Progress vs. Backsliding

The International Village Board of Directors election is just about a week away, and the choice couldn’t be any clearer. It’s a choice between continued progress and savings on the one hand – and returning to the reckless spending, shady deals and scandals of the past on the other.

That choice came into sharp focus at last week’s Candidates Night forum. (See video here.) I and my colleagues – Board members Luis Jimenez and Colbert “Carl” Simmonds – stood on our record of lowering maintenance for the last three years by saving money while making needed improvements and renovations WITHOUT a special assessment.

Our opponents – Douglas Meyers, Stuart Wolff and Daniel Coco (aka the “Doug Meyers slate”) – had quite a different vision. For one thing, they refused to rule out another special assessment (even though none is needed), and they failed to make a convincing argument as to why owners should put them back on the board after they betrayed our trust the last time they were in charge about seven years ago. (See the “$250,000 scam.”)

Mr. Meyers also refused to shed light on his recent secret settlement agreement with his once bitter rival Ilan Weiss. As I reported last week, Mr. Meyers dismissed his longstanding libel lawsuit against Weiss less than two months ago, just before announcing his candidacy for the board and obtaining Mr. Weiss’ endorsement. I asked Mr. Meyers if he dropped the lawsuit as part of an agreement – if elected – to forgive Mr. Weiss’ very substantial debt with the association in exchange for Weiss’ support in the election. But Mr. Meyers refused to reveal the terms of his secret deal with Weiss, citing confidentiality. That’s just not good enough, considering Mr. Weiss owes the association tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees after losing his latest lawsuit against the association (and has used various delaying tactics to avoid paying until after the election). Given the circumstances, we have every reason to be suspicious.

But the phrase “I can’t answer that here” was unfortunately Mr. Meyers’ most frequent answer to owners’ questions on a variety of topics, especially if they dealt with his reputation for not playing by the rules. The most dramatic moment of the night came when a member of the sales and leasing committee produced this complaint letter from one of Mr. Meyers’ former tenants involving serious allegations of rule-breaking and even swindling. Mr. Meyers said he couldn’t talk about it because it was going to wind up court.

Mr. Meyers’ team also made some unfortunately false statements regarding security in an apparent attempt at fear-mongering. This was especially galling considering their rumored plans to rehire a former security chief who was the subject of a number of complaints during his time at the association. Our new security manager Austin Freeman, who started Feb. 1, is a consummate professional with a solid background in handling security for large properties, and I strongly oppose our opponents’ apparent desire to replace him with a less-qualified former employee. The Doug Meyers team’s willingness to play politics at the expense of security is just one more reason why they can’t be trusted.

For continued progress, savings and honest dealing, please vote for John Labriola, Colbert “Carl” Simmonds and Luis Jimenez. Your vote must be received by Feb. 28, so if you haven't done so already, please drop it off at the association office or mail it in as soon as possible. For detailed instructions on voting, click here and then scroll down.

John Labriola
International Village President

The biggest scam of all?

Several months ago, I reported that unit owner Ilan Weiss had lost his latest lawsuit against International Village and would now be responsible for reimbursing the association for all its legal fees in that case. However, through various delaying tactics by his attorney, Mr. Weiss has so far avoided paying the tens of thousands of dollars he owes us. At first sight, his strategy of postponing the inevitable makes no sense, since it will only increase the final amount of his bill to the association. But when considered in light of this month's upcoming board of directors election, there appears to be a sickening method to his madness. Over the last couple of months, two things have happened that lead us to believe Mr. Weiss is counting on his debt being “forgiven” if the slate of Douglas Meyers, Stuart Wolff and Daniel Coco is elected.

First, Mr. Weiss – who has otherwise been unusually silent for most of the last several months – recently signed on to an email blast urging units owners to vote for the Doug Meyers slate. This came as a shock to a lot of owners. They could not understand how Mr. Weiss – who over the last several years has bitterly attacked Mr. Meyers with terms such as crook, dishonest weasel, thief, and “poisonous snake” in countless email blasts, and who has filed multiple lawsuits against him and his family – could now be supporting Meyers as a candidate for the Board.

Second, and perhaps even more significantly, Mr. Meyers and Mr. Weiss recently came to an apparently amicable settlement of a lawsuit that had been dragging on between them for five years. Meyers had filed a defamation lawsuit against Weiss in 2012 over Weiss’ many blast emails attacking Meyers, especially for his role in the so-called "$250,000 real estate scam." But at a Dec. 22, 2016 mediation – less than a month before Mr. Meyers and his slate filed their candidacy papers for the board election – the conflict was “completely resolved,” according to court records. 

Owners have a right to know the terms of this settlement, since Mr. Meyers is now a candidate for the Board and Mr. Weiss is supporting him in a sudden and highly suspicious change of heart about Mr. Meyers’ fitness for the Board. Was there a quid pro quo? Did Weiss agree to support Meyers’ candidacy in exchange for Meyers dropping his lawsuit and promising, if elected, to let Weiss get away without paying the tens of thousands of dollars he owes the association (and which he has been avoiding paying until after the election)?

Owners will have the opportunity to ask Mr. Meyers and his slate this and other questions at a Candidates Night forum tonight (Monday, Feb. 13) at 7:15 p.m. in the clubhouse. We deserve answers!

John Labriola
International Village President

The $250,000 scam

A few years ago, I informed International Village unit owners about a $56,500 settlement that the 2013 board of directors under then-president Marvin Tow awarded unit owner Ilan Weiss. You may recall that the settlement came in a lawsuit filed by Mr. Weiss against the association over a highly suspicious action taken by the 2010 board of directors at the urging of then-board member Douglas Meyers – one of the candidates in this month’s board election.

On May 8, 2010, the Doug Meyers board voted to “forgive” a total of $4,100 in past-due maintenance fees on two apartment units that were being purchased in the name of then-board member Edwin Kaufman, Mr. Meyers’ stepfather.  Mr. Kaufman, a retired New York attorney, is well known as a “straw buyer” for Mr. Meyers, who has publicly bragged that he owns 25 apartment units in International Village through various relatives including Mr. Kaufman. The two apartments that were the subject of the May 2010 meeting were S1E, a two-bedroom unit with no mortgage that he purchased for only $38,000 after getting the board to waive $2,500 in past-due maintenance; and  S3R, a jumbo studio also with no mortgage which he picked up for a mere $25,000 after persuading his colleagues on the board to write off $1,600 in delinquent fees. (The sellers were both indigent and desperate, and one was in a nursing home, making them vulnerable to being taken advantage of.)

The questionable 2010 board transaction wasn’t even listed on the posted notice for the meeting, despite the fact that it was the sole purpose of the meeting! Instead, it was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting as an “emergency” item. This violated several statutory notice requirements (not to mention conflict-of-interest statutes), since it wasn’t an emergency except in the mind of Mr. Meyers, who stood to profit from cheating the association of $4,100 in past-due maintenance fees so he could pick up two apartments dirt-cheap, preferably without anybody finding out about it.

Adding insult to injury, Mr. Meyers and Mr. Kaufman both refused to identify the buyer for the first 25 minutes of the meeting, despite many requests to do so from owners in attendance. Mr. Meyers initially went so far as to falsely claim that he had “nothing to do with the items,” even though title to one of the two apartments was transferred to Mr. Meyers through a quit-claim deed just four months later.  (The unit remains in Mr. Meyers’ name to this day.)

The motion to approve this dirty deal was made by then-board member Stuart Wolff, who – no surprise – is running on Mr. Meyers’ slate in this month’s Board of Directors election along with Mr. Meyers’ other associate, ex-board member Daniel Coco.

Watch highlights of the meeting HERE. It gets pretty intense as the meeting descends into a near-brawl before security intervenes. (Doug Meyers is the guy with the headband, Edwin Kaufman is the older gentleman with the white shirt and glasses, and Stuart Wolff is the fellow on the right in the green shirt and Army cap.)

This fraudulent transaction soon led to a lawsuit by Mr. Weiss, who as most owners know needs very little provocation to sue the Village. Although Mr. Weiss had pledged to use his lawsuit to restore the $4,100 to the association, he kept every penny of his $56,500 settlement, and the lawsuit also failed to compel Mr. Meyers to reimburse the money to the association, although Mr. Meyers probably could have made the lawsuit go away at any point during the more than two years that it dragged on and saved the association a lot of trouble and expense by simply writing International Village a check for $4,100. But he refused to even consider doing so. Why? Was it ego? Was it greed? Or both? All around, the whole mess was a very raw deal for the association. But it was worse – far worse. In addition to the $56,500 settlement the association paid Mr. Weiss, the lawsuit cost the association and its insurance company about $200,000 in legal fees to defend – for a grand total of over $250,000.

So if Doug Meyers, Stuart Wolff and Daniel Coco come around asking for your vote to put them back on the board again, just say no. Because we definitely don’t need to get scammed all over again.

For honesty and continued progress, please vote for John Labriola, Colbert “Carl” Simmonds and Luis Jimenez.

John Labriola

International Village President

Vote for continued progress at International Village!

By now, most of you should have received or will soon be receiving your voting package for the Feb. 28 International Village election and annual meeting.

Your vote in the Board of Directors election will help determine whether we can continue building on the successes of the last few years, during which we cut maintenance fees three years in a row, completed most of our ongoing building renovations, installed new efficient washers and dryers, obtained a long-sought refinance of the 2006 Wilma loan, and avoided a long-expected special assessment by saving more than $1 million on our recent 40-year certification.

I’m running for reelection because I want International Village to keep moving in the right direction of saving money while investing in important projects like the building renovations. But I’ll need the help of a good team, which is why I’m asking you to also reelect my two fellow Board members who have worked with me over the last couple of years to achieve these goals: Colbert “Carl” Simmonds and Luis Jimenez.

Colbert “Carl” Simmonds joined the Board in September 2014. A retired database manager for Citibank, he possesses a strong managerial background and capacity for teamwork as well as a commitment to honesty and cost savings.

Luis Jimenez joined the Board in 2015. A systems engineer for Hewlett Packard whose work involves minimizing costs by maximizing efficiency, he is looking forward to continue using his business background and experience to help International Village stay safe, beautiful and financially sound.

As for me, John Labriola, I joined the Board of Directors four years ago with the promise to look for ways to save money so owners could keep more of their hard-earned money, and I’m proud to say I have been keeping that promise. I have a background in journalism, and if reelected I will continue to keep unit owners informed about important issues affecting the community at VillageViewpoints.blogspot.com.

I'm asking you to vote for the team that will keep International Village moving forward. For continued progress, please vote for John Labriola, Colbert “Carl” Simmonds and Luis Jimenez.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTING

Complete your ballot and place it inside the envelope marked “BALLOT.” Then place the sealed “BALLOT” envelope inside the envelope marked “Return Envelope for Board Election” and seal it. Print your name, address and building/unit number on the outer envelope, and be sure to sign it or it will not count. (If you own more than one unit, you must repeat this process for each unit.) Place sufficient postage on the envelope and mail it in, or drop it off at the association office.

If your unit is owned by more than one person and you have not already designated a voting representative for your unit, you must fill out this Voting Certificate and email a scanned copy or picture of it to JFLABRIOLA@GMAIL.COM or fax it to 954-486-5677, or bring it to the office. Do not include it in your ballot envelope.

Your vote must be received by Feb. 28, so please please bring it to the clubhouse or mail it in as soon as possible. If you need someone to pick it up for you, send me an email at JFLABRIOLA@GMAIL.COM.

John Labriola
International Village President

International Village to get major fiber optic upgrade

International Village unit owners can look forward to much faster Internet speeds thanks to a $200,000 fiber optic upgrade that will cost them absolutely nothing.

AT&T has selected International Village as one of several communities in the Lauderhill area that will be receiving a free upgrade to a state-of-the-art fiber optic platform. Like most of our neighboring communities, we are currently using an antiquated copper cable infrastructure which will ultimately not be sufficient to handle the advances in today’s technology.

AT&T’s project will consist of installing fiber optic cables along the entire length of our current copper network. For individual unit owners, the upgrade will mean access to greatly improved Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabyte (1000 Mbs), as well as higher-definition TV.  AT&T also will set up a free high-speed WiFi account in the clubhouse for owners’ use. The project does not involve removing the existing copper cables, so there will be no interruption in service, and owners will be free to remain on the older copper network if they choose. The association also will have the option to switch to AT&T when our current cable TV contract with Comcast expires.

Best of all, the project will cost the association absolutely nothing, as AT&T will pick up the entire $200,000 tab. That’s because AT&T is under federal mandate to install fiber optics in 13 million homes by 2020.

But this important upgrade will require unit owners’ and residents’ cooperation because AT&T will have to access each apartment to enable the installation of the new fiber optic cables. That means the office will need a copy of everyone’s key in case no one is home at the time of the installation. A security guard will accompany the AT&T technician into each unit during the installation. If you have not left a copy of your key with the office yet, please do so as soon as possible, as the installation is set to begin in several weeks. Reminder notices also will be posted throughout the community.

On another note, I’m pleased to announce that we are nearing completion of our building renovations project. The Board of Directors last week voted to move ahead with renovations to our last three buildings: Zurich, Heidelberg and Nottingham, to include new carpeting and tile.

Finally, as most of you know, our annual Board of Directors elections are coming up, so check your mail in the coming days for your election materials package. My colleagues Carl Simmonds, Luis Jimenez and I have decided to run for the Board one more time so we can keep working for you the owners, and we would all be honored to have your vote once again.

John Labriola
International Village President

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of International Village, I’d like to wish all unit owners a very merry and blessed Christmas. We have a lot to celebrate as we look back on 2016, including important legal victories, continued progress on our building renovations, obtaining approval for a two-year refinance of our Hurricane Wilma loan, a reduction in maintenance fees for an unprecedented third year in a row and, perhaps most importantly, a renewed spirit of community and cooperation.

Let's continue working together in 2017 to build on the past year’s successes, and may your new year be filled with health, joy and prosperity!

John Labriola

International Village President

Celebrate the savings!

International Village unit owners will be getting a maintenance fee reduction for an unprecedented THIRD year in a row next year. Of the well over 300 owners who submitted their budget proxies before our budget meeting this week, about 95 percent of you voted “Yes” to paying a little less in maintenance fees starting in January, and I was very pleased to vote for a budget that will make that happen.

But this budget is more than just an opportunity for owners to keep a little more money in their pockets. It’s the culmination of three years of steady progress toward greater cost savings and smarter budgeting. Under this new budget, the average one-bedroom unit owner will be paying $120 less in maintenance fees per year than they did just two years ago, while the average two-bedroom owner will be paying $180 less a year in maintenance fees than they did in 2014. That’s huge, considering that just a few years ago, a previous board was promising 7 percent maintenance fee increases every year for as far as the eye could see. Thankfully, those days of reckless spending are over.

But saving money and avoiding waste doesn’t mean skimping on important investments. The budget we just approved not only continues to build on the savings and efficiencies of the last few years, but it also provides funding to complete the building renovations begun this year, which is a top priority for 2017.  

So yes, International Village has a lot to celebrate this holiday season. And speaking of celebrating, owners will have several opportunities to do so over the next couple of weeks, beginning with a barbecue this Dec. 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the picnic area next to the tennis courts, followed by a Hanukkah celebration and movie also this Sunday at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse large card room, and finally a Christmas party with live band on Friday, Dec. 23 from 6 to 10 p.m. in the clubhouse. Hope to see you there!

John Labriola
International Village President