Being handled...

 

"Is Joan getting all grabby again?"  Well, I am a trophy husband, so I understand my role.

A friend here in our community reached out: "Would you like to know what the problem is with the HOA board?"

"Sure," I said.

She said, "I'm going to talk to you like an adult..."  Interesting assumption on her part.

She went on to explain that 3 members on the board are interested in doing good things for the community, with no apparent agenda (good to see that it apparent on the Zoom meetings)... but you have no public relations to get that word out to our homeowners.  She volunteered to help with getting information on the Homeowners' Portal, to video our board meetings, and send out the video to homeowners who request it.  She is a magazine editor and reporter, with a good understanding of media.

Good timing - I forwarded my Meet The President announcement (before posting it) to her.  Her assessment: too emotional; you want to present the reason for that get-together without referencing Facebook.  Or, as many of us have said over the years: Don't Feed the Trolls. 

She continued with, "You have a great sense of humor, but you need to let people get to know you - in person - before you put that out there."

Yep, being handled.  With the rancor on Facebook, and a board member essentially having a melt down during the last board meeting, I am making every effort to get the community to pull together.  Or, as Joan just put it: "You are making the effort.  No one else knows how much time you put into this board stuff.  Either it will go well, or you can walk away knowing you gave it your best."

The post went up on the Homeowners' Portal and on Facebook (you have to go where the people are).  Here's the "non-emotional" version that was posted:

Meet Your Dobbins Village HOA Board President

As your Dobbins Village HOA Board president, I am inviting you to an informal Q&A session from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Dobbins Village park ramada.

This session is an opportunity for you to ask me, in person, questions about HOA board matters, including:

The budget — landscaping expenditures, event allocations, etc.
Bids — how we have evaluated and why we have chosen our service providers 
Other issues — speed bumps, food trucks, CC&Rs, architectural requests, etc.
Board procedures — how we operate, voting history, etc. 
Accessing the Dobbins Village Homeowners Portal — support will be available for those having trouble logging in, so feel free to bring your device 

I am organizing this gathering independently and not in coordination with other board members or City Property Management. I will answer any question you have, either in the moment or with a commitment to follow up after. I will share my personal opinions as a fellow homeowner, as well if you’re interested, but I ask that all who attend be mindful of our time so everyone can ask questions and be heard.  The format will be informational rather than debate style.
 
Location: Dobbins Village Park Ramada
Date: Saturday, Nov. 22 
Time: 9-10 a.m.

Respectfully,
James Bathurst, Dobbins Village HOA Board president 

We'll see how it goes.  That Saturday is going to be a busy day, with that get-together in the morning and the Hip Replacements playing an outdoor gig at another Banner Health event that afternoon.

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On the really bright side, I got in a fun ride on the Suzuki Burgman this morning - really good for clearing my mind.  ;-)