Post by Admin on Aug 3, 2022 14:19:46 GMT -7
OPEN LETTER TO THE GLASTONBURY COMMUNITY FORUM
By a Well Respected Landowner Who Asked to Remain Anonymous
By a Well Respected Landowner Who Asked to Remain Anonymous
I think most Americans would agree that politics in America today has become so bitterly contentious that neither side will concede a thing, and accordingly, nothing meaningful gets accomplished.
I have been a landowner in Glastonbury for almost 2 years. During this time, I have endeavored to attend every board meeting and every project review meeting I could. Well, its has become clear to me that the politics on the GLA board has been so bitterly contentious that nothing meaningful gets accomplished. The question is…why?
Why would well-meaning volunteers who should have the best interest of the association in mind, not be able to agree on a single issue? Why would meetings devolve into shouting matches, instead of civil debates of the facts and circumstances? Why would obvious problems, of the magnitude that could bring down the entire community, be ignored?
It’s quite clear to me. The leadership of the GLA has historically been controlled by a group that doesn’t answer to the landowners. Plain and simple. A group that takes its direction, its vision, its marching orders from, and answers to, its own ideology, rather than the landowners they claim to serve. That’s a real problem for the future of the GLA and the community of owners it has a legal obligation to benefit. In short, these individuals have run the association like their personal fiefdom.
They have selectively chosen which by-laws to enforce, which debts to pursue, which roads to repair based on group affiliation. From my direct observation of behavior, review of financial statements, and inquiry with informed, long-time landowners, this group has systematically advantaged the chosen few at the expense of the many.
So, when you get mailers from this group claiming this election is about the wealthy versus the lower income folks, know this…that claim is completely unfounded, and simply a desperate attempt to cling to power. They expose their agenda and their ideology in their own words…”do not let them remove original landowners associated with the prior church developers…” Newsflash...the GLA should answer to CURRENT landowners, period. No person should be elected to the Board who considers themselves part of select group. Any person elected to the Board has a fiduciary duty to serve all landowners equally and to enforce the rules consistently, without favor. Whether someone has been a landowner for 20 years or only 20 minutes, all should have equal standing under the by-laws and the Board.
Don’t be persuaded by scare-tactics. The way you ensure that assessment increases do not price anyone out of ownership in Glastonbury is by electing thoughtful and UNBIASED leadership to manage the affairs of the GLA in a professional and business-like manner. The “concerned landowners” endorsing a particular slate of candidates, all of whom are members of their select group, are the very ones who allowed uncollected assessments to soar into six figures and the roads to fall into disrepair. Do you really want this same group making decisions on your behalf?
Whether you are for or against separation of North and South, there is something far more important at stake with this election…electing the right people to represent the entire community’s interests on the Board. Regardless of whether there is one board/one association or two going forward, the only way to ensure success for all, is to elect the right leaders, for all. If you fail to vote for only the most qualified candidates (part of which means truly independent, and free from conflicts of interests) , the GLA will end up right back in court within a year, guaranteed.