Association Manager tells Directors what to say and how to vote

By: Donie Vanitzian JD

Question: Our homeowner association manager inserts herself into board meetings, then controls what goes on. Three majority board directors are responsible for hiring her; together they dominate operations and association finances for over 650 units. With her help these directors get kickbacks and keep their positions by rigging votes. During regular meetings she texts the three majority directors telling them what to say. She tells them what motions to make and how to vote. Because these statements are in private texts, officially they don’t exist in meeting minutes.

After years of relentless complaints regarding management, owners finally removed one of those majority directors, breaking their stronghold. An emergency meeting agenda was circulated stating “possible termination of management company” and the manager was ordered not to attend. One board director claimed to be out of town and attended by conference call. After that meeting the supposedly out-of-town…