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Post by Admin on Sept 12, 2017 5:36:05 GMT -7
GLA Board Monthly Meeting on Monday, Sept 11th, 2017 at Emigrant Hall, Murphy Lane in Emigrant, MT. 7 - 10 PM
The agenda and other meeting documents may be downloaded here. "A plan to kill everyone you meet" At 7:05 PM the GLA monthly Board meeting was called to order. Almost immediately two audience members started to yell at the Board. One landowner, Daniel O'Connell, stood up and started to address the Board in a loud and emotionally laden tone. He was visibly angry, his face red and contorted with rage. His voice was shaking. He was upset about the alleged swear words (f*** you) that were spoken to his wife Val at the last meeting. In his emotional rant he talked of a plan to kill everyone he met. A chill went through the audience but no one dared make a move or voice opposition.
So began a 5 hour descent into madness that ended with some landowners being escorted to their cars at 12 midnight.
Highlights included:
- Frequent disruptive behavior and a 20 minute, mid-meeting, uncontrollable rant by the O'Connells.
- Erratic emotional behavior by the Board Secretary Charlene Murphy that went from bouts of eye-rolling with ear to ear grins to sullen anger. At one point Charlene was seen banging her head on the table and then looking up at everyone with wildly rolling eyes and a clown like grin. When a discussion towards the end of the meeting did not go her way she seemed to withdraw into a hunched, sitting fetal position and wore a cold, twisted grimace on her face while barely looking at opposing members.
- When Dan O'Connell left the building two alert and courageous men in the audience thought he was going to his car for a weapon. They quietly got up from their seats and stood guard at the door. One, who had a law enforcement background, told me later that "there was no way Dan was going to get a gun into the building".
- Director Dan Kehoe admitted to counseling landowners on how to get out of paying the full amount of their past due assessments. Previously Kehoe has been accused of aiding one of his CUT landowner friends with advice on how to avoid an extra dwelling assessment by moving a stove out of the garage he was living in.
- Director Charlene Murphy insisted, against the advice of her Election committee and co-chair, that anonymous written questions to candidates not be allowed at the annual election meeting. An audience member reminded her that CUT members live in fear of persecution and retribution if they state anything that CUT disagrees with. The landowner went on to say that up until last year even ballots were not private and any director could easily see which landowner voted for which candidate. The CUT affiliated members of the GLA Board stood by Charlene and defeated the proposal for anonymous questions.
- Long absent Director Paul Rantallo made his first appearance at a board meeting in several months last night. Director Rantallo was censured earlier in the year for trespassing repeatedly on a landowner's property. Last night he was back and busy defending a fellow CUT member that has received a cease and desist letter for damaging the property of the landowner that Paul had repeatedly trespassed on.
- A proposal by the Road Committee to address the serious wash boarding problems on heavily traveled gravel Glastonbury roads was vehemently opposed by director Charlene Murphy. She based her argument on fears that the cost was unsustainable. The actual cost was $1.22 a foot for 5,000 feet in North and another 5,000 feet in South Glastonbury. She was reminded that the Board has over a quarter of a million dollars in past due assessments that it must get serious about collecting. Even though there was more than enough money available for the Magnesium Chloride project the measure was defeated. Glastonbury landowners will have to live with deteriorating gravel roads for at least another year or until Director Murphy and her supporters leave office.
The madness that infects Glastonbury was on full display the night of September 11th, 2017. Talk of killing people, almost constant disruptive behavior displayed by the usual suspects, frequent emotional bouts by the Board Secretary, deliberate sabotage of our Governing Documents by another director, volunteer guards at the door and the defeat of a proposal that would have improved Glastonbury roads with existing funds were all hallmarks of the irrational behavior and insanity that characterize the community of Glastonbury.
Perhaps it is time to dissolve the GLA and end the madness before someone is injured or killed.
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Post by DISGUSTED! on Sept 12, 2017 7:56:37 GMT -7
YES!!!!!!!!!!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2017 18:30:44 GMT -7
If any apology should be made it should come from the O'Connell's, for their continued rude behavior. Valery continues her rude behavior towards all the landowners who take the time to listen to what their association is all about and to keep apprised of the issues. She and her husband owe first and foremost an apology for their crass behavior. She and her husband cause nothing but desention and consternation among the attendees and the Board members.
Why? Do they get something out of claiming to be victims and "picked on" claimed by Valery? They obviously enjoy the attention since it has become their routine at every meeting I have attended.
No one owes those two an apology for anything said or implied since they have been terrorising this landowner association for years. Not to mention what they have cost us in legal fee deductibles and insurance coverage. Hold your ground Mr President and do not apologise, you only said what the rest of us think by showing her what she has done to others during meetings. Hypocrite comes to mind. She sure doesn't like to be treated like she treats everyone else!!
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Post by dorothykeeler on Sept 15, 2017 15:42:28 GMT -7
As an accomplished saleswoman, I understand that everyone is wearing an invisible sign that says, "Make me feel important." Confident, well-adjusted, mature people wear a small sign, as they don't really need other people's approval. They can debate calmly and take criticism in stride. However, insecure, paranoid, immature people wear a big sign, as they need the approval, or simply the recognition of others for their self-esteem. They crave the spotlight and to be the center of attention; it is irrelevant whether it is under positive or negative circumstances. It is similar to the behavior of a child who misbehaves to get its parents' attention.
One can merely compare the tone and accomplishments of the GLA meetings when Val is absent to the meetings when she is present. When Val is absent, the meeting's tone is generally rational, calm, and the participants accomplish a great deal.
When Val is present, the meeting's tone is generally combative, high-stress, and the participants are often harassed (to keep annoying or upsetting someone, for example by criticizing them, attacking them, or treating them in a way that is offensive to them) and bullied (to use one's influence or status to threaten or frighten someone in order to get what they want) to the extent that the meeting is adjourned.
It is my observation that Val is wearing a massive invisible sign. Whatever knowledge or insight she has offered in the past is no longer needed with the addition of the most recently elected board members, and the disruption she causes consistently brings meetings to an abrupt end.
Until this meeting, I felt that the best way to deal with her outbursts was to ignore her. Unfortunately, now that her husband, Dan, threatened everyone in the room when he talked of a plan to kill everyone he met, I feel it is time to get a permanent restraining order against them both.
Dorothy Keeler
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Post by Admin on Sept 22, 2017 13:00:22 GMT -7
Will the GLA Protect the Community it was Formed to Serve?
On September 11th, 2017 Dan O'Connell threatened Glastonbury Landowner's Association(GLA) President Dennis Riley and everyone present at the Board meeting by angrily declaring that he had "a plan to kill everyone he met". Dan and Val O'Connell are frequent and often shrill critics of the GLA and have sued the association many times. Their persistent filing of suits lead to them being declared "Vexatious Litigants" by the court. That label made it much more difficult for them to harass and damage the GLA by abusing the judicial system. GLA legal bills attributed to the O'Connells exceeded $150,000.00 in 2015. The landowner's association also lost their liability insurance and still cannot get affordable coverage. The GLA is in effect just one successful law suit away from dissolution. The threats to kill marked a new escalation in tensions between the O'Connells and the GLA. Several landowners have called for the GLA Board to pursue a permanent restraining order against the O'Connells. A permanent restraining order could prevent the O'Connells from having any contact with the GLA. Meetings could once again be orderly and have the presumption of safety. When the restraining order idea was initially passed before the GLA Board several members were cool to the idea. However the Forum has heard that the votes are now there for a restraining order and it will be pursued soon. A few weeks ago the Forum spoke with Val O'Connell at the Post Office. She was just done being interviewed in the parking lot by the Sheriff's Department. When asked why she stated that " a stranger walked up to her and threatened to kill her". We do not know what happened to the person who allegedly threatened her. Emigrant is usually a serene place and many weary landowners and visitors come here to find peace and quiet. Not surprisingly, when their serenity is threatened, some people may react angrily. As the old cowboy knows "you do not step on a rattlesnake that is enjoying the warm sunshine". If the GLA Board fails to protect Glastonbury, landowners will be forced to take matters into their own hands. That could lead to a "Bonnie and Clyde" finale for the O'Connells at the next GLA Board meeting on October 9th 2017 in Emigrant Hall. The Forum urges the GLA Board to act swiftly and find a permanent and peaceful resolution. |
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2017 8:39:32 GMT -7
Glastonbury Landowners For Positive Change
September 11, 2017 Board Meeting Summary
The mission of the GLFPC is to foster a landowner's association,
of the people, by the people, and for the people of Glastonbury,
to create a harmonious and inclusive community, and to enhance property values. This Summary/Interpretation of the GLA's Board meeting on September 11, 2017
is offered as a volunteer service by the GLFPC.
Your suggestions are welcome, should there be oversights or errors. Note:
· After an unavoidable respite, we are glad to resume our service of sending board meeting summaries to you. Of late, board meetings are lasting close to 5 hours. We are aware that a long summary makes for a long read, yet we see no other way to bring you this important information.
· This summary details how the board handled GLA’s business. It does not give voice to the stress and tension of the attendees caused by certain landowners’ repeated interruptions. As a consequence of the August board meeting, President Dennis Riley put forth unprecedented effort to make this meeting orderly. Nonetheless the meeting opened with a chilling threat by a landowner who said he was prepared to kill anyone who attacked his wife.
Opening of the meeting
As soon as the opening process of calling for the Pledge of Allegiance, a verbal prayer and a moment of silence was finished, Val and Daniel O’Connell shouted and demanded an apology from Board President Dennis Riley for his alleged verbal attack on Val at the August board meeting. The tension escalated when Val called Riley’s actions “beyond reprehensible.” In growing rage, Daniel announced that he lives by a code he would kill to protect his wife if anyone attacked her.
A short time later, Daniel left the meeting. This caused two men in the audience (each professionally trained in security matters) to leave the meeting to watch the parking area and guard the door. Though others also chose to leave and return to the meeting hall, no incident followed.
Background Note: The August board meeting was punctuated with Val’s repeated and jarring interruptions and loud rants. Shortly after 11 pm, when she launched still another lengthy rant, an obviously weary and understandably exacerbated board voted abruptly to adjourn the meeting. Riley left his seat and walked toward Val and stated very firmly that she was out of order and needed to leave. Others, who had also had their fill of her interruptions, sided with Riley and told Val that her behavior was not acceptable and that she should leave the meeting.
President’s Report
Riley announced that the practice of calling on those with raised hands would be strictly enforced during this meeting and that fellow board member Leo Keeler would make a list of who raised their hand to speak and that Keeler would call on speakers in an orderly fashion.
Landowner Input
Several landowners asked the board to explain why they were planning to meet with Church Universal and Triumphant to discuss the 1998 road maintenance agreement for Golden Age Village roads, when, per legal advice, the agreement is null and void. Keeler explained that the meeting was needed to address the issue of prescriptive road easements and other legal matters, as well as the 1998 agreement. (The GLA attorney has said the contracts with CUT and Park County on the soccer field violate the “perpetuity clause” of Montana Constitution and there is a reversionary clause in the deed for the soccer fields that must be removed.)
Charlotte Mizzi, who was attending the meeting by phone, interrupted the flow of landowner comments by stating that the meeting sounded more like a landowner meeting than a board meeting. Apparently, she was unaware that this was landowner comment period.
Collection of Past Due Assessments
After three years in the making, the board approved the final wording of the official collection letter to be sent to members with long-term past due assessments. The debt owed to GLA is now over a quarter-million dollars. Vice President Dan Kehoe failed to persuade the board that the letter should be changed one more time so that it would indicate that those who might want to negotiate their debt could simply ask the board for relief. Treasurer Regina Wunsch was adamant that the board has NO authority to reduce anyone’s delinquency because…GLA funds are corporate funds. Much like the previous treasurer, Rudy Parker, Kehoe was thinking that GLA could offer relief for hardship delinquencies much like a charitable organization might do. Though past GLA boards have freely given assessment relief (generally without proof of need) that practice was only recently officially terminated.
Election Committee Report
The board squelched the idea of using a question box with anonymous queries for the board candidates at the annual board election meeting in November. Taking their cue from Secretary Charlene Murphy who reasoned the potential for rants would be averted without a question box, the motion to not have a box was passed.
The board also squelched a proposal that would allow voters to use their three votes cumulatively, meaning that a voter could cast his three votes for one candidate rather than casting three votes for three distinct candidates. Pro and con discussion of cumulative voting was cut short when the board sent the matter back to committee.
Community Property Report
To answer Community Property Chairperson Mizzi’s query of where the GLA mower for the soccer field has gone, Val O’Connell reported that the mower is currently being stored under a canvas at her home and that it needs repairs estimated to cost about $2000. Val believes GLA has forfeited its rights to the mower, and therefore she moved it to her house, because GLA has not properly stored or maintained it. The discussion went nowhere.
Kehoe’s motion to dissolve the committee until the legal matters about GLA’s encumbered title to the 20-acre parcel are resolved passed with one ‘no’ vote from Newman Brozovsky. Many expected Mizzi to also oppose the dissolution of the Community Property Committee. When she failed to protest, it appeared she was using the dissolution of “her committee” to avoid dealing with numerous complaints from her own committee members. Mizzi has been challenged for over-reaching her authority, for her personal conflict of interest, for unilaterally spending money in excess of the budget, for requesting one of her committee members to tell the truth (the committee member did not take well to being called a liar), and the presentation of official minutes that reflected her agendas, rather than actual committee business, along with her not accepting Committee member corrections to what she presents as minutes.
Note: Dissolving the committee happened so quickly, and with Mizzi’s vote to do so, it appeared to be another orchestrated event to prevent another censure of Mizzi.
Communication and Technology Committee Report
Chairman Brozovsky reported that his committee is still investigating the facts that led to Val O’Connell’s formal complaint against board president Dennis Riley and her call for his removal. Newman asked that those who were present when the outburst occurred, that caused the abrupt ending of the August board meeting, to send to him their written accounts of what they witnessed before September 20, 2017. Val countered however that a transcript of the meeting, not someone’s memory of what happened, would generate more appropriate information. Others said that because much of what really happened was not verbal, such as the violation of personal space, written reports would help the committee find resolution. As the discussion ended, eight board members voted to direct the committee to accept written reports about the disturbance.
Financial Report
Treasurer Regina Wunsch received kudos for her detailed and easy-to-follow treasurer’s report. Highlights show that assessments collections are lower (about 85%) than anticipated 89% base-line budget for 2017. It is expected that the shortfall will be covered with unexpected income from those who are paying down their delinquent assessment accounts.
A repeated discussion about the collection letter and whether the board could grant hardship relief to those with delinquencies followed. Once again, Kehoe argued without success that because the covenants allow the board to grant waivers, the board has the authority to forgive member debt. Others reasoned that it was beyond the board’s expertise (as well as authority) to negotiate any relief for anyone. It was noted however that debt negotiations by the collection attorney are a part of the legal process and that the negotiation step would precede foreclosure action only.
Road and Weed Committee Report
Before the Road Committee report could be given, Charlene Murphy challenged what she believed would be the committee’s recommendation to use a dust abatement and road stabilization product known as Mag Chloride. Murphy positioned that the cost to use the product was unsustainable. A wide-ranging discussion followed and ended with the approval of the road committee report with the exception of the Mag Chloride proposal. Despite landowners having no access to the report, it was understood that the report recommended funding (by using some reserve road funds) to begin cleaning culverts and ditches.
Among numerous tasks throughout the spring and summer, the committee members have found and mapped nearly 70 road culverts, most of which have been buried, plugged and/ or damaged. Evidence already shows that there is benefit in keeping the road base dry and stable with proper water drainage through maintaining culverts and ditches. History shows that past grading has merely moved gravel from the road surface into ditches and culverts, thereby creating a longstanding, serious problem.
Project Review Report
The board approved a delayed garage project for landowner Leticia Sandoval without seeking any further committee input. Because surface water runoff from Sandoval’s parcel has historically flowed over Capricorn and onto the adjoining down slope parcel, the committee has asked Sandoval to get a professional review of what could be done to resolve the water trespass matter. Sandoval’s engineer advised that two small diameter sumps installed near the new garage would mitigate and not increase any water trespass. The report, which the board used to justify the approval, did not address the overall runoff problem as had been requested by the committee, or the Cease and Desist Letter by the neighbor.
Adjourned after Midnight
Despite the President’s efforts to maintain a safe and orderly meeting, several attendees who remained jittery from the initial threats, as well as five hours of ongoing disruptions, were accompanied to their vehicles.
Glastonbury Landowners For Positive Change
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