I recently paid a real estate agent for back issues of the newsletter for this association ( Tanasbrook Condominiums.) I was reading the history, trying to understand the origin of the dysfunction within the association.
There appears, in my opinion, to be a common element in the events. For nearly 14 years, one person has been serving in either an elected director position, or as a chairman of a key committee. I looked at his documented statements, made when he was seeking an elected office. His platform was to stop spending money, defer maintenance where possible, and take the least expensive route to the solving any problem. He continues to serve on the Board, and persue his personal agenda.
Now, when I look at the million dollars or more of deferred maintenance, and consider the cost in today's dollar, the wisdom of this minimalist approach is doubtful. Instead of doing what was needed at the time, we are faced with significant maintenance expenses far exceeding our ability to pay!
I have little optimism that this association will ever recover from the cumulative results of years of apathy and mismanagement. Despite hiring professional management, individuals with little skill or appreciation of their limitations continue to assert control over the daily operations.
