Annual Meeting May 8th

Well nothing is discredited, or every election to date would be whether they used votes or not. It just reinforces, as you stated, that we have a problem that needs fixing. But you can see from Staci's post above its something that we've known about for a long time so that message to future volunteers has already been out. So they can and did use their votes, what is the 'if' for the board in allowing them? I hate politics like these as much as anyone else, but I don't see what the board can do here in allowing them or not.

 

Did you see the 05/18 print issue of Ashburn today? Unfortunately, I couldn't find an online link to the article. It said Erika Hodell-Cotti is "retaining counsel to look at the issue that she is being prevented from sitting on a board for a community whose residents elected her."

 

This is probably a naive question, but if the people who were voted in by Van Metre vs. the residents stepped down (or declined to accept office), would there be a new election or would it pass on to the other candidates?

 

If a Board member resigns, then the remaining Board members will select someone to fill that vacancy until the next Annual Meeting. At that meeting, there would be an election to fill the remaining term of the member who resigned.

 

Perhaps the Board should start behaving like VM and start playing games of their own. Have someone step down and then select, ahem, who they want.

 

Here is the Leesburg Today Story.
http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/ashburn/article_cba9de78-a5a5-11e1-8391-0019bb2963f4.html

The HOA will be served with a letter from my attorney citing proof that Van Metre has a valid Voting Certificate (Article 3 of By-laws), questioning the validity of Van Metre's ballot - it was hand written with 3,000+ votes - not an definitive number and the lack of Broadlands Associates listed on the rooster of eligible voters.

 

If you setup an online donation I (for one) will donate so you don't get stuck with all these expenses on your own.

 

Where would the money for Van Metre's defense come from - from the corporation or from HOA funds?

 

I dont like this situation either, but can appreciate VM looking to protect their material investment in Broadlands.

I would take issue if VM held a majority as they did historically....but this is no longer the reality. While I am sympathetic to your concern Erika and am appreciative of the energy you put in to the OB lawsuit....I really do not like that now legal fees / activity are becoming a normal activity in our HOA.

 

Don't they essentially hold a majority? Unless we get an 80% voter turnout among residents, we can't even equal the number of votes Van Metre has, let alone exceed it. Have we ever come even remotely close to that turnout? Nobody likes that legal fees and activity are becoming normal activity, but when Van Metre is rigging our elections using votes from units that will never exist, that's a huge problem.

 

Despite them having the ability to do more, they only put one member on the board

 

Rich - Van Metre actually has two on the BHOA Board.

And I understand your concern about the potential additional legal cost to the HOA. The residents of our Community , especially the 180+ residents who voted got the raw end of the deal.

I give you my word it is not my intention for the HOA in incur any additional cost (legal or cost associated with having an other election).

Thus far the only "cost" is coming out of my family's coffers, not the Association's. There are some legal question I have about the validity of Van Metre's ballot and my attempt(s) to have those questions answered without involving attorneys have not been satisfactory.

 

Perhaps we could look at this situation as an opportunity to clarify the voting process and make it more transparent GOING FORWARD? I'm not sure I would want to reverse the results of the past election at this point ...

Also, could Van Metre pass on the costs of dealing with this new lawsuit to the HOA?

 

What lawsuit? She never said she was suing anyone.

 

Well, I read "legal fees/activity" as a potential lawsuit.

I do think that Van Metre should answer the election-process questions that have arisen without being legally forced to do so ...