Condo Media - January 2017 - 24

HOW TO SURVIVE THE DREADED

BOARD RECALL

If you've been through the process,
I'd welcome your thoughts on how to
get yourself, and the Board, on the other
side of the event in as close to one piece
as is possible. For now, here are my
thoughts on getting through the ugly
mess that is recall.
THE BASIC PREMISE OF RECALL
In the political process of community
associations, there is opportunity for
the real or imagined possibility of a
Board of Directors to "go astray" from
their duties. Since the community is
managed by elected representatives,
one remedy available for an aggrieved
group is to recall, by direct vote, the
elected individuals that are suspected of
such transgressions1.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The recall will cost money. If you
manage in California, there are special requirements for all elections,
recalls included, to use a third party to
administrate the process. If you manage elsewhere, there are all the normal
costs associated with elections, including legal fees, mailing, printing, etc. In
the recall election I witnessed, the cost
was in the $15,000 range2.
Recall is stressful and personal to the
Board. There is no sense in denying it;
a recall is a personal, public rebuke to a
Board. As they have spent countless volunteer hours working on behalf of the
community for months or years; most
of it unknown, unseen and unacknowledged.

Recall is stressful to the community.
The members will be required to take
sides in this process and that is stressful. A depressive pawl spreads over the
community, taking most of the joy out
of the environment. Everyone would
like to get along, they thought they
were, and now they are not. Is it time
to move?
It will grow beyond the purported
original sin(s). The recall crowd
will pander to and bring along others
to their cause, including those with
ancient, festering beefs with the association that happened so long ago,
they may have been etched on stone
tablets; those who are still unhappy
the ARC didn't approve a patio extension in '09; those who simply want attention or have a general axe to grind;
and even ex-Board members seeking
an additional 15 minutes of fame.
A recall gives all of these folks, and
more, a common platform to stick it to
the Board. "The enemy of my enemy is
my friend."
Small things will become big things.
Trivial incidents are blown out of all
proportion, wild-eyed emails indicating
vast conspiracies, transgressions and
illegal activities on the part of the Board
and/or management, outright lies told
as fact, and petty jealousies ramped up
to the point of no return. All you can do
is buckle in and hold on tight.
Battling egos. From my observation
and from those of colleagues who deal
with them regularly, recall, as a political
tool, is often used to (attempt to) ram
through personal agendas that have
little to do with the betterment of the

community and a lot to do with personal aggrandizement (shocking!).
Management is part of the problem.
Typically not true, of course, but if more
poo can be spread to sweeten the fertile
ground of unrest, it surely will be. Management will get caught up in the blame
game, as of course, you work with the
Board, so you must be one of "them."
Projects and initiatives will slow
down or halt completely, and Board
meetings will be less productive and
take longer as a recall requires an
incredible amount of emotional energy.
People only have so much bandwidth;
especially when this isn't their life-it's
a volunteer position.
A recall is a very draining exercise.
Yes indeed, a recall is an energy-draining exercise that will tax your emotional resources, try your patience, and set
your teeth on edge. Now, think about
the Board, multiply that by three, and
you have how they feel and they aren't
even getting paid. Some members
of your Board may go temporarily
incommunicado as the stress builds.
It is best to be understanding of this
phenomenon rather than be judgmental. Usually, they will come back after
some cooling time.
WHAT A MANAGER CAN DO
Stay calm and steady. Even if the
Board is publicly handling the recall
well, rest assured that privately they are
running a range of emotions and that is
absolutely understandable: Sadness, anger, frustration... It's all a part of having
their integrity impugned by people with
whom they share common interests,

The greatest gift management can give the
Board under recall is a steady, calm presence
that keeps them as on track as possible yet
acknowledges what they are going through.
24

CONDOMEDIA



Condo Media - January 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - January 2017

Table of Contents
Condo Media - January 2017 - Intro
Condo Media - January 2017 - BB3
Condo Media - January 2017 - BB4
Condo Media - January 2017 - Cover1
Condo Media - January 2017 - Cover2
Condo Media - January 2017 - Table of Contents
Condo Media - January 2017 - 2
Condo Media - January 2017 - 3
Condo Media - January 2017 - 4
Condo Media - January 2017 - 5
Condo Media - January 2017 - 6
Condo Media - January 2017 - 7
Condo Media - January 2017 - 8
Condo Media - January 2017 - 9
Condo Media - January 2017 - 10
Condo Media - January 2017 - 11
Condo Media - January 2017 - 12
Condo Media - January 2017 - 13
Condo Media - January 2017 - 14
Condo Media - January 2017 - 15
Condo Media - January 2017 - 16
Condo Media - January 2017 - 17
Condo Media - January 2017 - 18
Condo Media - January 2017 - 19
Condo Media - January 2017 - 20
Condo Media - January 2017 - 21
Condo Media - January 2017 - 22
Condo Media - January 2017 - 23
Condo Media - January 2017 - 24
Condo Media - January 2017 - 25
Condo Media - January 2017 - 26
Condo Media - January 2017 - 27
Condo Media - January 2017 - 28
Condo Media - January 2017 - 29
Condo Media - January 2017 - 30
Condo Media - January 2017 - 31
Condo Media - January 2017 - 32
Condo Media - January 2017 - 33
Condo Media - January 2017 - 34
Condo Media - January 2017 - 35
Condo Media - January 2017 - 36
Condo Media - January 2017 - 37
Condo Media - January 2017 - 38
Condo Media - January 2017 - 39
Condo Media - January 2017 - 40
Condo Media - January 2017 - 41
Condo Media - January 2017 - 42
Condo Media - January 2017 - 43
Condo Media - January 2017 - 44
Condo Media - January 2017 - 45
Condo Media - January 2017 - 46
Condo Media - January 2017 - 47
Condo Media - January 2017 - 48
Condo Media - January 2017 - 49
Condo Media - January 2017 - 50
Condo Media - January 2017 - 51
Condo Media - January 2017 - 52
Condo Media - January 2017 - 53
Condo Media - January 2017 - 54
Condo Media - January 2017 - 55
Condo Media - January 2017 - 56
Condo Media - January 2017 - 57
Condo Media - January 2017 - 58
Condo Media - January 2017 - 59
Condo Media - January 2017 - 60
Condo Media - January 2017 - 61
Condo Media - January 2017 - 62
Condo Media - January 2017 - 63
Condo Media - January 2017 - 64
Condo Media - January 2017 - Cover3
Condo Media - January 2017 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcneill/condomedia_201701
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