Post by rodrikthompson on Aug 4, 2009 14:10:20 GMT -5
After reading Paradise Park president Jeff Spaur’s July 31 comments on the Conch newsletter dated May 2009, I feel prompted to use Ronald Reagan’s famous comeback, “Now there you go again, Jeff.” Let me jump right to Jeff’s proposal to censor the Conch.
Jeff wrote: “5) An apology from the BOD [Board of Directors] is due the entire membership for some of the material distributed via the recent Conch newsletter. I will be seeking to implement substantial changes that will eliminate anything but accurate information and disallow any use by unauthorized individuals to give the appearance that they represent the HPPOA.”
So only “authorized individuals” with “accurate information” could write anything for the Conch. Jeff’s criticism is a reference to me, since I had three articles in the May, 2000 edition (which actually came out in July).
My first story (Conch page 1) said manager Suzanne Mayhew was fired. The board never told Suzanne or anyone else why she was fired. She believed it was because she opposed aspects of the road paving the program. A bond document said high-cost roads should be paved first. That turned out not to be legally required, but Suzanne and others continued to believe it was a promise that should be kept.
The second story (Conch page 3) said that Nominating Committee violated the Bylaws by failing to seek board candidates. It also described how the Board voted not to correct the mistake. Those are facts.
The third story (Conch page 1) said that Board member Kaniu Kinimaka-Stocksdale was chairperson of the Nominating Committee which failed to do any work. Kaniu admitted that. After she failed to do her committee work, the Board nevertheless hired her as manager to do the work of the entire association.
Now let me turn to Jeff’s own record for “accurate information.”
1.) On March 26, Jeff sent an unkind email to Suzanne Mayhew, erroneously believing she had made statements which caused his real estate company to lose a sale. The email said. “You won’t even realize when the missiles have been launched until they hit.” Suzanne said she took the email as a threat and was frightened.
Jeff had learned about the supposed statements via hearsay. He later learned that Suzanne had nothing to do with the statements. One of the supposed statements said the area of the real estate parcel facing the ocean was a “hangout” where drugs deals were done. In an email, Jeff strongly objected to that statement.
Yet just nine days earlier, the Paradise Park association, with Jeff as president, received an email from a resident near the parcel saying, “We are also concerned with the high crime rate on the waterfront area.” The email referred to “evidence...of continued drug deals.”
2.) On April 13 certain board members told Suzanne she was fired. A few days later, board members discovered that the association computer system was not working properly. Jeff came close to accusing Suzanne of sabotage. On July 31 he was still writing, “...we had an accounting system that was disabled via potential sabotage.”
The fact is Suzanne did not know she was going to be fired until she was fired. So she had no advance reason to sabotage the computer. After she was fired, board members stood right next to her, so she had no chance to sabotage the computer.
3.) On April 24, Jeff sent an email ordering board members and association employees not to talk to Suzanne. I interpreted that as an order not to learn any facts. But I had already talked to Suzanne and I already knew the computer simply malfunctioned, as we all know computers do. How will the Conch get “accurate information” if people are ordered not to learn facts?
4.) On April 15, I responded on the HPP discussion board to a property owner concerned that the bond-for-paving program could jeopardize owners’ properties. I corrected that, saying, “There is just one form of collateral, your money.” Jeff responded that the statement was “100 percent false.” He said “accounts receivable” are the collateral. In fact, my statement is 99 percent true. Accounts receivable are money, and they do come almost entirely from property owners.
5.) Backing up, in 2006 the Board told properties owners all 120 miles of unpaved roads would be paved. But in January, 2009, when it was clear the bond money was far short of what was needed, Jeff buried the fact in the 15th line of his Conch “President’s Message.” He wrote, “...it would be wrong to create the false expectation of paving the entire subdivision.” Jeff’s major understatement failed to disclose that only about one quarter of the roads will now be paved. “Accurate information” should imply accurate and complete information.
Now back to Jeff’s proposal to censor the Conch. If this idea succeeds, Jeff may not be chosen as the censor who determines “accurate information.” But do property owners really want their information limited to what is provided by “authorized individuals”?
Jeff wrote: “5) An apology from the BOD [Board of Directors] is due the entire membership for some of the material distributed via the recent Conch newsletter. I will be seeking to implement substantial changes that will eliminate anything but accurate information and disallow any use by unauthorized individuals to give the appearance that they represent the HPPOA.”
So only “authorized individuals” with “accurate information” could write anything for the Conch. Jeff’s criticism is a reference to me, since I had three articles in the May, 2000 edition (which actually came out in July).
My first story (Conch page 1) said manager Suzanne Mayhew was fired. The board never told Suzanne or anyone else why she was fired. She believed it was because she opposed aspects of the road paving the program. A bond document said high-cost roads should be paved first. That turned out not to be legally required, but Suzanne and others continued to believe it was a promise that should be kept.
The second story (Conch page 3) said that Nominating Committee violated the Bylaws by failing to seek board candidates. It also described how the Board voted not to correct the mistake. Those are facts.
The third story (Conch page 1) said that Board member Kaniu Kinimaka-Stocksdale was chairperson of the Nominating Committee which failed to do any work. Kaniu admitted that. After she failed to do her committee work, the Board nevertheless hired her as manager to do the work of the entire association.
Now let me turn to Jeff’s own record for “accurate information.”
1.) On March 26, Jeff sent an unkind email to Suzanne Mayhew, erroneously believing she had made statements which caused his real estate company to lose a sale. The email said. “You won’t even realize when the missiles have been launched until they hit.” Suzanne said she took the email as a threat and was frightened.
Jeff had learned about the supposed statements via hearsay. He later learned that Suzanne had nothing to do with the statements. One of the supposed statements said the area of the real estate parcel facing the ocean was a “hangout” where drugs deals were done. In an email, Jeff strongly objected to that statement.
Yet just nine days earlier, the Paradise Park association, with Jeff as president, received an email from a resident near the parcel saying, “We are also concerned with the high crime rate on the waterfront area.” The email referred to “evidence...of continued drug deals.”
2.) On April 13 certain board members told Suzanne she was fired. A few days later, board members discovered that the association computer system was not working properly. Jeff came close to accusing Suzanne of sabotage. On July 31 he was still writing, “...we had an accounting system that was disabled via potential sabotage.”
The fact is Suzanne did not know she was going to be fired until she was fired. So she had no advance reason to sabotage the computer. After she was fired, board members stood right next to her, so she had no chance to sabotage the computer.
3.) On April 24, Jeff sent an email ordering board members and association employees not to talk to Suzanne. I interpreted that as an order not to learn any facts. But I had already talked to Suzanne and I already knew the computer simply malfunctioned, as we all know computers do. How will the Conch get “accurate information” if people are ordered not to learn facts?
4.) On April 15, I responded on the HPP discussion board to a property owner concerned that the bond-for-paving program could jeopardize owners’ properties. I corrected that, saying, “There is just one form of collateral, your money.” Jeff responded that the statement was “100 percent false.” He said “accounts receivable” are the collateral. In fact, my statement is 99 percent true. Accounts receivable are money, and they do come almost entirely from property owners.
5.) Backing up, in 2006 the Board told properties owners all 120 miles of unpaved roads would be paved. But in January, 2009, when it was clear the bond money was far short of what was needed, Jeff buried the fact in the 15th line of his Conch “President’s Message.” He wrote, “...it would be wrong to create the false expectation of paving the entire subdivision.” Jeff’s major understatement failed to disclose that only about one quarter of the roads will now be paved. “Accurate information” should imply accurate and complete information.
Now back to Jeff’s proposal to censor the Conch. If this idea succeeds, Jeff may not be chosen as the censor who determines “accurate information.” But do property owners really want their information limited to what is provided by “authorized individuals”?
