some fair points

Micki,

I agree that as general matter, notice of what is going on at the Board level is rather sparse. Unfortunately, the attitude seems to be that if you don't attend a Board meeting in person [never mind that agendas are seldom circulated in advance], that you are out of luck. I've even written to SBB for information in re various projects under consideration and my requests have simply gone ignored. Be that as it may, while we will definitely need to work with the Board and SBB to improve the notice situation, I disagree with some of the points you raised:

Proxies --- Not sure what else the Board can do. I think they should be commended. Moreover, nothing would have prevented you or I from obtaining proxies. While notice of meetings is generally poor, in this instance the Board provided more than adequate notice.

Candidate Platforms --- Strikes me that this is the candidate's problem, not the Board's.

Term Limits/Committees --- Why discourage people from volunteering?

HOA Board Meeting

Steve,
I agree with Micki in the lack of communication between the BOD and the members. That was one of the main reasons I decided to run for the Board. Most BOD elections require voting members to be present and proxy votes are not permitted. I have served for a number of years as President of the HOA at our previous residence and have no idea what criteria was used in our election process. We elect Board Members to represent us, but we have NO knowledge of anyone's background or qualifications. I believe e-mail is a great way to communicate and would love to see a notice from our HOA in my inbox with newsletters, minutes, activities, issues, planned spending or updates. By serving as a past member of a HOA, I have a deep appreciation for the extra efforts and commitment of serving members. It can be frustrating at times, but very rewarding if done properly. I hope you find your role rewarding.

Re: some fair points

Michael, I agree with lack of information from SBB management. I called a couple of weeks before the election and asked about other individuals running for a seat on the board. I was informed that there was no other candidates and was told they would inform me if any changes. I guess you can imagine my surprise when I showed up to a meeting and was the only person not voted in when there were supposedly 3 open seats. I would like to know what the vote count would have been based upon the members who attended the meeting without the proxy votes which were held in the hands of the President?

well stated

I think you make some valid points in re the possible limitations on proxies. Perhaps proxies should only be used to vote on issues while absentee ballots could instead be used to elect Board members. No reason they could not be collected at the same time. Those of us who are interested in improving the communications from the Board to the homeowners should probably meet and pull together some proposals on how this might be accomplished in advance of the the April Board meeting so that we can have some meaningful discussion at that meeting.