Then, it was borne of practicality and a genuine desire and need to share knowledge, with disparate interests often lacking the resources or means to figure out how to navigate the burgeoning field of community association living.

Now, it is an all-purpose, long-standing institution, with a staggering array of opportunities for all involved in the world of community associations to learn, network, and improve their business.

Then, the vehicle of the condominium association was relatively new, with a need to fill in the blanks for issues involving the administration of associations from the perspective of developers, Boards of Associations, managers, municipalities and professionals.

Now, with thousands upon thousands of community associations spread throughout the state representing all shapes and sizes, the blanks have long been filled in, but with an ever-expanding need to take into account and adjust to new practicalities of community living that raise an ever-expanding array of questions and challenges.

Then, there was little in the way of resources if a board required professional services, management advice, or tips to most efficiently administer its community.

Now, there are choices upon choices to serve Boards at every turn. The Board as a consumer, more than ever, is able to provide itself with the means and the know-how to seek out answers and resources for any problem it may face.

With

his name on the yellowed type-set Articles of Incorporation for the CAI charter for the state of Illinois, Steve Bloomberg drafted the document that launched the organization that continues today, albeit in a form that no one at that time could have imagined. Steve has maintained a vibrant condominium law practice since the early 1970’s. He maintains an active practice today, continuing to advise many of the same Boards (and same Board members!) that have been in place since that time.

Despite all of the changes, Steve’s view towards the field remains the same—“It is my relationships and the quality and strengths of those relationships that have sustained the practice. Those relationships are the primary driver of my longevity and enjoyment of the field for so many years.”

It has been a pleasure for me, Steve’s son, to now be a part of the condominium practice that he started as well as a part of the CAI Illinois chapter. I recently asked Steve for his insight on being a part of the CAI Illinois chapter for 40 years, the changes in the CAI organization, his longstanding community association practice, and what he sees in the future for cooperative living in Illinois.

“In the 1970’s, there was very little in the way of precedent for many of the issues that were faced by Associations. Boards were often faced with issues that

their management companies and professional service providers had not seen before. Answers were given based on the experience we had at the time and a sense of practicality.”

What CAI brought together initially were five then-disparate elements looking for better communication and resources as the community association vehicle of home ownership proliferated throughout the state. The four elements were “colleagues” (encompassing professional service providers for community associations), managing agents, municipalities, developers, and Boards. The purpose of the organization at the time of its formation in Illinois was education—simply the sharing of resources and providing the various groups with knowledge to more successfully navigate emerging issues that arose. For example, how might developers cope with the ordinances then in effect relative to construction issues and preparing Units for occupancy? How might Boards handle the election process and utilize professionals to ensure fairness and reliable results?

These core principles – education and the sharing of resources – remain at the forefront of CAI’s mission today. The huge amount of educational outreach by CAI is what

strikes Steve today. “The sheer number of opportunities for people to get involved with CAI and the scope of

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