Any Director serving on an HOA Board of Directors always needs to ask himself that question when acting in an official capacity. I always did when I served on the Board of Anthem Highlands and there were many contentious moments and struggles.
At the January 26, 2023, SCA Board Meeting I was slandered by DIRECTOR Paul Perlstein who made false statements about me in an attempt to damage my reputation in the community. It’s a very serious offense creating legal jeopardy for SCA. On January 27 Rana Goodman without mentioning my name holds Mr. Perlstein accountable on her Anthem Today post.
On January 28 David Berman in his David’s Anthem Journal posts a defense for Perlstein by mentioning me by name as it was clear to him that Mr. Perlstein without mentioning me by name intended his comments about me. Mr. Berman just proves Ms. Goodman’s argument that an informed observer could conclude Mr. Perlstein’s comments were about me. Others who watched Mr. Perlstein slander me sent me emails or texts alerting me. I happened to have been listening and heard it myself. As the board posts the meeting video/audio you can do your own evaluation as to what Mr. Perlstein has said.
ANTHEM HIGHLANDS
Anyone who wants the facts can go online and Google ROBERT STERN NRED AGREEMENT and two documents will come up. One is 9 pages, and another is 14 pages. Involved in all of this are three past board members of Anthem Highlands including myself, Charles Hernandez and Ronnie Young. The 9 pager is very clear that the NRED Commission removed Charles Hernandez from the Anthem Highlands board for cause and fined him and made him pay costs. He was thrown off. I wasn’t.
If you read the 14 pager you will see, I had some serious claims against NRED, and they wished as I did to resolve all matters and move on. Notice that no one was found guilty of anything, and inferences otherwise are just wrong and inconsistent with the facts.
It was a voluntary settlement on both our parts and an amicable one. And the attempt to continue to smear me is just that, a smear. Rana Goodman got it right. While I did agree to a 10-year period to not serve, the standing joke was that I wanted a lifetime ban as I had no desire to serve in the future, ever.
For Anthem Highlands I did what was in the best interest of homeowners and I put my own money up to accomplish that. While abuse of power was a big issue, I was also responsible with Ronnie Young and one other board member (a 5-person board) in fighting for homeowners’ rights that returned $1.2 millions of surplus funds to homeowners and stopped pet projects that would have cost monies that in our view were just not justified.
We were also effective in bringing in new blood (via elections) as Directors to manage the board fairly and smartly as the Community was supportive. In all of the battles I personally financed $60,000 of legal fees. Anthem Highlands as required by law indemnified me and reimbursed me $45,000.
SUN CITY ANTHEM
Context matters when stating facts. Mr. Berman distorts as his goal, as well as Mr. Perlstein’s, is to damage my reputation in the Community.
Mr. Berman likes to continue to quote my one-time statement calling for a boycott of the restaurant as if that is such a bad idea. I pointed out in the financial data that an early demise of the restaurant would stop the bleeding and actually save homeowners by minimizing the pressure for increased and increased assessments. That’s a fact. I have pointed out that the deficit financing was not and is not in homeowners’ best financial interests. I stand by that claim.
Even today the facilities personnel are using some of their time to prep the restaurant and the current accounting isn’t even capturing that real labor cost. How much needed maintenance on other assets is being deferred? Again, the central question has to be “What’s in Homeowners’ Best Interests?” And reasonable people can disagree on that question. But to pretend that the majority wanted this restaurant at this fiscal jeopardy is not based on the evidence. And it is the need for spin and distortion by its principal supporters that is appalling.
Yes, the ship is about to be fully launched. We shall see in two years how it turns out!
And the other issue I have fought here in SCA is abuse of power and similar to Anthem Highlands it has my attention. Mr. Berman quotes my “rot in hell” statement as well as other statements and he quotes them accurately but not in context. They were written and venting against those that would dare willingly and knowingly violate the governing documents and not equally enforce them. Their abuse of power deserved contempt then and now. I was victimized by the COO/GM’s wrongful action against me and the board’s active abuse of power and weaponization of legal counsel supporting the COO/GM’s wrongful action. I am not the only victim of SCA abuse of power as noted in earlier posts.
So, what’s in the best interest of homeowners now? What’s in my best interests having been slandered at an open BOD meeting by the Association’s VP without any board action against that VP? I intend to explore that and see if there is a WIN WIN.
The V P’s action, if he chooses to seek reelection, ought to be denied your vote as he has exhibited that he did not act in homeowners’ best interests by slandering a homeowner at the January 26, 2023, BOD meeting. He abused his power and put you at risk. He ought not be on the board.