Here are a series of comments generated by a letter written by Charles Bressler to members of the Elizabeth Condominium Association regarding the recent ECA Board action that reconfigured the officers. Because Mr. Bressler's letter attacked various sitting Board Members, that letter was not published on this blog. I will add other comments to this post as I receive them, provided the comments adhere to a civil exchange.
#1
FROM Wally Manheimer:
This is intended as an open letter to Charles Bressler and the board and to other residents of The Elizabeth in response to Charles Bressler's letter sent to many of us, dated June 8.
Dear Mr. Bressler:
I read the letter you sent out on June 8 and found it very disturbing. I think that bringing up Mr. Muller's past served no constructive purpose. The residents and owners of the Elizabeth have known about this for years, and in their wisdom have elected Mr. Muller to the board on several occasions. Regarding Ms Barth's service on the board I believe that with all the problems we are facing now, this is neither the time nor place to bring up whether renters should be able to serve on the board; perhaps that is an issue for another time, perhaps not. Ms Barth, who is a renter has been legitimately elected as a board member under the existing rules and she should be treated as any other board member.
Also the issue of the copier seems like a tempest in a teapot and I think it is terrible that this disrupted board business.
As regards Legum and Norman, I take you at your word when you said you endorsed renewal of their contract. However I also remember that when the issue arose a few years ago, you were strongly opposed to contracting with them, and believed we could continue to self manage. Self management may be fine for a new condo, but for a 40 year old building which needs significant repairs, I strongly believe expert, external management is a necessity.
As far as repairs go, you and I have spoken and I made my point to you that I think we should bite the bullet and do all the major repairs as quickly as possible. Every house or condo needs recapitalization after several decades. Since I believe it is unlikely that we will get 75% of the residents to agree to an assessment, I believe a bank loan is a good possible option, and I think that your investigating this has been a reasonable course of action. The interest rates will probably never be lower than they are now.
Most of all, I think it is irresponsible for any board member to resign. I think this action will damage our property values at The Elizabeth. I believe this would make banks reluctant to write mortgages on our property. If Seth Levine is now really moving out, and is neither an owner nor a renter, this is the only resignation the board should accept if it is offered. I think the board, and especially you and Mr. Muller should find a way to work together for the benefit of all of us. That is what you were elected to do.
Yours very truly
Wally Manheimer
Aps 1109 and 1110
#2
From Helen Secrest:
I'm fairly new here( two years) so have no axe to grind. Thank you for your thoughtful letter, with which I agree. One comment; Seth has moved out, but plans on retaining his condo. I believe Monique stayed on the Board in the same circumstances, so unless there is a written rule prohibiting this, the subject seems to be moot.
#3
From Wally Manheimer:
Thanks. I was not initially clear on whether Seth was still an owner or not. He is, so the matter is moot as you say.
Wally
#4
From Molly Frantz:
Mr. Manheimer -- Thank you for taking the time to express your views on Charles' letter.
I appreciate and understand your position on a Board member resigning. This is not a position I take lightly, but I believe it is the right action for me to take.
What took place on the 1st was very very disturbing. Without any attempt to resolve differences of opinion and/or concerns about Charles Presser's Presidency, four members of the Board undertook steps to replace him. I personally found the reasons quite questionable and believe they have not stood up to scrutiny. I believe replacing a Board Officer should only be undertaken after careful consideration by all the Board members and only for serious misconduct. To exclude any Board Member from the discussions to remove an officer says volumes either about the individual excluded, the individual(s) doing the excluding, or both.
What has taken place is like a marriage gone bad -- once trust is broken the relationship is never the same and the parties have to decide if the new paradigm is worth the effort and do the parties have good intentions going forward. The bottom line is that it has been made abundantly clear to me that I could occupy a seat on the Board but I would not occupy a role on the Board. I believe Seth, Al, Judi and Ilo-Mai hold the key to achieving what you want from a Board for the Elizabeth Condominium.
If you would like to discuss this further please call me.
Molly Frantz
#5
From Jim Jones:
Dear owners and members of The Elizabeth Condominium Association:
The letter of June 8 recently circulated by Charles Bressler, President of our Board of Directors until recently, is rightly causing some concern. I share that concern. However, unlike that of some others, my concern focuses on what the letter says, not on the fact that it publicly says them. I find the content of the letter—its relation of events—accurate. It is devoid of character assassination, in a milieu where motives to assassinate exist. If facts assassinate, then so be it. The truth often hurts.
As those who have read the letter now know, it provides a stark window on serious tensions within the new Board that took office on May 4, 2011, the day of our annual meeting. On the evening of that day, the new Board sat for the first time to elect its officers. Yet less than one month later, that Board delivered a “coup” resulting in a re-designation of officers.
The letter gives some idea of how this reversal came about, and why two newly elected members and one continuing member have indicated that they will officially tender their resignations from the Board on June 20th, the date of the next monthly meeting.
The chain of events engendered by this reversal, while legal in only the most primitive way, makes a mockery of any pretense to democracy and self-representation in our community. The reversal is not only highly irregular, but tilts toward the unethical, if not the sleazy. It should trouble all of us who own units in The Elizabeth.
I think that those who voted by secret ballot to remove Mr. Bressler should have the integrity to tell the community, one by one in an open Board session, their reasons for doing so. They should do so at the forthcoming Board meeting on June 20. They owe this to those who elected them, for they have lost credibility with many of us.
I see two possibilities for addressing this unfortunate state of affairs. First, as the letter points out, the ideal would on the one hand be for the re-designated Board to restore the slate of officers who were selected on May 4th. On the other hand, given what has happened, this may not be workable, with the “gang of four” who engineered the coup able to veto any measure for any reason, including reasons that have nothing to do with decisions in the best interest of our community.
Second, since it is unlikely that such a restoration will happen, or would be viable if it did, all Board members should have the decency to resign, and thereby open the door to new elections.
I would like to make two final points before closing. Bressler’s letter makes mention of changes in the By-Laws. Those were drafted more than 35 years ago, with some sections poorly written and ambiguous. Revising this outdated document should be part of modernizing The Elizabeth. I strongly agree with Bressler, for example, that only owners should be allowed to serve on the Board. Non-owners simply lack the fiscal incentive to act in the best interests of owners.
I have heard a lot of recent verbiage about property values. I have not heard a balancing concern about the quality of life for those of us to whom The Elizabeth is a home. It is not a stock or a mutual fund to be traded on financial markets, but rather a comfortable place where we can pass our days on this earth. And it should be a safe and secure place for us all, and a place where we can confidently raise our children, or receive visits from our grandchildren. And I might add that comfort and quality of life have a lot more to do with sound infrastructure—heating and cooling, for example—than with lavish and excessively costly refurbishment.
Let’s be candid. The results of the last Board election were not as some owners expected or wanted. The results have left lingering tensions and a residue of ill feeling. I suspect that this residue relates to the chain of events that Bressler describes. At this point, I need to be convinced otherwise.
Sincerely—Jim Jones, Unit #307
#6
From Sharon Bobb:
I agree with Mr. Manheimer’s response to Mr. Bressler as modified by Ms. Secrest’s email below. I see no reason for Mr. Levine to consider leaving the Board. As I understand it, he is keeping his condo here and is looking for a larger one to accommodate his new “family.” His move across the street is only temporary so he can be with his new “family” until he can purchase a larger condo in our building. Bringing this issue up is ridiculous! I fully agree with Mr. Manheimer on all other points.
Mr. Bressler explained to me that the Board took only one action during Executive Session on June 1 – to replace him as President of the Board. He further explained that he chose to resign from the Board; that this was not an action the Board took. Furthermore, Mr. Bressler also made clear that the Board took no action against Ms. Frantz or Dr. Cockburn – they chose to resign in sympathy with Mr. Bressler. So, to repeat, the Board took one action and one action only – to replace Mr. Bressler.
If the Board chooses its officers, it can surely choose new ones if it feels it is necessary to do so. According to the By Laws, the Board can do that with or without cause. Apparently, it did so without cause. Therefore, the Board had to elect a replacement. It elected Mr. Levine to replace Mr. Bressler, and Dr. Muller to replace Mr. Levine as VP. And, since the By Laws allow the positions of Secretary and Treasurer to be filled by the same person, it elected Ms. Harding to be Secretary and Treasurer. The Board then issued a new list of officers. The Board did not engage in name-calling. It did not spread vicious allegations about anyone.
As I told Mr. Bressler, I am against his circulating a petition. It is divisive and destructive. Mr. Bressler may be hurt – even angry – that he is no longer President. However, I find it impossible to justify the mean-spirited, vicious, vindictive letter that Mr. Bressler is circulating. Name-calling that amounts to character assassination, attempting to remove sitting Board members, fomenting discontent, attempting to divide our residents and asking them to choose sides – what on earth is going on here? All of this because he no longer carries the title of President? This is a disgrace!
None of us knows what really went on in Executive Session on June 1. Those meetings are confidential. We only have one side of the story. Whatever went on was between the Board and Mr. Bressler, and I, for one, resent being dragged into it by hateful notes slipped under my door or by divisive petitions being circulated. I especially resent efforts by anyone to use the events on June 1 as cause to damage our quality of life in the Elizabeth and what little sense of community we still have.
Mr. Bressler, as I see it, had only two responsible choices on June 1: to stay on the Board as a Director and continue to work on our behalf, or to walk away quietly. He chose to resign, followed by Ms. Frantz and Dr. Cockburn. If this is their choice, they, too, should walk away quietly. Most of us choose to live in peace and harmony, and to work to upgrade our home, enhance our property values, and improve our quality of life!
The Board should now choose three more people to add to their team – a team that will work together amicably, with demonstrated respect for each other, for Legum & Norman and for the residents.
Sharon Bobb
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