|
BEING A BOARD MEMBER – AN EASY JOB?
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
September 11, 2015
There are still too many people out there who think that being a
board member – or even being called PRESIDENT – lifts their
social standing in the community. Wrong approach! Make no
mistake: Being a board member is a difficult job – and there
will always be people in your community who will fight you – and
even insult you.
So, if you want the job as a board member, make sure you
understand how difficult it is to run a community – big or
small! A homeowners’ association is a business – with lots of
neighbors who often think they know it all.
And in many communities you will have to fight some fellow board
members who are on the board to protect their private agenda –
and sometimes even to gain financial “advantages.”
But if you make the decision to run as a candidate for the board
of directors of your communities, please make sure that you are
doing it for the right reasons.
A good board member should be willing to take the time to learn
how association business should be conducted, following rules
and statutes. Only with the necessary knowledge a board member
can do what’s right for the community.
Don’t forget: As a board member you are responsible for the
financial welfare of your neighbors. Mistakes can be very costly
– and not following rules and laws can get even more costly than
some people anticipate. And owners seem to forget one important
fact: Your home is collateral for any debt the association
will occur.
And if you want to be a board member make sure you understand:
There are always some people in the community who don’t care if
it’s a weekend or a holiday: They will harass you with their
complaints day and night!
Please understand that being a BOARD MEMBER is not an easy job.
My hat goes off to all the folks who serve as board members in
their community – if they serve for all the right reasons.
|
|
 |
Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice,
Florida
's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group.
CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in
community
|
associations. He moved to
Florida
in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the
developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues
for his own purposes. End of retirement!
CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in
Tallahassee
- finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a
member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.
The organization has two websites to inform interested
Florida
homeowners and condo owners:
News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.
Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all
service providers surely have a different interest! We are
trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are
useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking
in
Florida
!
|
