Groundhog Day in the HOA World: We Need Another Governance Model ASAP

I have been involved in HOA stuff for a long time.

The image that flew into my weary mind as I watched the recent (Oct. 24) Task Force Webinar was: GroundHog Day.

Why? The same problems have been described for years. False solutions have been described for years. Yet nothing, in the words of a Guys and Dolls song, "ever gets anywhere near where the trouble is."

The trouble is the HOA Board model.

It has been clear for a long time, to any sentient being, that the HOA Board model does not work. That putting 7 unqualified individuals in charge of a complex property, providing enormous group pressure to 'perform well,' giving them no accountability, and unlimited power --is a very toxic brew. No surprise that this arrangement has produced, from the get-go, a steady stream of ugly problems.

I attended every one of the 4, long, official 2019 Stakehold Sessions, which were supposed to nail the problems and provide "better consumer protections." (that's us, homeowners/consumers). Everything that was said on Oct. 24 (including the nonsense that the HOA Office couldn't possibly provide oversight) was said then. Then the Report from those Sessions came down and barely mentioned the endless homeowner anguish that was the main testimony: how the Boards abused their power and caused financial and emotional messes and pain.

So much abuse. For so many years.

The HOA Board model does not work. The evidence is all around us. I could write a book about all the abuse I've seen and heard over the years.

But the mistake is to blame the Board. I have served on a Board. I assure you, from my background in the mental health field: the HOA Board brings out the worst in people. Board members are trapped in a complex, unique societal arrangement that renders them the OPPOSITE of what you would want in a guiding leader.

I appreciated, very much, the dedication and sincerity of Representative Ricks. She gets it-- and she cares. I appreciated the sincere and knowledgeable words of Connie Van Dorn, who spoke for homeowners.

But I felt dismayed. Instead of going into the problem, there was all this obfuscation. Why?

Shouldn't the CAI Foundation be studying the terrible effects on a community from the HOA Board model and try to think up something better?