The


e Following A e wing Are Examples xamp Of Otherf O er Issuesr Is


That Arise In FillingThe Board Cabinet: Being the recipient of harshf


treatment from fellow


unit owners while serving on a board can certainly be stressful and a valid reason for not wanting to be a part of the process. Board members are charged with the duty of making unpopular decisions that can carry major financial implications from time to time. The idea of maintainingf


and improving common elements


without increasing operating assessments or passing a special assessment is often a contradiction in logic. However, regardless of how logical or fact-based the argument is for increasing assessments, when you touch someone’s personal budget, you are sure to get a reaction. Unfortunately, proper behavior from one’s fellow unit owners is not always guaranteed.


Personal political agendas can turn the most cohesive board into a hotbed of accusationsf


and suspicions and


give the average unit owner reason to avoid being a part of thef


“powder keg.” Board members with personal


agendas can truly have a negative effect on the board’s overall performance, as well as the ability to recruit potential new members. Making a bad first impression is bad enough. Reinforcing it month after month is unacceptable.


Board meetings that take an inordinate amount of timef due to a lack ofk focusf


by board members are a sure fire


way to temper any interest owners may have in being a part of the process. Meetings that are focused and deliberate, with issue-oriented agendas, will create a


greater ll level of it interest from uniit t owners wh ho see themselves being a part of something that improves


the community where they live The. The ef ectivemeeti isalearned l over time, but it i also requires agreement by those


fe agre


munit where meeting


to be both effective in what is accomplished as well as respectful of everyone’s


t by those involved f


available time. Several sources


on effective board meetings state the same important principles; start the meeting on time, have an agenda and stick tok


it, make decisions and don’t let one or


two individuals dominate the meeting. Finally, end the meeting on time.


What then is a board of directors to do if there simply aren’t


y enough unit owners to run for the


open positions? According to Steve Bloomberg, attorney with Chuhak &k Tecson, the Illinois Condominium Property Act gives the remaining board members the authority to appoint unit owners to the remaining board positions. As Mr. Bloomberg points out, Section 18 (a) (13) states, “the method of fillingf


include authority for the remaining members of thef


far too many instances, boards have come to embrace a “culture of appointment”f to fill vacant board seats.


owners…” Mr. Bloomberg notes that in rather than election when trying


From the property management perspective, Jory Carrick, owner of Williamson Management, states that having vacancies on a board is “very disruptive to the process. Existing board members who want to be replaced and can’t be, end up feeling compelled to continue serving when their heart and soul really isn’t into it. They feel an obligation to perpetuatetheir own legacy.” Mr. Carrick alsok identified reasons unit owners may shy away from running for the board. “The lack ofk


associations] as well as the difficulty for board members to b


be ‘normal’ residents in hi their own communiiities as h t ey are often interrupted during their typical daily routines


 | 


kill thatcanbe developed es a disciplined lead d that the


sk es discipl


he ability to hold n a d


the greater goal is


old an elop d der and s


vacancies on the board which shall board


to fill the vacancy by two-thirds vote until the next annual meeting of unitf


f a community feeling [in some s.” An


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