GLA Director Ed Dobrowski stripped of Committee ...
Apr 11, 2017 15:07:07 GMT -7
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Post by Admin on Apr 11, 2017 15:07:07 GMT -7
GLA Director Ed Dobrowski stripped of Committee Responsibilities ...
The GLA Board of Directors punished fellow director Ed Dobrowski on Monday night by stripping him of his committee roles and responsibilities. The April 11th, 2017 GLA Board meeting opened with landowner comments. Almost immediately director Ed Dobrowski was accused of deliberately misleading landowners during the last Road Committee meeting which he chaired. One visibly upset landowner asked Ed to resign immediately. This was not the first nor the last call for Director Dobrowski to step down. Controversy has surrounded him for months and other community members have asked him to resign. About an hour later and before the Project Review session, Ed Dobrowski quietly left Emigrant Hall and told a fellow director that he did not wish to stay and be criticized.
During the Project Review portion of the Board meeting Kevin Newby explained that it was impossible to work with Ed because of his disdain for our governing documents. Apparently Ed disagreed with many sections and thus believed that he did not have to abide by them. Further Board discussion included Ed using his director position to create economic gain for himself and his employees. Members and landowners also talked about Ed offering GLA money to one individual by offering to pad a contract. Director Charlotte Mizzi asked that all discussion be postponed until Ed could return and defend himself. Other directors noted that Ed voluntarily left because he did not wish to be a part of the discussion. He chose not to defend himself by leaving they reasoned. One landowner called Ed a "coward" for leaving early. Director Mark Seaver requested that Ed be removed from all committees that he served on. A vote was taken on removing Ed from the Project Review committee and that passed narrowly. It was agreed to talk about removing Ed from the Road Committee and stripping him of his chairmanship later.
Business moved on but about an hour later the subject of removing Ed from the Road Committee was raised. The GLA Board appeared hesitant to proceed but then gathered enough courage to discuss the issues. Several members of the audience urged the Board to proceed and show resolve. It was alleged by one landowner that Ed Dobrowski had placed the GLA Board and the entire association at legal risk by attempting to withhold road services and thus discriminate against High South landowners. The record does show that High South was shorted many loads of gravel last year and that residents past SpecTec often had to wait several days for plowing service last winter. Two directors discussed the gravel shortages. Another director talked about how difficult it was to work with Ed and why she stopped attending Road Committee meetings. In the end it was apparent to many that Ed Dobrowski was not fulfilling his Board responsibilities and he was violating the trust placed in him by landowners. The Board is not allowed to remove his directorship for that was given to him by the voters of South Glastonbury. Per our governing documents only the voters can rescind him from the Board. However the GLA Board can remove him from committees and strip him of his chairmanship position. After much discussion a motion was passed and Ed Dobrowski was stripped of his road chairmanship and removed from the road committee as well. The GLA Board decided to appoint President Dennis Riley as the new Road Chair effective immediately.
Per our US Constitution Ed Dobrowski remains innocent of all the charges against him until they are proven in a court of law.
GLA Directors are held to a high standard of behavior; they must place the best interests of all landowners ahead of their personal interests. Directors must also treat landowner funds with the utmost care and trust; they should not make decisions that financially benefit themselves at the expense of landowners. Some would argue that the GLA has traditionally been a cookie jar for sitting and past directors. The Forum has evidence of that.
Later in the evening Road Committee co-chair Paul Ranttalo was criticized by audience members for being arrogant and condescending. That behavior played out when Paul answered his critics. He was accused of mismanaging recent projects, failing to include landowners in the process and dismissing landowner suggestions. The Forum has learned that Paul submitted his resignation as Road Committee co-chair and given up his long term seat on the committee. He will remain a director and still serve on the Project Review committee. At this point a replacement has not been named.
We have reached out to Paul for comments but he has not responded yet.
The GLA Board may have reached a tipping point on Monday night. Decades of director misbehavior and landowner discrimination may finally be coming to an end. It was refreshing to see some directors and many landowners working together to serve the best interests of all landowners.
During the Project Review portion of the Board meeting Kevin Newby explained that it was impossible to work with Ed because of his disdain for our governing documents. Apparently Ed disagreed with many sections and thus believed that he did not have to abide by them. Further Board discussion included Ed using his director position to create economic gain for himself and his employees. Members and landowners also talked about Ed offering GLA money to one individual by offering to pad a contract. Director Charlotte Mizzi asked that all discussion be postponed until Ed could return and defend himself. Other directors noted that Ed voluntarily left because he did not wish to be a part of the discussion. He chose not to defend himself by leaving they reasoned. One landowner called Ed a "coward" for leaving early. Director Mark Seaver requested that Ed be removed from all committees that he served on. A vote was taken on removing Ed from the Project Review committee and that passed narrowly. It was agreed to talk about removing Ed from the Road Committee and stripping him of his chairmanship later.
Business moved on but about an hour later the subject of removing Ed from the Road Committee was raised. The GLA Board appeared hesitant to proceed but then gathered enough courage to discuss the issues. Several members of the audience urged the Board to proceed and show resolve. It was alleged by one landowner that Ed Dobrowski had placed the GLA Board and the entire association at legal risk by attempting to withhold road services and thus discriminate against High South landowners. The record does show that High South was shorted many loads of gravel last year and that residents past SpecTec often had to wait several days for plowing service last winter. Two directors discussed the gravel shortages. Another director talked about how difficult it was to work with Ed and why she stopped attending Road Committee meetings. In the end it was apparent to many that Ed Dobrowski was not fulfilling his Board responsibilities and he was violating the trust placed in him by landowners. The Board is not allowed to remove his directorship for that was given to him by the voters of South Glastonbury. Per our governing documents only the voters can rescind him from the Board. However the GLA Board can remove him from committees and strip him of his chairmanship position. After much discussion a motion was passed and Ed Dobrowski was stripped of his road chairmanship and removed from the road committee as well. The GLA Board decided to appoint President Dennis Riley as the new Road Chair effective immediately.
Commentary
Per our US Constitution Ed Dobrowski remains innocent of all the charges against him until they are proven in a court of law.
GLA Directors are held to a high standard of behavior; they must place the best interests of all landowners ahead of their personal interests. Directors must also treat landowner funds with the utmost care and trust; they should not make decisions that financially benefit themselves at the expense of landowners. Some would argue that the GLA has traditionally been a cookie jar for sitting and past directors. The Forum has evidence of that.
Later in the evening Road Committee co-chair Paul Ranttalo was criticized by audience members for being arrogant and condescending. That behavior played out when Paul answered his critics. He was accused of mismanaging recent projects, failing to include landowners in the process and dismissing landowner suggestions. The Forum has learned that Paul submitted his resignation as Road Committee co-chair and given up his long term seat on the committee. He will remain a director and still serve on the Project Review committee. At this point a replacement has not been named.
We have reached out to Paul for comments but he has not responded yet.
The GLA Board may have reached a tipping point on Monday night. Decades of director misbehavior and landowner discrimination may finally be coming to an end. It was refreshing to see some directors and many landowners working together to serve the best interests of all landowners.
