Support democracy at International Village

Democracy is on the line at International Village.

The Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse to decide how to fill the vacancy created by the recent resignation of former Board member Sharon Treppicione. In the past, these vacancies on the Board have been filled by appointment, with often bad results, as can be expected from a process that replaces the will of the majority of unit owners with the will of a majority of Board members. But it doesn't have to be that way.

First solution: Schedule an election to fill the vacancy instead.

According to Florida statutes and our property manager, we have the option to go the election route Wednesday night. All it takes is for a motion for an election to be made, seconded and approved by the majority of the Board at the start of the meeting. Then YOU, the unit owners, will have the power to decide who represents you on the Board. Some may object to the cost of a special election, but it’s a small price to pay compared to what unsatisfactory appointments have cost us in the past. Furthermore, a group of concerned owners has offered to fund such a special election if the Board feels the Association can't afford to fund an election at this time.

Second solution: Appoint the first runner-up.

Should the election option be rejected, the next most democratic option is to appoint the person who received the next most votes in the last election. That candidate has already been vetted by the office, and the unit owners have already had the opportunity to express their support for the candidate with their ballots. It’s a simple solution that still respects the democratic process and keeps the power in the hands of the unit owners.

Please be sure to attend Wednesday night's meeting to support the idea of democracy at International Village. The person who represents you on the Board of Directors should be YOUR choice, not ours. I also encourage you, as always, to let us know how you feel about this before the meeting by emailing the Board using the contact list found on this blog.

P.S. Our Association Attorney Dennis Eisenger yesterday apologized to our property manager for the letter I received from his office by certified mail on Saturday, which threatened to sue me over my blog. By Mr. Eisenger’s account, the letter was sent in error by a temp secretary who didn’t know what she was doing. I’m glad that Mr. Eisenger acknowledges the letter was a mistake, but I believe the $185 it cost the Association in attorney fees to produce the letter, plus the postage, should be reimbursed to the Association. We also need to establish some checks and balances to rein in unnecessary legal fees going forward. Our Board President Marvin Tow, and future Presidents, should not have carte-blanche to spend our Association’s money on attorney time and fees to pursue a personal agenda or threaten fellow Board members with lawsuits, especially absurd unconstitutional lawsuits designed to intimidate and restrict the freedom of speech. It’s an outrageous use of our money and brings to mind three words: abuse of power.