Circle C Neighbors

CONFLICTS of Interest in HOA!

Mar 29, 2003

Originally posted Feb 8, 2003
CONFLICTS of Interest within YOUR HOA BOARD!

Fellow Resident,

PLEASE READ ALL OF PARTS OF THIS LETTER: It might be one of the most important Circle C letters you'll ever read. In this POST ENRON world we all need to be more aware of who is representing our money.

Did you know our Circle C HOA is actually A COMPANY and by being a resident, YOU ARE AN OWNER. Everything I state here is for the good of our community. My interests are only a better Circle C. I find no pleasure in sharing this information with you. I not only choose to inform my neighbors of what I see as a problem with our company, but also suggest a few common sense solutions.

Our HOA Board wants to RAISE OUR DUES AGAIN Like most, I really didn't care about paying more, until I did not get satisfactory replies from our CCHOA system. I thought it was just a poor communication issue. I have stumbled upon multiple conflicts of interest. Raising our dues based on cost of living increases is not a valid argument. There are many reputable businesses out there ready to provide great services for very fair costs. And, the $1,300,000.00 income from 2003 will only increase in size as Circle C continues to grow.

Our HOA Board wants to RAISE OUR DUES AGAIN.

Everyone I speak with at our info center and in our HOA says that Gary Bradley is no longer involved in Circle C. I was surprised to find out that the REAL TRUTH is much different. Misinformation and misdirection from the HOA system is what one will find when they have questions of any depth about our company. Gary Bradley, Steve Bartlett, Susan Hoover & Brad Buetel have been working together for many years. From the Board of Director position, Steve Bartlett, all the services that we pay for, and are never put up for bid, and even the person that answer the info center phone are part of this team. Right about now you might be saying, ?“This Poor Richard guy is paranoid and lost his marbles.?” No, as unbelievable as the following will sound, this is all true and based on real research and facts.

First off, I would sincerely like to THANK GARY BRADLEY for Circle C. We all selected to live in Circle C because we love it here. Even though I enjoy his beautiful vision of Circle C everyday, from the look of his creditors, lawsuits, past business history in the address below, and the conflicts of interest I present here, I simply do not wish to be in business with him.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-10-11/pols_feature3.html

FULL DISCLOSURE is absent here in Circle C, here is just a little.

The Secretary of State recognizes Gary Bradley of Bradley Development as sole owner of Circle C Swimming partnership, LTD. That is, the swim classes and swim team are his company. There is free advertisement for Gary's swim company in the newsletters and official HOA website we pay for. Financial costs for the use of our pool by Gary's swim company is determined by our HOA. The cost for using the majority of pool lanes and swim meets (whole weekends when the swim center is closed to us residents) are decided by our HOA. Gary also gets paid as a consultant for the raw land here in Circle C.

Steve Bartlett holds the current HOA Board of Director position that will be open for an important vote at our March 26th annual meeting. I want to thank Steve Bartlett for his past work and hope he decides to decline any nominations. Steve Bartlett IS NOT A RESIDENT of Circle C. The Secretary of State recognizes Steve Bartlett as the president of Bradley Development. Steve has been a board member of the CCHOA since 1988, and every 3 years voted back in. He is also an owner of Bartlett Group with Brad Buetel. The Secretary of State also recognizes Brad Buetel as the Director of Bradley Development, manager of Circle C Realty and manager of Circle C Tennis LLC.

The Secretary of State also recognizes Brad Buetel as part owner of Circle C Landscape LLC along with Susan Hoover. Brad Buetel is also a cousin of Gary Bradley, and pays Gary Bradley a $12,000.00 a month salary from Castle Realty. CASTLE REALTY HAS THE SAME ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER AS BRADLEY DEVELOPMENT. The Secretary of State recognizes that our Circle C Homeowners Association Inc., our company, even shares this same business address as Bradley Development and 33 other companies!

Susan Hoover is also a former Bradley Development top management employee. The Secretary of State recognizes as of November 19, 2002 a new company called Full Circle Management, LLC with Denise Nordstrom as a registered agent as well as manager, along with Susan Hoover as a second manager. How can Full Circle Management, LLC serve as a management company when one of its owners is also holds the largest expenditure of our budget?

Many think Circle C Landscape LLC, is our HOA landscape company. This is what they want you to think. Our logo is even used on all there trucks. Circle C Landscape LLC, The company who has provided the landscape service each and every year for Circle C, is the largest expenditure of the CCHOA Annual Report with a cost of over $400,000.00.

The HOA Board has never put this largest expenditure up for bid. NEVER. If these rampant self dealing and conflict of interest situations are corrected, it could save us many tens of thousands of dollars and certainly would forestall any increases in our homeowner dues now and in the future. Even our CCHOA bookkeepers, Giles & Shay came to us from Bradley Development. I spoke with the Attorney General office, they said that if we have a problem with our HOA board, then we need to vote new people in, because it is our company. If they do not represent us properly with our money, how can they represent the issues that are best for us?

Suggested Solutions.

It is 2003 and time for a new beginning. We need to clean up our own mess before the media gets involved. My suggested solutions:

1. Attend the March 26th meeting. Vote for a RESIDENT that:
?• Has no conflicts of interest.
?• That supports a no conflict of interest code.
?• Put our services up for bid to save us money, or hire a REAL management company to do that job.

2. Tell YOUR board that you want:
?• All our services to be bid out to reputable companies
?• A strong Conflict of Interest Code immediately.
?• The PAC disbanded because it threatens our non-profit status.
?• No information SHOULD EVER be held from us. In a May 17, 2002 Chronicle article, a board member admits to withholding information from this community. This is unacceptable.
?• Full disclosure & Full bios of our board members posted on the website. For example: I do not believe that a board member who might be a lobbyist for an oil company can truly represent the best interest of our community when it comes time to decide something like an oil pipeline running right through the middle of our community.

Susan Hoover will be trying to get people to sign proxies over to her. Tell your neighbors not to do this. If you are a resident with integrity and NO FORMER TIES TO THE OLD CIRCLE C TEAM, please consider being a candidate for this position. Circle C needs you to step forward. Take the time to discuss these issues with your neighbors. Use this website to find someone with integrity. The annual meeting is on March 26th. In the past, too many of us have been uninformed and too busy to attend. Be there. Those with conflicts of interest will count on you to not show up.

Thomas Donovan CPA reports

Feb 24, 2003
I have just seen pages from the 2000 Independent Audit.

This is proof of self dealing and a conflict of interest.

CCHOA Audit from 2 years ago - Thomas Donovan CPA reports that two Board Members (Steve Bartlett & Susan Hoover) were paid as employees for companies that billed the CCHOA (over $500,000.00) for ?“Landscaping, Pool Maintenance, and Cost Reimbursements?”.

Look it up for yourself at the Information Center.

-By Frank Franklin