Last night I went to the final meeting of our 3 person board of directors. Outside the door was Patricia Arnold, talking with two of her associates. You remember Patty, don't you? She was the CCHOA attorney who advised the board to cap our votes, a move designed to assure a victory for Steve Bartlett. It was also reason that I finally decided to stop the board's illegal actions and the election.

Turns out the ''Old Guard'' (the actual term Ken Rigs-It used last night to refer to himself and Jim Oh,Really?) is STILL PAYING FOR HER ADVICE! Can you believe it?

Some of that ''advice?'' DON'T SIGN the ethics pledge. Somehow I am not the least bit surprised. I Wonder what it cost us for her to tell them that it was OK not to do what they have refused to do already. I wonder what other sage tidbits we have paid for her to deliver. Remember that she is the lawyer who advised the board during the period that they refused to follow Texas law even after I had pointed out the exact statutes that they had violated.

When the new board comes in one of the first pieces of business that need to be taken care of is to find new legal counsel. Instead of paying for her legal advice, we should be looking to her and her malpractice insurance carrier for repayment of the damages that resulted from the rest of her legal advice.

How about Mr. Cano

I think Matt Cano would be a good choice for new counsel. Based on his bio, his speech this week and his volunteering to run for director, I think he would be a strong candidate for new counsel. He has experience representing homeowner associations, and I trust him more as a resident working for us than someone who is not a resident. The fact he was willing to volunteer his time and expertise in this area speaks volumes to me.

There may be other attorneys in our neighborhood as well who have experience in this area; you all should send a proposal to the new BOD. For the matter, I would think just about every significant neighborhood service will be up for review and bidding now.

-- Chris