Selective outrage

As those of you who read the notice for tomorrow’s Board of Directors meeting already know, a special guest is set to drop by this Monday night (May 20 at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse). As indicated in the notice, our Association Attorney Dennis Eisinger is scheduled to make a presentation at the start of the meeting. What you may not know is the purpose of his presentation. Perhaps you thought he would be addressing some vital legal matter affecting our lives, finances and properties. Such an assumption would be mistaken. The truth is that our Board President Marvin Tow has invited Mr. Eisinger to lecture Board members and unit owners on how to behave during Board meetings, citing applicable sections of state statutes and our condo docs so the Board can “effectively conduct its business.” Apparently, in Mr. Tow’s view, such a lecture is necessary to address what he considers the “shameful behavior and chaos” that took place at our May 1 special Board meeting to fill a Board vacancy. 

While some unit owners and Board members, including myself, may have raised their voices in the course of the discussion, I hardly think this justifies such an extraordinary visit by our attorney, notwithstanding the fact that he has assured us he won’t be charging us for the visit. (Mr. Eisinger has graciously offered to donate his time free-of-charge in compensation for his recent erroneous legal advice on the issue of installing an automatic door at the Marseilles building, which he had initially told us was required under the Americans with Disabilities Act.) Nevertheless, I’m sure Mr. Eisinger has more important association matters to deal with. Furthermore, we are not little children in need of a scolding, and I doubt Mr. Eisinger relishes the opportunity to be put in the position of some kind of schoolmarm. 

Although I admire Mr. Tow’s extraordinary equanimity and unflappable style, we can’t all be as genteel and imperturbable at all times. And as our President, he should be prepared to expect and deal with occasional displays of passion, particularly when actions taken by the current Board majority cause frustration among other Board members or unit owners. 

Some might even call this a case of selective outrage. Why didn't Mr. Tow invite our attorney to lecture the Board following our March 18 meeting, when one of his allies on the Board said “F--- you” (at 9:43) to another Board member, or after our April 9 Town Hall meeting, during which another one of his confederate Directors engaged in outrageously unruly and insulting  behavior? Clearly, consistency in standards is lacking.

For these reasons, and in order to ensure a more productive meeting free of unnecessary diversions, I hope Mr. Tow will consider withdrawing his invitation to Mr. Eisinger before the meeting takes place. If you agree, feel free to email him and the rest of the Board here.

On another note, a well respected longtime unit owner called me recently to complain about how Good & Welfare was moved to the end of the agenda at our April 15 meeting, despite our long-standing tradition to have it at the beginning. The agenda for this week’s coming meeting also places Good & Welfare at the very end. Since the Good & Welfare portion of the meeting is the only opportunity for unit owners to address any issue of concern, he feels that having it at the end of the meeting denies them the opportunity to influence Board members’ decision-making, because by that time the business portion of the meeting is over and all the votes have already been taken. I believe this unit owner makes an excellent point, and I will make a motion to move Good & Welfare back to the earlier part of the meeting.