Congratulations to the new board!

Congratulations to Bob Yoanidis, Christine Bates and Kirk Williams on their victory in last week’s International Village Board of Directors election. A busy schedule kept me from sharing my congratulations earlier, but it’s a good feeling to leave the association in good hands, which I believe it is under our new president Bob Yoanidis and his team.

Having had the opportunity to serve with Bob during his year as board treasurer, I know he’s eager to apply his CPA background and business-oriented approach to ensuring International Village lives up to its reputation as the “Jewel of Inverrary.” And he has a great team backing him up. 

Nobody has done more to demonstrate her commitment to polishing our community’s jewel than Christine Bates, with her countless hours devoted to beautifying the Village since moving here in 1981. Kirk Williams, who has taken an active part in association meetings since 1993, adds a methodical, conscientious and innovative approach to problem-solving that should serve the association well as it turns its attention to important quality of life issues. 

Established board members Richard “Rabbit” Young and Murat Kizikli, with their combined design and structural engineering backgrounds, round out an impressive new board that should give us all a sense of optimism about our community’s future. 

So congratulations once more, and Godspeed! 

John Labriola
Former Board member

Thank you and farewell

This Tuesday will be my last day as a member of the International Village Board of Directors after six years on the board, and as I did at last week’s board meeting, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who played such an important part in the life of the association and in mine over the last half dozen years.

First, I want to thank the owners of International Village for supporting us year after year in election after election. Your consistent vote of confidence showed us that our efforts were not only worthwhile but appreciated, and that means more than you know. 

Second, to all the board members past and present that I’ve served with during my six years on the board: I learned something from each of you, including that angry words are almost always less persuasive than calm and reasoned explanations, and that your true friends may not be the ones who always agree with you but the ones who are always there to offer honest advice when they think you can do better.

Finally, to my critics: I want to thank you especially for teaching me the most important and valuable lesson of all: That you can never please everybody no matter what you do, and that you should never aim or expect to. Just keep doing what you think is right, regardless of criticism, because in the end the only opinion of you that matters is God’s.

So thank you, again, to all of you. I’m a different and I think better person than I was six years ago for the experience, and to borrow a phrase from Abraham Lincoln, I leave this board “with malice toward none, with charity for all.”

So God bless each of you, God bless International Village, and God bless America.

John Labriola

International Village President

International Village board election

It’s February again, which as most owners know means our annual Board of Directors election is around the corner, so please keep an eye out for your ballot package, which should be arriving in the mail in next several days.

As I announced at our last board meeting, you may have heard that I have decided not to be a candidate for reelection this year. It’s been an honor to serve this community, and it’s been a pleasure to have had the opportunity on so many occasions over the last several years to help owners with issues and concerns that sometimes required the board's assistance in solving. But after six years on the board, the last four as president, I feel the time is right to move on and make way for new leadership.  As I prepare to leave the board in a few weeks, I hope owners feel I did my part, working with my fellow board members, to leave the association in better shape than I found it when I joined in 2013.

We’ve been through a lot together over the last six years – including a 40-year certification, a number of important renovation projects, the successful refinance and payoff of our Wilma loan, and quite a few managers. Mostly, we have worked hard to keep an eye on spending while also taking on important projects to maintain our quality of life. I’m proud to say that we were able to do all this while avoiding any new special assessments and holding the line on spending and maintenance fees. Even with this year’s 3 percent maintenance increase to cover a prior year shortfall due to emergency maintenance repairs, your maintenance fees in 2019 will still be lower than they were in 2014. In fact, since 2014, the average 1-bedroom owner has saved a total of almost $400 in maintenance fees, while the average 2-bedroom owner has saved nearly $600 in maintenance. And those of you who were paying the Wilma special assessment are seeing an overall 19 percent reduction in your total bill to the association thanks to the fact that we were able to refinance and pay off the loan without penalty – which allowed us to end the 11-year-old assessment this past summer.

But of course, there is still work to do to make sure International Village not only remains the Jewel of Inverrary but continues to shine ever brighter. And even though I’m leaving the board, I’m not planning on going away. I will be happy to make myself available as a resource to the new board if called upon, and I plan to continue to communicate with owners from time to time, via email and the blog, on important issues affecting the community, including this upcoming board election, because we all have a stake in making sure our Village remains in good hands.

So I invite owners to come and hear from the candidates as they present their plans at the Candidates Night Forum taking place tonight (Feb. 5) at 7:15 p.m. in the clubhouse. I plan to be there – as an audience member this time rather than as a candidate – and I hope to see you there as well.Thank you,

John Labriola
International Village President

Happy New Year / Budget Update

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, whether you spent it abroad, up north, or here in sunny South Florida.

The Board of Directors held its annual budget meeting as scheduled on Dec. 27. However, we were unable to approve the proposed budget because not enough owners had returned their budget proxies yet. In order to be able to approve the budget with reserves waived, the association would have needed to get back approximately 270 proxies (a third of the membership) but so far has received only about 180.  Consequently, the board decided to postpone the budget meeting until Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. to give owners who haven’t already done so enough time to return their proxies to the association office. If the association still does not receive a sufficient number of proxies by Jan. 15, the only budget the board will be allowed under state law to consider is one with fully funded reserves – which, as previously noted, would result in a whopping 22 percent maintenance fee increase! So if you haven’t yet done so, please be sure to return the proxies you received in the mail as soon as possible. You may also download the proxy here, print it, sign it, vote it and email it to NAyala@condominiumconcepts.com.

Finally, the association is hosting a New Year’s party this Saturday, Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the clubhouse, with food and entertainment. So come celebrate the new year with us!

John Labriola
International Village President

Merry Christmas / 2019 Budget

As president of International Village, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

As I announced at last Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting, our new management team has produced a budget for our upcoming 2019 fiscal year which most of you should have already received in the mail. As much as I had hoped that the new budget would continue the trend of the last four years of either reducing or keeping maintenance fees flat, unfortunately that is not the case. The proposed budget calls for International Village’s first maintenance fee increase since 2013. According to management, the proposed 3 percent increase is needed because the association went considerably over budget on maintenance repairs in 2018 due to our buildings’ aging infrastructure and plumbing, including the ongoing need to replace large sections of deteriorating cast-iron pipe in every building with PVC piping.

Despite the proposed 3 percent maintenance fee increase, owners who were paying the Hurricane Wilma special assessment over the last 11 years will still see an overall 19 or 20 percent REDUCTION in their total association bill compared to last year, thanks to the board’s successful efforts over the last few years to refinance and pay off the Wilma loan without penalty – which allowed the association to end the special assessment this past summer. And all owners can be happy about the fact that their maintenance fees will still be lower in 2019 than they were in 2014. In fact, since 2014, the average 1-bedroom owner has saved a total of almost $400 in maintenance fees, and the average 2-bedroom owner has saved nearly $600 in maintenance!

The meeting to approve the budget is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse. In order for the board to be able to approve the budget, owners must sign and return the budget proxies that they received in the mail by that date, indicating whether or not they wish to waive reserves. If the association does not receive a sufficient number of proxies by that date, the only budget the board will be allowed under state law to consider is one with fully funded reserves – which would result in a whopping 22 percent maintenance fee increase! So please be sure to return your proxies on time. You may also download the budget package here, print the proxy on the fourth page, sign it, vote it and email it to NAyala@condominiumconcepts.com.

Once again, have a blessed and joyous Christmas!

John Labriola
International Village President

Happy Thanksgiving / Election Highlight

As president of International Village Association, I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. After the turmoil of the last couple of weeks, we certainly can all be thankful that the post-election drama that once again thrust Broward County into a negative national spotlight is finally over. But in light of the final results, I want to especially thank the community for your overwhelming response to my election recommendations post of last month. According to the final official results, our precinct (L10) gave Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott (our incoming Republican governor and U.S. senator) their second highest vote totals out of all of Lauderhill’s 19 precincts! So give yourselves a well deserved round of applause!

But with the 2020 election only two years away, we all know that we have to keep up the momentum in order to ensure President Trump’s reelection. That’s why I would like to get the ball rolling on creating an Inverrary Republican Club that could meet monthly right here in International Village. The club would invite speakers, discuss issues and organize activities to keep the community engaged and help elect more Republicans. As an added bonus, it would probably attract more Republicans to move to International Village! And whatever your party background, we can all agree that as a general rule Republicans are a very good class of neighbors to have. Just look at the most Republican communities in Broward: Coral Ridge, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Southwest Ranches, among others. They are also the safest, cleanest and most prosperous communities in Broward. So what better way to revitalize our community than to make it more Republican!

Please email me back if you think you might be interested in joining our new Inverrary Republican Club. I will add your name to the list, and once enough people reply to this post, I will call our first meeting!

Once again, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may God bless our community, our state and our nation!

John Labriola
International Village President

My election recommendations

This is a friendly reminder to all owners who are registered to vote that there are a number of important items affecting International Village owners on next Tuesday’s ballot, including two open seats for the Lauderhill City Commission.

For Lauderhill Commission Seat #2, John Beckford is the best qualified. Beckford is a second cousin of Marcus Garvey and has served in numerous leadership capacities including president of the Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce and member of the 2008 Lauderhill Master Plan Task Force, as well as serving on the staff of two county commissioners.

For Lauderhill Commission Seat #4, I recommend Ray Martin. Martin was one of the candidates who introduced himself to owners at last week’s International Village Board of Directors meeting. He is a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the Lauderhill Building Authority who also volunteers as a mentor in the Broward school system.

And now for the rest of the ballot… As a former registered Democrat who has watched the Democrat Party lurch further and further to the left – from indoctrinating schoolchildren with perverted “transgender” theory to advocating for Open Borders and treasonously welcoming an invading caravan of illegal aliens bent on overrunning our southern border – I strongly recommend voting the straight Republican ticket.

My full recommendations are as follows:

U.S. Senator: Rick Scott
Congress, 20th District: No endorsement
Governor: Ron DeSantis
Attorney General: Ashley Moody
Chief Financial Officer: Jimmy Patronis
Commissioner of Agriculture: Matt Caldwell
Retain Justice Alan Lawson? YES
Retain Bruce Connor? YES
Retain Jeffrey Kuntz? No recommendation
Retain Carole Taylor? No recommendation
Circuit Judge, 17th Judicial Circuit, Group 38: No endorsement
Circuit Judge, 17th Judicial Circuit, Group 46: Maria Markhasin-Weekes
County Court Judge, Group 9: Tanner Channing Demmery
County Court Judge, Group 19: No endorsement
Lauderhill Commission Seat #2: John Beckford
Lauderhill Commission Seat #4: Ray Martin
Broward Soil and Water Conservation District: Richard DeNapoli

Finally, please vote NO on all proposed Florida Constitutional Amendments.

John Labriola
International Village President