Lynn Farmer — Letter to the Editor
This letter is in response to the article in the Jan. 22 Record-Bee, “Five strive for change”. The amount of participants varied from as few as three, up to fifteen over the course of a three-hour period.
As a result of the weather, the turn out was low. Those in attendance showed a great deal of enthusiasm and concern. They signed their names on a list to come to the next scheduled meeting, and made commitments to bring other concerned residents in the Clear Lake Riviera with them.
In response to the comments made by Alan Siegel, the volunteer President of the Clear Lake Riviera Homeowner”s Association, for “these guys” to come to a public meeting with their specific grievances, John Stoddard and I attended the CLRHA meeting on January 24.
In attendance at the meeting, aside from three board members and two office staff people, were approximately 20 to 25 members. The discussion buzzing through the crowd was the action that took place at the association headquarters on Monday. Once the planned agenda was passed out, Mr. Siegel allotted himself ten minutes to talk, and then asked members to keep their comments to three minutes each.
During Mr. Siegel ?s ten-minute speech, which consisted of vigorous backslapping for a job well done by the board, and making less than subtle suggestions that the recent unpleasantness on Monday was due to a few disgruntled residents who are determined for a change.
When I got my chance to speak, I asked four simple questions. They were:
= What type of non-profit organization is the association?
= If it is a mutually beneficial corporation, why are there no common interest areas provided to the members such as a swimming pool, park, recreation room, or security patrol?
= Does the Association file an IRS 990 form that lists their operating costs, salaries, and annual budget delineating how homeowners dues are spent?
= If this is a mutually beneficial corporation, what benefits are the homeowners getting from their membership?
Mr. Siegel did not know what type of non-profit the association was. He also stated that we were sitting in the common interest area known as the clubhouse, and that he wasn”t sure what it was, but they must file an IRS 990 form.
Lastly, Mr. Stoddard was never allowed to speak. The association board is like “Big Brother” watching.
Lynn Farmer
Kelseyville
