W.R. from New Haven County writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I been having serious issues with the new president and other board members since I stepped down a year ago. This position went to the new president’s head to the point where she put all my neighbor’s business out in the community and when my neighbor addressed her via email she then called the management company to tell them she felt threatened by her. Then we were going back and forth via email about some of the bylaws & rules and as well as rumors that she was talking trash about me, she turned around and falsely accused me of threatening her and called the cops. The officers could not find any evidence of me doing that. Life for me has never been the same since. She doesn’t like to be told what to do and put my personal business concerning my email address in an email that went out to the entire community instead of addressing me only. How do I have her removed or handle this? Can I file a harassment charge against her and the board?
Mister Condo replies:
W.R., I am sorry for your troubles. As you know, I am not an attorney nor do I offer any legal advice in this column. If you are serious about filing charges against the President or the association, I think you should speak with an attorney to see if you have a case. As far as having her or any other Board member removed from office, you need only to vote them out at the next opportunity. Board members are democratically elected by all unit owners. If they aren’t serving the needs of the community, there is no need to return them to office. Of course, that means you will need to have other candidates willing and able to serve. You say that you just stepped down. You know what the commitment to serve is like. Perhaps you should run again or encourage a fellow unit owner to run. If you don’t replace these folks, you will very likely get more of the same. If they violate the rules of governance for your association, you can take action. Again, this may require the services of an attorney. I hope it doesn’t come to that. All the best!