ClaudeV (Florida)
Posts: 86
Posts: 86
Posted:
Hello all. I haven't posted on HOA Talk for a while and I'm saddened to have only this to post now.
I was the ARC Chairman of our BOD for the past 2 years. It is very difficult to get members in our small community to volunteer for HOA service on the BOD, we have 84 members in this small, manufactured home community.
I have always endeavored to be honest, fair and approach every issue as a representative of ALL members, not just a few. The old saying really is true: No good deed goes unpunished.
I finally resigned two weeks ago out of frustration and some angst. Since the ARC in our community is normally the one that is the "enforcer" of the CC&R's and generates the violation letters etc, the "rebels" in the community see it as "me" rather than the HOA. They make it personal. That's fine with me since I'm retired military and have a thick skin for that sort of thing. However, my wife is the sweetest person anyone would ever want to meet. A real "June Cleaver" type that likes everyone. But because I'm on the Board and the ARC, she feels that everyone "hates us", emphasis on the "us", which includes HER. I have watched her sit and cry over this perception of us throughout the community. (In reality it's only a half dozen people but they are our closest neighbors next door.)
After an incident a couple of weeks ago, I resigned. I was across the street talking with my neighbor whom was trimming a limb from his tree to make room for a basketball goal they had recently acquired. I just happened to notice that the house next door still had some old mylar balloons stuck in the limbs. These things have been there for 3 or 4 years! So I asked my neighbor if he'd use his pole trimmer to pull the "trash" out of that tree. He agreed and did. The lady that lives there is a single mom of a teenage boy. She has lived there for less than a year.
Well, when she gets home, she notices the trash isn't in the tree anymore and then sees it in the limb debris in her neighbor's yard. She goes to their house and is referred to me across the street. She knocks on my door and is all upset that I had the trash removed from her tree. It seems she knew it should come down but she wanted me to "ask her permission" before coming onto her property. The lot is very open and the tree is even with the house on the line between her and the next lot.
I asked her if she was "serious" about that, and she assured me that she was.
That was the last straw. I take time to do something nice for a neighbor and get it slapped back in my face. I wasn't there as a "BOD" member or the ARC Chairman, I was just doing a neighbor a random act of kindness favor. That frosted the cake for me.
I have come to the conclusion that this community doesn't appreciate me or the Board and as far as I'm concerned, they don't "deserve" my services. I un-volunteered and I probably won't run for the BOD again for a few years.
Why post this story? Simple: This is to illustrate to other people that always say they "like" their association but when it comes to DOING SOMETHING like volunteering to serve on the Board or a committee, they always find excuses not to take part. The end result is that the same folks always end up shouldering the load and being elected to the Board.
Of course, then some complain that the Board is always the same people and they don't like the way they do things, yadda..yadda..yadda...but they, themselves, never DO anything to help out. All they do is gripe and complain about others.
If ANY of you have issues with your HOA or the BOD, consider becoming involved. MAKE THE TIME!!! Other people make the time and your no better than they are. Your time is no more valuable than theirs. Try showing some involvement other than being the source of complaints. Anyone can see faults and problems, but it takes dedicated, caring people to find SOLUTIONS!
I was the ARC Chairman of our BOD for the past 2 years. It is very difficult to get members in our small community to volunteer for HOA service on the BOD, we have 84 members in this small, manufactured home community.
I have always endeavored to be honest, fair and approach every issue as a representative of ALL members, not just a few. The old saying really is true: No good deed goes unpunished.
I finally resigned two weeks ago out of frustration and some angst. Since the ARC in our community is normally the one that is the "enforcer" of the CC&R's and generates the violation letters etc, the "rebels" in the community see it as "me" rather than the HOA. They make it personal. That's fine with me since I'm retired military and have a thick skin for that sort of thing. However, my wife is the sweetest person anyone would ever want to meet. A real "June Cleaver" type that likes everyone. But because I'm on the Board and the ARC, she feels that everyone "hates us", emphasis on the "us", which includes HER. I have watched her sit and cry over this perception of us throughout the community. (In reality it's only a half dozen people but they are our closest neighbors next door.)
After an incident a couple of weeks ago, I resigned. I was across the street talking with my neighbor whom was trimming a limb from his tree to make room for a basketball goal they had recently acquired. I just happened to notice that the house next door still had some old mylar balloons stuck in the limbs. These things have been there for 3 or 4 years! So I asked my neighbor if he'd use his pole trimmer to pull the "trash" out of that tree. He agreed and did. The lady that lives there is a single mom of a teenage boy. She has lived there for less than a year.
Well, when she gets home, she notices the trash isn't in the tree anymore and then sees it in the limb debris in her neighbor's yard. She goes to their house and is referred to me across the street. She knocks on my door and is all upset that I had the trash removed from her tree. It seems she knew it should come down but she wanted me to "ask her permission" before coming onto her property. The lot is very open and the tree is even with the house on the line between her and the next lot.
I asked her if she was "serious" about that, and she assured me that she was.
That was the last straw. I take time to do something nice for a neighbor and get it slapped back in my face. I wasn't there as a "BOD" member or the ARC Chairman, I was just doing a neighbor a random act of kindness favor. That frosted the cake for me.
I have come to the conclusion that this community doesn't appreciate me or the Board and as far as I'm concerned, they don't "deserve" my services. I un-volunteered and I probably won't run for the BOD again for a few years.
Why post this story? Simple: This is to illustrate to other people that always say they "like" their association but when it comes to DOING SOMETHING like volunteering to serve on the Board or a committee, they always find excuses not to take part. The end result is that the same folks always end up shouldering the load and being elected to the Board.
Of course, then some complain that the Board is always the same people and they don't like the way they do things, yadda..yadda..yadda...but they, themselves, never DO anything to help out. All they do is gripe and complain about others.
If ANY of you have issues with your HOA or the BOD, consider becoming involved. MAKE THE TIME!!! Other people make the time and your no better than they are. Your time is no more valuable than theirs. Try showing some involvement other than being the source of complaints. Anyone can see faults and problems, but it takes dedicated, caring people to find SOLUTIONS!