Condo Media - May 2021 - 2

President's Message
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" T

RAPID CHANGES
he world went and got itself in a big damn hurry. "
That was Brooks Hatlen's lament after he was paroled
from Shawshank Prison in 1955. And though they are just
the made-up (and tragic) words of a Hollywood character,
they couldn't be more apt at this point in 2021. In the
last 12 months, the world has seen developments which,
without the global pandemic, would have taken years to
manifest. For instance, the phenomenon of working
from home, which was gaining traction when the pandemic started and was
necessitated when the world shut down, may, by the time this is all over,
have come full circle and be out of favor with an isolated workforce that
craves human interaction. The world really is moving that fast.
The community association industry has not been immune from these
rapid changes. In the last year, there have been numerous developments from an operational
perspective by which boards and unit owners have adjusted the methods employed to accomplish
many core association functions. The rules and regulations applicable to the use of amenities,
the means of conducting trustee meetings, and the platforms used to process unit owner voting
are only a few of the many devices that have undergone wholesale reboots.
The statutes, regulations, and common laws that control community association operations have
also marched on during this time of rapid change on those other fronts. There have been significant
appellate and trial court decisions interpreting numerous regulations and statutes that control the
creation, development, and operation of community associations. Some have been directly borne of the
existing circumstances in the world, and others have been long-simmering unresolved questions with
which boards and managers have grappled for years. In addition, there have been dozens and dozens
of pieces of legislation filed in various state legislatures throughout New England, some that will be
welcomed by community associations, and others that will cause substantial concern if passed into law.
What all of these developments have in common - despite the drawn-out processes that accompany
them - is that their ultimate resolution or adoption can change in an instant, and with it, everything we
think we know about community association law. Further, it is sometimes hard to predict or keep up
with those changes. For that reason, CAI New England dedicates this issue of Condo Media to some of
the more significant legal issues that community associations are presently confronting.
While the pace of change may be accelerating beyond anything we could have reasonably expected,
I am certain that this issue will better position you to keep up with the hurried - and harried - world
in which we find ourselves.
Sincerely,

Thomas Moriarty, Esq., CCAL
2021 CAI-NE Chapter President

CONDOMEDIA May 2021

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Condo Media - May 2021

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