Democracy bypassed

Last week, four members of the Board of Directors bypassed the democratic process by substituting their own will for the will of the majority of unit owners. Board President Marvin Tow and Board members Collette Goslin, Marc Richman and Frances Mesirow rejected an offer by a group of unit owners to fund an election to fill the Board vacancy created by the resignation of former Director Sharon Treppicione, deciding instead to appoint their own choice. (You can watch the meeting here.)

I wish our new Board member Sandy Best well, despite the circumstances of her selection, and I hope she will prove to be an independent voice on the Board, not part of a “clique.” I look forward to working with her and invite her to examine the facts as I have since my election. I also hope that she will consult with me and Jerry Mirrow, not just the other four members of the Board.

But while I am cautiously optimistic, the price of liberty from special assessments at International Village is eternal vigilance, and it pays to stay on guard, especially since our Board Treasurer recently sent the Association’s number one legal nemesis an email congratulating him for his past lawsuits against the Village and encouraging him to sue yours truly over my blog (even though the Association would have to bear the cost of defending me in such a case). Marc Richman declined my request to resign over his highly indiscreet “love letter,” but I hope that in the future he will at least take his duties as an Officer seriously enough to take the Village’s side over the side of someone who has made a living off of suing us. After all, isn't the $400,000 we spent last year in legal fees enough, Mr. Treasurer?