Post by Town Crier on May 27, 2024 17:09:34 GMT -7
Jaylyn Jensen Elected as New GLA President
The Glastonbury Landowners Association Board (GLA) elected Director Jaylyn Jensen as the new president of the at their monthly board meeting on May 22, 2024. Initially, a fellow director nominated Claudette Dirkers for GLA President, but she graciously declined. Next, Jensen ran against Director Tim Brockett. She won by a 7 to 3 vote. Jensen replaces outgoing President Doug Gill, who resigned on May 20.
The Board also conducted officer elections for both Vice President and Treasurer. Director Leslie Everett ran against Brockett who was VP in 2007. Everett won in a 7 to 3 vote. Except for Tim Brockett, no director wanted to run for GLA Treasurer. Then the voting rules were changed. Instead of getting a majority of votes against another candidate, it was abruptly decided that Brockett would have to win a majority of YES votes to secure the treasurer's position. The majority vote was predictable, 7 to 3; Brockett was denied the treasurer's position. Yet again, the GLA board chose not to have a treasurer. The seat has remained empty since Jewel Wieczorek resigned for a second time in late January of 2024. Notwithstanding, Wieczorek remains a signatory for the GLA Bank accounts, while also retaining possession of the treasurer's computer. The secretary's position was not considered at this time because no director wanted it.
The 7 to 3 voting bloc was identical to the May 9, 2024, Special Meeting of the Board where 7 directors voted against filling vacant board seats. The bloc of seven includes directors Jaylyn Jensen, John Carp, Leslie Everett, Alicia Roskind Dearing, Scott Stomierowski, Jack Sutton, and Jewel Wieczorek. Wieczorek appears to lead the pack; they do what she dictates.
The 3 remaining directors are Tim Brockett, Claudette Dirkers, and Doug Gill.
The collection of past-due accounts, raised by Assistant Treasurer Claudette Dirkers, was, once again, discussed. Everyone agreed that it was a critical function of the board. Since September 2022, when the ‘new’ board was officially seated, the collection process has been dormant. Every January just after assessment bills are mailed to landowners, the treasurer is supposed to activate collections. Throughout 2023, the board failed to initiate the important endeavor.
In mid-December, when the new 2024 Board was seated, Wieczorek, re-elected as treasurer, did not start the systematic process, and then resigned, shortly thereafter. As of April 2024, the current past-due assessments total $84,775.90. Present Directors Claudette Dirkers and Tim Brockett agreed to resume the collections process at the March GLA Board meeting. The treasurer's computer is necessary for proceeding with collections and Wieczorek has consistently refused to hand it over.
The financial reports were presented by the former treasurer. They were subsequently approved, but one director voted no. When queried by the new president why he voted no, Director Brockett stated that he has repeatedly requested copies of bank statements and supplier invoices so he can accurately verify financial reports. He explained that bank statements and invoices are primary documents that allow the GLA accounting firm, Accounting and Tax Solutions (ATS), to produce secondary documents like Profit and Loss Statements and Balance Sheets. As an elected director he believed it was his duty to study primary documents before approving secondary ones. President Jensen stated that this matter could be discussed at a future meeting.
Road Chair John Carp who busted the 2023 Road Budget of $100,000.00 with $160,000.00 of road expenses, presented another whopper. Along with Walter Wunsch, elected South Glastonbury Road Chair despite violating the Master Plan since 2008, demanded that $68,000.00 be spent on South gravel roads. The budgeted amount for South Glastonbury roads was just $49,00.00, which was supposed to cover both spring and fall grading. North Glastonbury roads only required about $14,500.00 of grading this spring. South would normally require about the same amount of grading. Carp and Wunsch bitterly complained about the deteriorated road conditions due to the recent snowstorm. South roads were severely damaged by Standish’s plowing. Rather than seek repairs from Standish or file an insurance claim, they expected the landowners to pay for the damage. Director Scott Stomierowski argued that Arcturus was in the worst shape ever. Carp agreed. Work by Standish started on May 17, 2024, before any funding was approved by the board. It was reported that work was almost completed, so funding must be approved, immediately. Cost overruns due to continued wet weather could push spring grading in South Glastonbury to $75,000.00 or higher.
The South Glastonbury roadwork includes extensive maintenance and improvement of Polaris Way from Hercules Road to Walter Wunsch's home. The roads beyond Polaris Way have not seen regular maintenance in a decade or more. Additionally, Wunsch is the owner of SpecTec which is located at the beginning of Polaris Way. The light manufacturing industry employs about thirty people and has gross sales estimated at thirty million dollars per year. Every workday, Hercules and Polaris undergo heavy traffic from SpecTec employees, UPS, FedEx, LTL freight deliveries, visitors, and customers. The 2007 Master Plan, which Wunsch is subject to, requires that all light or cottage industries that employ seven or more people come before the GLA board and be subject to a Road Use fee. Wunsch has never complied and angrily refutes anyone who brings up the subject.
The GLA board reluctantly approved the $68,000.00 expenditure and that it be allocated for the roadwork already underway by Standish Excavation, and nearly completed. One abstention vote was cast by Director Dirkers who had been road chair during her previous board tenure. Minus gravel donations, the overbudget excess will have to be withdrawn from the South Glastonbury Road Reserve Fund, normally used for emergencies and one-off projects like guardrails.
When asked where the extra money would come from to pay for South Glastonbury Fall 2024 maintenance, Carp replied that the very same fund would need to be used. The GLA Road Committee will hold a closed committee meeting at Wunsch's place of business in the next week. The meeting is not open to landowners or GLA Directors who are not members of the Road Committee. The discussion will center around long-term road planning. Every director has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee corporate spending and committee activity for conformance with the governing documents.
The monthly meeting retrogressed into the routine of board micro-management and long-winded discussions of minute details. Four hours later, the board tabled the “New Business” discussion about the management of long-term data and HOA/LOA software for another time.
On May 23, 2024, new GLA President Jaylyn Jensen sent a welcoming message via email to all board members. Jensen wrote:
The Board also conducted officer elections for both Vice President and Treasurer. Director Leslie Everett ran against Brockett who was VP in 2007. Everett won in a 7 to 3 vote. Except for Tim Brockett, no director wanted to run for GLA Treasurer. Then the voting rules were changed. Instead of getting a majority of votes against another candidate, it was abruptly decided that Brockett would have to win a majority of YES votes to secure the treasurer's position. The majority vote was predictable, 7 to 3; Brockett was denied the treasurer's position. Yet again, the GLA board chose not to have a treasurer. The seat has remained empty since Jewel Wieczorek resigned for a second time in late January of 2024. Notwithstanding, Wieczorek remains a signatory for the GLA Bank accounts, while also retaining possession of the treasurer's computer. The secretary's position was not considered at this time because no director wanted it.
The 7 to 3 voting bloc was identical to the May 9, 2024, Special Meeting of the Board where 7 directors voted against filling vacant board seats. The bloc of seven includes directors Jaylyn Jensen, John Carp, Leslie Everett, Alicia Roskind Dearing, Scott Stomierowski, Jack Sutton, and Jewel Wieczorek. Wieczorek appears to lead the pack; they do what she dictates.
The 3 remaining directors are Tim Brockett, Claudette Dirkers, and Doug Gill.
The collection of past-due accounts, raised by Assistant Treasurer Claudette Dirkers, was, once again, discussed. Everyone agreed that it was a critical function of the board. Since September 2022, when the ‘new’ board was officially seated, the collection process has been dormant. Every January just after assessment bills are mailed to landowners, the treasurer is supposed to activate collections. Throughout 2023, the board failed to initiate the important endeavor.
In mid-December, when the new 2024 Board was seated, Wieczorek, re-elected as treasurer, did not start the systematic process, and then resigned, shortly thereafter. As of April 2024, the current past-due assessments total $84,775.90. Present Directors Claudette Dirkers and Tim Brockett agreed to resume the collections process at the March GLA Board meeting. The treasurer's computer is necessary for proceeding with collections and Wieczorek has consistently refused to hand it over.
The financial reports were presented by the former treasurer. They were subsequently approved, but one director voted no. When queried by the new president why he voted no, Director Brockett stated that he has repeatedly requested copies of bank statements and supplier invoices so he can accurately verify financial reports. He explained that bank statements and invoices are primary documents that allow the GLA accounting firm, Accounting and Tax Solutions (ATS), to produce secondary documents like Profit and Loss Statements and Balance Sheets. As an elected director he believed it was his duty to study primary documents before approving secondary ones. President Jensen stated that this matter could be discussed at a future meeting.
Road Chair John Carp who busted the 2023 Road Budget of $100,000.00 with $160,000.00 of road expenses, presented another whopper. Along with Walter Wunsch, elected South Glastonbury Road Chair despite violating the Master Plan since 2008, demanded that $68,000.00 be spent on South gravel roads. The budgeted amount for South Glastonbury roads was just $49,00.00, which was supposed to cover both spring and fall grading. North Glastonbury roads only required about $14,500.00 of grading this spring. South would normally require about the same amount of grading. Carp and Wunsch bitterly complained about the deteriorated road conditions due to the recent snowstorm. South roads were severely damaged by Standish’s plowing. Rather than seek repairs from Standish or file an insurance claim, they expected the landowners to pay for the damage. Director Scott Stomierowski argued that Arcturus was in the worst shape ever. Carp agreed. Work by Standish started on May 17, 2024, before any funding was approved by the board. It was reported that work was almost completed, so funding must be approved, immediately. Cost overruns due to continued wet weather could push spring grading in South Glastonbury to $75,000.00 or higher.
The South Glastonbury roadwork includes extensive maintenance and improvement of Polaris Way from Hercules Road to Walter Wunsch's home. The roads beyond Polaris Way have not seen regular maintenance in a decade or more. Additionally, Wunsch is the owner of SpecTec which is located at the beginning of Polaris Way. The light manufacturing industry employs about thirty people and has gross sales estimated at thirty million dollars per year. Every workday, Hercules and Polaris undergo heavy traffic from SpecTec employees, UPS, FedEx, LTL freight deliveries, visitors, and customers. The 2007 Master Plan, which Wunsch is subject to, requires that all light or cottage industries that employ seven or more people come before the GLA board and be subject to a Road Use fee. Wunsch has never complied and angrily refutes anyone who brings up the subject.
The GLA board reluctantly approved the $68,000.00 expenditure and that it be allocated for the roadwork already underway by Standish Excavation, and nearly completed. One abstention vote was cast by Director Dirkers who had been road chair during her previous board tenure. Minus gravel donations, the overbudget excess will have to be withdrawn from the South Glastonbury Road Reserve Fund, normally used for emergencies and one-off projects like guardrails.
When asked where the extra money would come from to pay for South Glastonbury Fall 2024 maintenance, Carp replied that the very same fund would need to be used. The GLA Road Committee will hold a closed committee meeting at Wunsch's place of business in the next week. The meeting is not open to landowners or GLA Directors who are not members of the Road Committee. The discussion will center around long-term road planning. Every director has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee corporate spending and committee activity for conformance with the governing documents.
The monthly meeting retrogressed into the routine of board micro-management and long-winded discussions of minute details. Four hours later, the board tabled the “New Business” discussion about the management of long-term data and HOA/LOA software for another time.
On May 23, 2024, new GLA President Jaylyn Jensen sent a welcoming message via email to all board members. Jensen wrote:
Hi Everyone,
Thank you for the vote of confidence in my appointment to the seat of GLA President last night.
This is not a role I would normally seek, but I wanted to let you know I intend to do my best to support the Board in moving forward with the work of the GLA and 'keeping the trains running' as best we can.
I would like to say that while we do not always agree, I am conscious of your hard work and grateful for your commitment to the Landowners of Glastonbury.
I believe each of you bring valuable experience to the task and I respect the different viewpoints, which while sometimes fractious, provide robust dialogue and food for thought as we all attempt to navigate - what can at times - feel like a South Glastonbury road after a heavy spring rain - navigating over and into potholes you didn't know were there.
That being said, I am a firm believer that discussing issues verbally, while more time consuming, can often be more advantageous than email. I would encourage all of you to swap phone numbers and reach out to your fellow Directors if you have questions about how they feel on an issue and why. There is a lot of institutional knowledge out there that often isn't known until late in the game.
My number is 202-641-xxxx, feel free to call anytime.
I appreciate your patience as I transition into this role and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish as we move forward.
~Jaylyn
Thank you for the vote of confidence in my appointment to the seat of GLA President last night.
This is not a role I would normally seek, but I wanted to let you know I intend to do my best to support the Board in moving forward with the work of the GLA and 'keeping the trains running' as best we can.
I would like to say that while we do not always agree, I am conscious of your hard work and grateful for your commitment to the Landowners of Glastonbury.
I believe each of you bring valuable experience to the task and I respect the different viewpoints, which while sometimes fractious, provide robust dialogue and food for thought as we all attempt to navigate - what can at times - feel like a South Glastonbury road after a heavy spring rain - navigating over and into potholes you didn't know were there.
That being said, I am a firm believer that discussing issues verbally, while more time consuming, can often be more advantageous than email. I would encourage all of you to swap phone numbers and reach out to your fellow Directors if you have questions about how they feel on an issue and why. There is a lot of institutional knowledge out there that often isn't known until late in the game.
My number is 202-641-xxxx, feel free to call anytime.
I appreciate your patience as I transition into this role and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish as we move forward.
~Jaylyn