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