The Board and Management seem to be somewhat aware that there is a lot of anger, frustration, and distrust among homeowners towards them currently, which has been increasing over the past year. We have yet to see any rigorous effort made by the Board or Management to openly collect concerns, grievances, frustrations, and priorities from residents. As a Board member, how will you implement specific means to hear the opinions of residents on Board decisions (before they are made); on what changes homeowners want in our governance; on what priorities we have for our community; and do you pledge to follow the will of the community?
From Jennifer Allran | Salt Cedar
Answers from Candidates:
- Kate Bice: It is important that the Board understands the concerns and wishes of the community. I agree that there need to be better processes in place to have more open communication and dialog between the community and the Board and management. When the strategic plan was being adopted, there were community cafés that were implemented for people to come and share their thoughts. I would like to see more informal conversation opportunities like this available for the Board to be able to gather feedback. Additionally, I think it is important that we gather more information from homeowners in surveys and through direct comments provided to management.
- Bob Lijana: I am open to suggestions on how to diversify the range of options residents have for sharing their opinions with the Board and/or Kuester. Some people may want to express anger, others may want to express gratitude and happiness, and others may want to share constructive suggestions. In addition to open forums (e.g., community cafés), community-wide surveys can also assist this purpose. Everyone having patience and persistence, with open and respectful communication, will help us all. Outreach and information gathering are critical to informed and intelligent decision-making on behalf of the entire community.
- Liz Rolison: Resident frustration and distrust with the BCCA, board and management company has existed since I moved into the community in 2014, at that time under the developer-controlled board. It continued when the board shifted to a resident-controlled board in late 2019 and has persisted. The issues changed over time, but the underlying frustration remained. My goal in running for the board in 2021, was to move away from what I perceived as a heavy-handed approach of previous boards and provide more openness and transparency. Since joining the board, I’ve been committed to responding to resident questions, improving communications from board and management to the community and providing opportunities for residents to interact directly with their board through in-person meetings and Town Halls. The key area of concern that I’m hearing most from homeowners surrounds Covenants Compliance and the interpretation and evolution of the Design Review Guidelines (DRG). I have recommended a homeowner survey aimed at gathering homeowner input on areas of the DRGs that need to be considered for change, particularly in the area of addressing sustainability and green practices. Before we consider any changes to this document, we need to have homeowner input. Finally, I would say that board members absolutely need to listen to their community, consider all options carefully, but ultimately their decisions need to be in the best interest of the community as a whole.
- Tom Speer: Frustration has certainly grown this past year but I have always remained consistent in my support for every board member. Vitriol comments on social media are out of control and are not helpful to our community. I disagree somewhat in that I know the board has heard them and acknowledged the concerns as they expanded on Town Halls and provided many opportunities to interact with residents. Recently, the board held many listening sessions and cafes to hear from residents ( I heard that almost a 1,000 participated) as they developed the community priorities. The result is an outstanding “Strategic Plan” that lists every community priority and actions taken. I would suggest another town hall on the strategic plan and encourage more face-to-face sessions with the board.
- William Weitz: : I would like to expand Homeowner to Board communication as much as possible.