In recent weeks, the Occupy movement has tried to convince the world that the 99% of us who do not control business, politics, or money can make a big difference by forcing the top 1% to see that they are not only outnumbered, but that we have ideas about how to make the world a better place. These protests, which began with Occupy Wall Street, have extended to every corner of the globe, including a small protest camp in downtown West Palm Beach.
It seems, however, that it all boils down to an us versus them mentality. That mentality can be seen over and over again in some of the articles written for the West Palm Beach HOA Examiner, where residents seem to think that the board of directors, property manager, and even the HOA itself is out to get them. Though it may sometimes look that way, that is hardly ever the case.
According to Howard Perl, a PCAM (the highest designation for a community association manager) with more than 15 years experience and an attorney at the law firm of Katzman, Garfinkel, and Berger, “the overwhelming majority of HOA boards serve for the betterment of the community. These VOLUNTEERS want to make sure their community is well run.
Unfortunately, the “us vs. them” mentality can be the case in some HOAs, usually due to miscommunication or lack of communication between the Board and the members.”
The primary reason for this attitude is of course misinformation, or lack of information altogether. Most people who live in HOAs don’t attend board meetings, don’t pay attention to the workings of the association, and only get involved when they are either singled out or when they receive a notice from the Board of Directors.
“Of course, some associations are not so fortunate” Mr. Perl continued. “There is always the small group that will have the us vs. them mentality, because the Association can not do anything right, bills keep going up, other owners are not paying (yet still using the pool, playground, clubhouse, etc.), the Association sent them a violation letter, their car was stickered for parking in the wrong spot, etc. This small but vocal group is frequently trying to roust the remainder of the community to their cause(whatever it may be that week), usually with little success. However, occasionally the group comes across a matter that is of interest to most members, such as a large raise in assessments, a new capital expenditure (installation of vide cameras, or perhaps a new entry gate, etc.), that is of interest to most owners. If the Board has done its homework and communicated to the members information about the proposed project, why, how much, how it will be paid for, this information will prevent many of these types of instances from becoming an us vs. them matter.”
There are many ways the board can more effectively communicate with it’s membership. The simplest of these is to try and advertise their monthly meetings more effectively. This way, perhaps, residents in an HOA will not feel the need to confront the board at the annual meeting, and will have a better understanding of how the association operates on a month to month basis. Another possible way, as previously suggested by this column, is to provide a well maintained and organized web site. This way, the board can provide information about who they really are, as well as what they are trying to do to better the community. Ruling from a perceived bubble causes tons of issues, and tends to scare the residents who begin to think that there is nothing they can do to make a difference in the community, so why try.
“This is exactly why we chose to start AtHomeNet” stated co-founder and CEO of AtHomeNet, Susan Sanders “The 99% think that the 1% are up to something because everyone is so busy and can't / won't take the time to participate. The interactive nature of the web sites allow board members to be proactive in seeking members' input by running surveys as simple as "what color should we resurface the tennis court?" It also creates a central location to store meeting minutes instead of the member having to "go to the office" to get a copy or wait for the quarterly newsletter to be published.”
So, the Occupy protests should serve as a wake up call to HOA property managers, board members, and residents. They don’t call the 21st century the information age for nothing. Residents want, and deserve, to be in the loop as far as what is going on in their communities. If they don’t go to the meetings, you NEED to try and bring the meetings to them. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if you end up with protesters in tents in front of your local clubhouse!
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