called to order to inform her. How would any of you have handled the situation if you had been blindsided like she was? Quit? Wouldn’t be a bit surprised. I would have likely had that reaction.
Vilify me if you need, but my decision did not come easy, and I did not take it lightly. I believe the Village is moving right back into too much staff control and not enough board oversight and decision making ability into staffing, programs, processes, etc. One person fighting those trends is on a hopeless journey.
As you are now faced with electing five new board members, I suggest you find candidates who have STRATEGIC thinking ability and who have exhibited it during their careers. Vetting is critical at this point, and my guess is that those who have the ability to think and implement strategically will be overshadowed by those who can’t. That is not a winning combination.
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Thank you for reading. Be sure to bookmark this website. Click here to visit the Hot Springs Village People Facebook Group.
Phil Lemler
11/23/2020 — 6:02 pm
Lloyd – whatever you did … or didn’t do … or whatever others may say … I know one thing for certain … Lloyd Sherman is a good and honorable man!
Lloyd Sherman
11/23/2020 — 6:41 pm
Well, even though the POA Digest used my name in the same paragraph while accusing recent board members of wrong-doing, I challenge them and actually insist they make any information they have available. I did nothing except my job as a board member responsible only to property owners. Associations, as they made, can be considered slanderous and I believe a retraction is in order.
Wes
11/23/2020 — 7:12 pm
There isn’t enough money in the world that would make me want to be part of the board. Too many critics out there who “think” they know what needs to be done. No matter what you won’t please everyone. Lloyd, I applaud you for your time and what you accomplished. You did what you could and most of us are thankful to you. Enjoy your retirement!
Tonya
11/23/2020 — 7:45 pm
Thank you Lloyd. I pray you wife improves. It’s hard being a care taker. Thank you for trying to right the village. As a resident for 44 years I see what you faced. It will take the whole board to fix this mess.
Elizabeth H Berry
11/23/2020 — 7:55 pm
Mr. Sherman, Thank you for doing your best to right the work of the board. I believe that decisions are being made by others rather than the board. Too much “power” is in the hands of the GM. It looks as if the board thinks he has more experience and so he should make decisions. We elected the board to take control but that is not what I see happening. Hopefully, the people who will run for the vacant seats on the board can prove that they will improve on upkeep and restore the village to the wonderful place we love and moved here to enjoy.
Mary Odom
11/23/2020 — 9:32 pm
Lloyd thank you for all you did and for your time spent on the Board! You had your reasons and I totally understand. You should not feel as though you let us down because you did what you felt was right and we trusted you to do just that. Now try to enjoy some retirement with your lovely wife!
Keith
11/24/2020 — 9:58 pm
Are we seriously back to in-fighting and stone throwing board members? Control, processes, programs – these are all words that managers use. Leaders have a much different vocabulary. We can only hope that our next board election yields leaders capable of focusing on more critical matters.
Elmo Wiggins
11/25/2020 — 6:26 am
No qualified leaders want the headaches …
Keith
11/25/2020 — 8:19 am
Then, sadly, there is no reason to continue as a private community. We are doomed to fail, if that is the case.
Elmo Wiggins
11/25/2020 — 9:53 am
Of course no one can say what the future holds but many of the qualified expertise has left the Village or refuses to step into the mess. As long as property owners vote for and seat directors who operate more like a high school student senate than an experienced and knowledgeable strategic entity, the higher the likelihood HSV will cease to be a private community.
Dan Hitch
11/25/2020 — 10:04 pm
I agree 100%
Sally
11/25/2020 — 7:23 am
You are to be thanked for the hard work you did and it is completely understandable why you would quit if these people are simply going to go back to the way things were before.
Andy Kramek
11/26/2020 — 7:21 am
Sir Winston Churchill, was paraphrasing George Santayana when he said that “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Looking at what is going on with the POA, from the outside, it is clear that they were both correct. It appears that getting rid of the “Queen” has merely resulted in the installation of a “King” (no pun intended!). Apparently the only real change has been in a few of the names on the organization chart.
The Board is once more reduced to a rubber stamp body whose primary concern appears to be fiddling with the wording of “policy” documents. Is the state of policy documents the most significant issue confronting the Village right now? Or is it, as Tom Blakeman pointed out in a comment on HSV People recently, that “The board does this so they don’t have to dig in and identify and fix the real problems, going on for years, that no one, particularly the staff, don’t want changed.”
The Board is supposed to provide direction to, and exercise control over, the GM and POA Staff. It appears that the exact opposite is now the case (again!).
Rachael
11/27/2020 — 9:28 am
If this nonsense doesn’t change then we, as a community, are doomed. Trust me on this. Doomed.
Who in their right mind would move here now?? Only those who don’t do their homework.
Truly sad to see such ineptitude lead to such destruction.
We were once a vibrant retirement community. No longer. We are a laughing stock.
You might have noticed that many of the past “leaders” of HSV have moved away, as well as many other residents who once proudly called this place home. They are gone and they are not coming back. They left because they saw the handwriting on the wall and knew that things were never really going to change.
And they haven’t, have they? A bunch of inept, lazy people at the helm of this rudderless little place that can’t even figure out how to do signage, let alone much of anything else.
Look around – what do you see??? Nothing good. Trust me on that.
Andy Kramek
11/27/2020 — 12:50 pm
As one of those who saw the handwriting on the wall and for that, along with other reasons, moved away I could not agree more. Apparently Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the HSV Board is fiddling while the village falls apart.
Elmo Wiggins
11/27/2020 — 4:05 pm
The handwriting becomes clearer and brighter every day!
Elmo Wiggins
11/27/2020 — 4:04 pm
Rachael speaks the truth!
Jack
11/27/2020 — 8:16 am
Frustrating as this mess is for us there is something that we should face. Since board members are villagers, WE are board members. Since committee members are villagers, WE are committee members. And since most staff live in the village, WE are staff. If the POA’s ongoing drama is a reflection of our “best”, WE are clearly incapable of running this place.
Andy Kramek
11/28/2020 — 8:44 am
Jack is exactly right! The problem is that we keep trying to effect change through the Board elections, and have a 100% failure record of doing so The common factor? The people who ran for Board positions promised to listen to property owners, to address the big issues (deferred maintenance, restaurant subsidies, golf subsidies etc), restore transparency etc etc. However, every time, the successful candidates immediately reneged on their promises and either fall into lock step with the bureaucracy, or get forced out, or put into untenable positions that force them to resign. The result is that nothing changes and the bureaucracy rolls on unchecked. The “Lords and Ladies” at the top of the tree do EXTREMELY well. Meanwhile the role of the peasants (i.e. the property owners) is to merely keep paying assessments, and the ever-increasing fees, to fund it all and, out of the kindness of their hearts, to contribute yet more money to support the underpaid and overworked staff.
Ralph T.
11/27/2020 — 9:29 am
“I gave this board a chance to rectify the issue that became the tipping point for me, and they failed to do so.”
So Lloyd – what was it exactly that prompted you to give “this board a chance to rectify the issue?” What was it precisely that you asked the other Board Members to do that caused them to reject your leadership?
It would be beneficial to voters to understand the factual details so we can process this information and keep a watchful eye out when we consider the next five candidates.
Thank you.
John
11/27/2020 — 4:19 pm
I am really sad to read the past few comments on here. Come on people, give our new GM a chance. I also think that Board members should be given some compensation for all their time they work for our benefit and if the work load is too large, why not add more board seats?
All I hear that some people are unhappy and want to pickup and go somewhere else. Fine.. just shut up and go and let the rest of us enjoy.
Elmo Wiggins
11/27/2020 — 4:37 pm
Oh right, John. That is brilliant! All we need to do is pay the board members and miraculously they become competent and effective. Re-read Lloyd’s last paragraph. HSV needs directors who have STRATEGIC thinking ability and have exhibited it in their careers. This is the secret sauce to find board members who will lead HSV out of this fiasco. Yes, and also just add more board members (seats) who are inexperienced and have no idea what to do. Good suggestion!
John
11/28/2020 — 9:44 am
Elmo
From what I have seen this place has never had the board leadership that a few here seem to think we should have. The biggest complainers seem to do nothing but complain that the Village is not what the once thought it was. Many board members soon weary of all the time they must spend and all the “hate” mail they get from owners in the few active remaining years of their lives. There are no easy answers but I do think the new GM is improving the staff and seems to be improving our financial bottom line but That does not excuse the Board for abdicating their leadership responsibilities. I do hope that five or more qualified people run to take on this yoke and try to form some consensus. Let us be part of the solution and NOT part of the problem. Bickering solves nothing. Do light a “candle” and refrain from cursing the darkness.
Elmo Wiggins
11/28/2020 — 11:26 am
John – with all due respect, I do think the new GM deserves a chance to get HSV righted. However, many of the “biggest complainers” HAVE offered numerous solutions that the boards (and CEO) have ignored. The Weiss/Weidert boards tried to sell a Village killing plan called the CMP. The next board thought we should be happy because “our toilets flushed and the electricity was on”. This board has demonstrated they are no better at strategic planning than any other. I mean really. This board’s first deliberations were around developing a forestry committee and arguing over whether or not staff members should be allowed to vote on committees. Lloyd has it right. We need directors who are experienced in strategic planning and managing large businesses. At least two board members should have demonstrated and verifiable experience in managing large organizations or strategic involvement for sizeable entities. Anyone who does not understand that STEP 1 is to create a business plan with measurable goals and Step 2 is to develop a deferred maintenance “catch up” plan should NOT be on the board. This IS a part of the solution. Hoping and wishing are NOT plans!
Jack
11/28/2020 — 3:44 pm
This commentary drives the point home and unfortunately our fate. “Create a plan”? Sorry Elmo but us villagers (board, committees, staff, volunteers, those behind the curtain pulling the puppet strings and those willing to openly express their ideas) already did that at least six times in recent history (2 strategic plans, a master plan work book, a CMP and most recently the LTD promises), not to mention the “plans” authored by individuals. All received equal fanfare and high hopes as THE answer. While yours could finally be that answer, it too would have about a six month shelf life before we are off to the next big “plan”. It appears that WE are incapable of agreeing on and executing any plan.
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 7:01 am
Thanks Jack, you make my point. People believe that the CMP was a “plan”. Laughable. Very sad. It turns out that “Andy Kramek” is the smartest guy in the Village. He saw the tidal wave coming and moved on. The Village continues to deteriorate. Crime increases, security diminishes, infrastructure deteriorates, gate crashers, tail gating, and unauthorized visitors using amenities without paying are all indications that things are going downhill. (Ever hear about the frog in the boiling water fable?) I agree HSV is STILL a wonderful place to live but it is heading in the wrong direction. Just ask Andy!
Next, the board will begin to become a mix of younger and younger folks (love younger but they want/need different things) who want different amenities. There are five seats available in the next election. What if they are all filled by 30 somethings who don’t like golf? Maybe they turn Balboa (or any golf course) into a dog walking, bike riding, rock climbing, frisbee golf, or whatever kind of park. What happens to golf course home values then? HSV slowly becomes just another housing development. The future is not bright.
The plan needed is NOT the CMP, NOT the master plan workbook and NOT the parade of “good ideas” that every new set of directors run on and get elected to implement. But, Jack, as you have stated, “We are incapable of agreeing on and executing any plan”. It doesn’t appear we can even decide what a real plan is.
And, as Lloyd said, “we need people who can think and are not overshadowed by those who can’t!” Back to Andy, “the board is fiddling while the village falls apart”. Sorry that you left Andy but from today’s perspective, it seems you made the right choice.
Andy Kramek
11/29/2020 — 8:23 am
The big question is whether the seeds of destruction, sown by Twiggs and nurtured by Nalley can be prevented from bearing their poison fruits. It can be done but it will require real leadership and a plan. The plan will have to be based on the realities of geography, demographics and fiscal constraints and will need the full support and co-operation of ALL property owners (not just the residents).
One thing that has been conspicuously missing has been the lack of outreach to get non-resident property owners more involved. Yet, they are actually the majority of land-owners.
Jack
11/29/2020 — 8:47 am
Elmo, we are speaking from the same sheet of music only you may be a little more optimistic about our ability to accept your “real plan” as the catalyst for lasting change. Everyone’s “plan” meets the same fate. As you said, we can’t even agree on what a plan is but we have no shortage of “experts” trying to explain what one is or is not.
Andy is exactly right. The problem is that we keep trying to effect change through Board elections. It isn’t working, hasn’t worked, won’t work.
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 9:12 am
So, Jack, the right answer is to have NO plan. I am so stupid. Why did I not see this? Without a plan, we can continue to elect boards who do not know what they are doing. The GM and staff will kind of “do what they want” (because we have not provided them a road map to work from) and we will expect things to improve (definition of insanity). Unfortunately, this is what HSV has been doing for the past ten (10) plus years. How has that worked out?
Gene Garner
11/28/2020 — 10:43 am
The decision by the Election Committee to develop an electronic voting system (EVS) should take much of the pressure off (and reduce criticism of) the BOD. This would also allow the Property Owners to have a say in all the major decisions.
It’s been obvious, for a long time, that seven Villagers can’t effectively govern HSV. With an EVS every controversial issue can be presented to the Owners and we can vote our preference without the cost of a mail-in proxy. As it stands now each vote by the members costs about $42,000, that includes the yearly Directors vote and any amendment to the CC&R. With the new system in-place we can vote on as many questions as we want for about that same $42,000 a year.
This will allow for a more democratic form of government and let the BOD know, before hand, what we want and what we don’t want (such as the CMP). When everyone has a voice in the decision most people will accept the results and if the decision doesn’t workout- at least we gave it our best shot. No Villager wants to be dictated to, this is all about inclusion, giving everyone a say and letting the majority make the final decision. By letting the Owners decide on BOD/GM suggestions, every Villager will have an investment in the final decision and try to make it successful. I believe this system could vastly improve our decision making and reestablish trust & confidence between Owners and Directors.
Governing our Village is a big job that very few have the experience or training to handle. I’m sure every Director has the best intentions but intentions aren’t enough. If a poor decision doesn’t work out the seven Directors will get the blame. If we all vote on the question and we get it wrong, we only have to look in the mirror to find someone to blame.—Gene
John
11/29/2020 — 8:59 am
We seem to have very diverse population here and there is little consensus on “direction”. I don’t think electronic voting is going to be the “solution” as my guess most just want to be left alone with some assurances of safety and infrastructure maintenance. Majority rule is not necessarily good rule. Andy you left and I do not understand why you are allowed to continue to contribute to the problem. Nobody is going to have it all they way they want it. If you want that get a property elsewhere. We can’t even agree what this place is. Merry Christmas!
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 9:16 am
John – I do not see why you think Andy is “contributing to the problem”. He is right in many of his assertions. Andy has a right to his opinions, as do you!
Andy Kramek
11/29/2020 — 10:51 am
John, you said: “Andy you left and I do not understand why you are allowed to continue to contribute to the problem”
First I am not sure how I am part of the problem. Truth is often unpalatable but it doesn’t make it any less true.
Second, as for why I am “allowed” to say anything – maybe its because I still own a (small) part of HSV? Doesn’t that give me the right to voice my concerns?
Like so many in HSV you talk as if the residents are the only people who matter. However, residents actually only comprise a minority of property owners! Non-resident property owners have, if anything, even more interest in the future since a lot of people bought land there for their future. Like I said, what is, and has for a long time been, conspicuously absent is getting involvement from the true majority of property owners – the non-residents!
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 11:01 am
Andy – great points. And, a well-conceived plan would not only include the input of non-resident property owners but it would give them some idea the Village was heading in the right direction (with their input) which might help with lot delinquencies.
John
11/29/2020 — 9:33 am
We need answers and not constant complaints. What can the majority agree on? Only a tiny tiny minority expresses their opinion on any of the Village-related boards. There is only a few dozen regular viewers of the POA youtube meetings.
So what are the main complaints?
POA and Board not listening or implementing owner ideas?
Board coming up with unpopular business plans?
GM taking on too much authority?
add yours
Some people want their plan or no plan. We live in a community and what one does affect all others.
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 10:02 am
John – you’re not going to get any answers. The only answer is to increase assessments to cover the inefficiencies in the financial structure of the Village and the annual parade of inexperienced board members. You better pray the current GM does not get discouraged and resign!
Keith
11/29/2020 — 10:53 am
Elmo, how is Florida?
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 11:24 am
Keith, hot and humid, full of bugs and the last time I checked, south of Georgia!
Mary Ann Kennedy
11/29/2020 — 12:38 pm
I don’t know who Ralph, John, Jack, or Elmo (real, or Sesame Street Elmo Wiggins?) are since HSVP allows those who post to do so anonymously or by nicknames. I am familiar with Andy and Gene who are regular commentators on HSVP, harshly critiquing previous leadership and now the current leadership they promoted to replace them. Andy moved away for reasons I don’t recall but continues as chief cook in the kitchen, stirring the boiling pot of discontent regularly featured on HSVP. Must be boring wherever he chose to live if it’s necessary to fill his time with negative comments about where we choose to live.
Obviously, some who are commenting on this site haven’t reviewed the impressive resumes of most of our past and current board members, but I’m not sure there are “strategic thinking” measurements for any paid or volunteer position in HSV. Should candidates be required to have a Master’s Degree in Strategic Thinking to be a board member? It’s interesting that some of these commentators consider themselves expert judges concerning whether or not a board member or candidate has that skill.
It’s doubtful there is anyone in the entire country who can create a plan on how to manage a 26,000-acre community with a population of 14,000+ (who enjoy countless amenities) on the paltry monthly assessments we pay each month. The new board and GM are doing a heck of a job, all things considered. If ONLY they’d “listen” to those armchair quarterbacks who have all of the answers, all problems would vanish. Here’s a suggestion for those who so strongly disapprove of the many BOD members present and past who dedicated a big chunk of their retirement lives to property owners – submit your application for board director – only elderly strategic thinkers need apply.
Andy Kramek
11/29/2020 — 1:09 pm
Since you choose to question my motives, let me spell it out for you. Yes, I moved my primary residence out of HSV in July 2019. Until September 2020 we still owned a house in HSV – that has now been sold too. However, I still own land in HSV and so I still have a vested (and financial) interest in ensuring that the Village survives and prospers. As I have said elsewhere in these comments, the truth is often unpalatable but remains true.
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 1:21 pm
Mary Ann Kennedy – your ignorance shines brightly. If left to you, we would still have the CMP and a CEO who is driving the Village into the ground. Regarding strategic thinkers – I would start by finding board candidates who were above congratulating themselves because “our toilets flushed” and the “electricity was working”. Or, ones that spent time on promoting HSV versus “Buddy’s Buffet”.
There are many who could produce (and have offered to HSV) plans for a 26,000 acre community. The problem is that all your previous boards members (you know the ones with the impressive resumes) couldn’t recognize a viable plan when offered. If you want strategic thinkers for a $40 million company, you find people who have done strategic thinking for $40 million+ companies. This is obvious! Just as you wouldn’t hire a painter to paint your house who never painted before, or a surgeon to perform your operation who never operated before, you should not impanel board members who have no strategic thinking experience. But, this probably doesn’t make sense to you because you thought the CMP was a good idea!
Mary Ann Kennedy
11/29/2020 — 2:54 pm
Well, Andy and Elmo, I’ve never seen your names on any ballots for director in the decades I’ve been a property owner. As Lloyd’s summary suggests, walk a mile in the shoes of those who have served. It’s because of continual harsh criticism and accusations from property owners like both of you that well qualified, caring people will refrain from putting their hats in the ring for a director’s seat. It’s the same reason our highly qualified new GM is exhausted from the drama you create. No GM worth their salt would allow themselves to be micro-managed by a BOD. You may be retired with plenty of time to burn, but they all have tough jobs to manage – let them do their work in peace.
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 3:11 pm
Well Mary Ann … I’ve never seen your name on any ballots for director either. Yet, you seem to find it acceptable to opine. I believe the GM deserves a chance to implement his ideas. However, I really believe the GM’s exhaustion is more from undoing the mess that the CEO and previous boards created. You know, the ones YOU supported. So, in reality, you are probably more responsible for the GM’s frustrations and exhaustion than either I or Andy.
Keith
11/29/2020 — 3:24 pm
Mary Ann it looks like you angered “Elmo” by having an opinion. By the way, notice the phraseology sounds a lot like our recent short lived Treasurer who took his toys and left the state. Again if LEADERS do not step up, we are doomed to keep riding this hamster wheel of self aggrandizement and stone throwing.
Elmo Wiggins
11/29/2020 — 3:37 pm
Keith – it is nice to see you agree with me. Your comment that “if LEADERS do not step up” suggests we have had no leaders. And, that sir, is my point. We need leaders who will step up BUT have done this before. Nurse managers, IT department heads, accountants and liquor store owners simply do not have the experience necessary to lead HSV. This has been the case since, at least, 2008. The difference is that between then and now, the problems have become more obvious. Same problems. Same inexperienced and unqualified board members looking for solutions.
Elmo Wiggins
11/30/2020 — 7:52 am
And, back to the basics, HSV needs a business plan. For you golfers, if you and three of your friends want to play golf in a few days, you get a tee time. A tee time is (in its most basic form) a PLAN. It dictates when you will show up at the course. It dictates when your other three friends should arrive and allows each of you to plan the rest of your daily activities around that timeframe. It allows the golf course to schedule personnel, maintenance and equipment (golf carts etc.). A tee time (plan) creates guidelines for everyone so that golfers don’t just “show up” at the course and wait in line to play. Everything runs much more smoothly with a plan (tee time).
HSV needs a business plan (not a CMP)! Right now, board members, committee members and staff are just showing up! (And, the property owners are confused and irritated).
steve bylow
12/02/2020 — 5:07 pm
I strongly agree that Lloyd (and Diana) did a great job at getting the Village headed in the right direction. It was in a serious tail-spin and both Lloyd and Diana made good on many of their promises in a very short time.
In regard to the future; I am very impressed with the steps taken by the new GM to enagage staff and build his team. I still have confidence in the overall judgment of Board of Directors and am optomistic they will help the GM develop a credible Plan to ensure the Village continues to be viable.
Steve
kilroy
12/03/2020 — 9:10 am
The paradox of a job…
‘Forget everything you learned in college. You won’t need it working here.’
‘But I never went to college.’
‘Well then, I’m sorry. You are under qualified to work here.’
============================================
Everything is a PARADOXICAL in the village.
“We need people that have experienced the corporate world in a $40,000,000 company” it has been said.
============================================
What good is this experience?
Forget everything you ever learned working in corporate. Doesn’t work here. You can’t get anyone on the board or staff to agree on anything because of their egoistic hyperbole dominating the discourse.
==============================================
Let’s go to fancy voting system? Let the voters decide?
What a can of worms.
I’d like to remind you that the power in votes remain with the 2 tier
(untapped and dangerous) unimproved property owners. Period.
Let’s make it easier for these previously uninterested and apathetically engaged peoples to run this place?!?. Brilliant.
The POA will gladly let these people know how easy voting is from their living room lazy boys. Or worse, sitting at the bar in Texas on their smart phone. Higher dues for the residents (for sure) will be the order of the day. Hold the olives.
================================================
Can you say INCORPORATION? Sign me up, Keith.
Gene Garner
12/06/2020 — 9:00 am
I’m impressed by these thoughtful (?) arguments so I will toss mine into the pot.
First- The Nov. 30, 2018 “Amendment Vote” proved the Property Owners know what they want and they overwhelmingly defeated the BOD’s power grab. If there had been an informal surveying system to test the waters, the time wasting & expensive vote would never have happened.
Second – I don’t think there are seven Property Owners that have the experience, training or patience to effectively govern HSV. Since Kosoglow, who spent $6 million of our money on an unneeded upgrade to our water treatment plant, to the latest BOD, that gave the CEO everything she wanted, we’ve been consistently disappointed by their performance. We’ve seen every edition of a Director, from career military to Realtor and their track records are poor to say the least.
Why not a property management company that does it every day for a living? A number of gated communities use these organizations to manage their property and are satisfied with the results. These companies advise the BOD on what does and what doesn’t work and they will supply as much support as needed (legal, H.R. etc.). These companies report to the BOD and work on contract so it wouldn’t cost $300k to let them go if we’re not satisfied. Maybe CCI would be interested.
It’s obvious to the most casual observer that what we’ve been doing the last 25 years doesn’t work and it’s time to try a different approach. I’m sure there are many that will disagree with my suggestion, and the band plays on.—Gene
Robert Busse
12/09/2020 — 4:17 pm
I must go along with those of you who feel that what our BOD’s have been doing the past decade or so has not been what this Village needs. Our country has gone through several major ups and downs during that time. and HSV has experienced those changes in an amplified fashion. We have had a few “big booms” and a few “major busts” over the years which have influenced leadership and direction. I definitely agree that what D. Twiggs started and L. Nalley honed and amplified have had the biggest influence on Village direction, along with the tanking of the US economy and its extremely lengthy and slow recovery. The two tier dues system has definitely not helped in the long run either, although it did solve an immediate critical problem.
I also have to side with those who feel that we have not had and possibly still do not have a BOD that is experienced and qualified to tackle the size, diversity, financial and problematic situations we have here in HSV. There may be a couple on our Board now, but that is not enough. So what do we do? History has shown that each year new Directors are chosen, but things get a little worse. At least this BOD has temporarily stopped the major hemorrhaging, but we still have many more severe places we are bleeding. And the Covid 19 virus has complicated things even more.
I am becoming more of a supporter of what Gene G. and one or two others have suggested, that we hire a property management company. Screen companies, laying out 5-6 major problems we have, like lack of revenue, deferred maintenance, major subsidy areas, too many golf courses, etc., etc. and choose the best management company to attack those problems while managing the entire operation. They should have a staff of people that are trained and knowledgeable in all areas of municipal management that can run the operation, along with our employees, and advise or BOD in areas where thy need help. And if the BOD and members don’t like what the management company is doing, find another and don’t worry about the cost of severance. To think that we have a hidden supply of qualified, knowledgeable directors just waiting each year to replace outgoing directors is fool hardy.
I just feel that although we have an abundance of well trained, knowledgeable, educated, and willing people in the Village there aren’t many in the municipal management area. And to expect a person to greatly reduce his/her retirement regime to become an HSV Director for 3 years is expecting quite a bit. It certainly is something that should be thoroughly investigated as a solution to our never improving problems.
Raymond Godfrey Lehman
12/17/2020 — 4:38 pm
Lloyd, I’m just getting to these messages from you regarding your resignation. I apologize for being tardy with my response. It is unfortunate you felt alone in your wish to not hand over the reins so quickly to the new GM. I would have believed Kirk Denger and Pam Avila would also have been on that path. After all, Pam as Chair of the Marketing Sub-Committee under the CMPAC was unable to release to the Property Owners the findings of the Marketing Sub-Committee. An overbearing leadership team crushed her so I have to believe Pam would be equally cautious about reducing the oversight of the POA by the Board and Board reporting committees.
May I ask why you didn’t go public with your concerns at a BOD meeting or workshop? I’m sure you would have had the support of the Property Owners. I know I would have been right there in full support of those efforts.