What is the purpose behind the “big changes” in the Lake Forest bylaws?

“What has happened to change the minds of the people we elected and trusted to protect the rights of the Lake Forest property owners.” That is the big mystery and the question being asked everywhere I turn.

As a property owner in Lake Forest since 1994, I have quietly stood by, as many others have, and watched the current Lake Forest Property Owners Association (LFPOA) executive board of directors strip the property owners of their right to vote. They have now changed the term of office from three to five years; canceled the 2011 annual meeting and extended the terms of office for those with expiring terms with their concurrence. 

Additionally, this makes little difference because the bylaws were changed to permit the board to select officers for any vacancy occurring, thus the board is in total control of officers representing the neighborhood. Prior to the changes, any vacancy occurring was offered to the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes. By eliminating this paragraph, the board has total control over the membership of the board until 2013. 

I not only supported and voted for these same officers, I campaigned for them and their platform to protect the property owners’ rights. As a member of The Lake Forest Improvement Committee (LFIC), I supported the recommendation of hiring “Vision Association Management” team to the board to manage the Lake Forest Association and Amenities. They were hired. Although I am not privileged to what happens within the decision-making sessions of the LFPOA board, I do regularly attend their monthly work session and stated board meetings. 

It appears that Vision is doing a fantastic job in fulfilling their contract as an employee. However, the big mystery is in the LFPOA board’s actions since hiring Vision.

They now refuse to send out a personal letter notifying all property owners of the new bylaw changes as was done in the past, citing it as “cost prohibitive.” They have put the new bylaw changes available on the LFPOA website and notified those who have an email address on file in the office. 

They have hard copies available in the office for property owners without computers, although I fail to understand how the property owners are to know they are available without a computer. I would estimate less than a third of Lake Forest has an email address on file, and the number of people who are still unaware is indefinable. Frankly, I feel the property owners have been “blind-sided” to board actions that will affect their lives and property values in the foreseeable future. Information has not been adequately covered in “The Lake Forester,” the only source of direct mail communication to the property owners from LFPOA, which is published and mailed to property owners addresses by Gulf Coast Newspapers, at no cost to LFPOA. 

Please know I appreciate all the board and Vision Management have accomplished and want to support them in their effort, but I believe it should be done without taking the voting rights from the property owners who will be paying the price.

Tomasina Werner

Daphne

Editor’s Note: The Lake Forest Property Owners Association is solely responsible for the content of “The Lake Forester.” Gulf Coast Newspapers only prints and distributes it.