Condo Media - January 2020 - 56

Ask a Busy Person
You've served on both your community association board and on the board
of CAI-NE. Let's start with your association board. How and why did you
get involved there? I was one of the
first people to buy a unit at Brickworks
[a 102-unit condominium in Cambridge]
13 years ago. I dealt with a lot of punch
list issues that emerged before the developer turned control over to owners, so it
made sense for me to serve on the board,
because I knew so much about what the
developer had done and hadn't done.
What do you like and dislike about
serving on the board? I like having
a say in decisions that affect the community. I like making sure that necessary
things are done and done properly.
What I don't like-it's a thankless job.
Some people will always be upset about
something or disagree with something
the board does.
What is the most difficult issue you've
confronted as a board member? We
had to approve a $4 million assessment to
pay for serious construction defects. We
had to replace the exterior of all the buildings. Some owners argued that we should
only repair the areas that had begun to
leak. The board insisted that deficiencies in one area would surface in other
areas, because all the buildings had been
constructed the same way, and it would
be less expensive to do all the repairs at
once rather than piecemeal. Fortunately,
the condominium documents were
clear-the board had the authority to
make the decision and we did. We got an
association loan and gave owners several
repayment options. It was an 18-month
project and I'm glad it's over.
Did you sue the developer?
Yes, but his LLC had been dissolved, so there were minimal
assets to recover. Also, many
owners objected to filing suit
because of the difficulty
selling their units
while the litigation was pending.

56

CONDOMEDIA January 2020

ANDREW ROBINSON
CAI-NE HOMEOWNER BOARD MEMBER
What are the most important things
you've learned in your years as a
board member? I've learned how
important communication is, not just
on big issues, but on small ones.
You have to be as clear
and transparent as
possible so owners
won't think you
are trying to hide
anything. I've also
learned more about
managing a diverse population-about understanding that
people from different economic, and
social and cultural backgrounds look
at things differently and the board has
to understand and be sensitive to those
differences. A sign that we may think is
perfectly clear may not be clear at all
to someone for whom English is a second language. A series of pictures may
be a more effective way of delivering
some information.
How and why did you get involved
with CAI-NE? Our association's
property manager suggested that
I'd be an effective homeowner
representative on the board and
that the experience would
be useful to me. I wasn't sure
how helpful I would be,

but I thought at worst, I'd make some
good contacts and get some useful
information. Both things turned out
to be true. It's been a great experience.
Meeting property managers and vendors and industry professionals, I've
learned about issues and gotten a variety of perspectives I never would have
encountered. I've learned how other
associations deal with problems and
I've gotten a heads up on legislation
and trends that might affect my association. I have a better understanding
and a broader perspective on the decisions I make as a member of my condo
association board.
Why don't more condo owners get
involved in CAI? The same reason
they don't volunteer to serve on their
association board -apathy and lack of
time. Time is a scarce resource. Also,
most homeowners don't know CAI
exists. It's hard to see the value in something if you don't know anything about it.
Cost is another issue. Boards don't want
to spend money on anything
that isn't tied directly to the
community. They don't realize that membership pays
for itself in the services,
resources and information
CAI provides.
What advice would you give to newly elected board members preparing
to serve their first terms? You
mean, other than "run away as fast as
you can?" I'd tell them: Take the time
to learn how the board operates, don't
assume you have to know everything
and don't be afraid to ask questions of
the manager or other board members.
Trust your gut. If something doesn't
feel right, ask about it. Don't assume
that because you are new, you must
be wrong. Also, you have to learn to
say "no" when owners approach you
directly about a maintenance issue or
something else the manager should
handle. That's important for your own
sanity and it's important for the efficient operation of the community.
Condo Media - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - January 2020
