Time to vote out the current Columbia Association board members

Submitted by hocohappy t3_yrjqov in ColumbiaMD

I read this article today and I’m absolutely done with this board.

I watched that CA board meeting a few weeks ago mentioned in the article and all I could think was, “how do these folks keep getting re-elected?”

This is a beautiful city that needs a leader who can fight for its future, but that’s simply impossible with an inept board that can’t even tell the difference between a pdf and an e-mail. They are holding us back with their backward attitudes and various ethical violations.

Edited to add this link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/david-nitkin-2616126_hickory-ridge-village-board-chair-confirms-activity-6998405232342794240-UU9E?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

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Comments

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Exciting-Rub-6006 t1_ivu0aop wrote

Thanks for linking the article … I like 99% of Columbians just pay our dues and don’t think about the CA board.

Really good long informative article

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dirtycrabcakes t1_ivupvy6 wrote

I shouldn't even share this considering how embarrassing this is, but case in point...

My wife sent me the link to the article and I responded "have I been talking about this with you?"

"No. This is the first I've heard about it"

I've been talking about this on reddit, watching all of the board meeting videos for weeks, etc... and I didn't even realize that I hadn't discussed it with the person sitting next to me. I'm ashamed!

Anyway... just a reminder to talk to people about it face-to-face. Talk to your family and neighbors. People talking out-loud will raise a lot more eyebrows than reddit. Especailly given that most of the board is likely like "What's a Reddit?"

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The_Social_Nerd t1_ivufnzn wrote

Thanks for sharing, I was unaware of all this. The article doesn't say when the next election is though, any info on that or who else is running?

EDIT: For those of you curious, it looks like the elections are held in April, lookout for a flyer, you can even vote online. Some seats are one and some seats are two years, let's shake things up in April, if the turnout is as low as the article says just a handful of us can make a huge impact!

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emleh t1_ivvjn82 wrote

I used to work for CA and it has always been fairly turbulent, especially after the sale of Rouse to GGP. Some of the board members have been in their role forever (Stack & Thomas for sure). I respect Stack very much because he is committed, bright and really understands the community. Thomas is the rep for where I live and I am very disappointed by her efforts to oust the current president. I really feel that we should have more input about where our assessment dollars go and it’s infuriating that they are being used for an attorney to champion this removal effort.

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imani_TqiynAZU t1_ivuf1ti wrote

Is there a counterpoint to this article?

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Critical_Ad6764 t1_ivufgpi wrote

Good question. I wonder what the CA Board will say in response. I’m most troubled by the fact that they have hired separate legal counsel that’s being paid for with our assessment dollars.

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MinimumAnalysis5378 t1_ivxon2c wrote

There is this blog, which I have found to be thoughtful and better informed than I am: http://villagegreentownsquared.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-choices-tell-you.html?fbclid=IwAR2f60m6UFf0LWgJymmpaoqZCNN6NxF2xgkDjwKZLblrw9rUZgYPmOpkG0c

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Several-Housing2092 t1_ivxprgq wrote

That blog post is full of shadowy conspiracy theories and seems to be an attempt to deflect from the real story of the conflict between the CA board and Lakey Boyd. I recognize the blogger wants to defend her friend who asked a question that was, at a minimum, ill-advised and that sparked this whole kerfuffle, but the bigger story of the the board is too important to have it dragged into this petty personal drama.

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MinimumAnalysis5378 t1_ivxqhvl wrote

There is a difference between a “shadowy conspiracy theory” and pointing out a lack of transparency. The Washington Post never runs an article about Amazon without stating that they are owned by Jeff Bezos. If the owners of a medium have an interest in the outcome of a dispute, that should be apparent.

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Several-Housing2092 t1_ivxx0z3 wrote

The WaPo/Amazon reference is completely irrelevant. The writer of the Fishbowl piece is part owner of that website but has no financial stake in either of the organizations discussed in the piece. But when you can’t attack the message (that CA’s board dysfunction is harming the organization and community) you attack the messenger.

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hocohappy OP t1_ivygdi6 wrote

Thank you for posting this. I just read this and was about to post too. It appears to be a counterpoint of sorts, I suppose.

This piece basically just smears the author without covering the main issue at hand: the CA board is a mess.

The blogger ‘defends’ her friend but the blog barely covers the utter ineptitude of the CA board.

She also pulls in the Rouse Project for a smearing, which has literally nothing to do with the almost-evil ineptness of the board—except that the people involved with the RP were trying to run against these ethically-ambiguous, doddering old white folks.

Like, feel free smear shit everywhere if you want to, blogger-lady, but maybe you should cover actual issues too.

Edited to add: someone DMed me to say that this blogger is paid by inner arbor. What a goddamned mess.

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johngordonboyle t1_iw130ma wrote

My understanding is that she is not paid: she does her programming free of charge.

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Golferguy49 t1_ivw5znl wrote

The fireworks just ended at the meeting. It was must watch YouTube!! Sad state of affairs.

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JDommu t1_ivy4hea wrote

I did live play by play of last nights CA meeting on my blogs FB page.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02vrZi771fPRXY6LvbZN8Gm6uFwqh3Yk1tBzc5gvEqqay1k4eDtNwQsnGDvS39groQl&id=100027924686848

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hocohappy OP t1_ivyh3xa wrote

Thanks for this!! Very helpful. Glad the community is speaking up.

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kevinxb t1_iwcxs2r wrote

Thanks for posting this, very helpful

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anidulafungin t1_ivyeefu wrote

I'm not very knowledgeable in how transparency of an HoA vs actual incorporated town or city is, but I wonder if it's time Columbia be incorporated into an actual town or city?

Incorporated towns/cities are rare in Maryland, but I have lived in one in Maryland and in other states, and information seemed to be visible.

Here's an article I found from almost 30 years ago: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-10-05-1994278199-story.html

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GingerMan027 t1_ivvvhfy wrote

Well, when young folks start to vote......

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