It seemed unbelievable to Lewis and I that so much drama could occur in our condominium. But it's located in NYC, which is tainted by negativity... so that explains it. Firstly, there was a sudden election for the condo's Board of Managers. The president was ousted, and accusations of negligence and overspending swirled around her. Unprofessionally, she hand-wrote a rebuttal--full of spelling mistakes and poor grammar--and shoved copies under everyone's front door. No, she did not use the building's email system. It made her seem like an imbecile.
The new president "found" an unmarked account with $50,000 in it. We wonder how many more unmarked accounts will be discovered? Suspicions erupted from a contingent of homeowners. A memo stated that the building's accountant was uncooperative and unresponsive. They were replaced with legal action. Next, the management company that oversaw the building was fired for negligence. Our doormen told us that the company's representative often sat in his office doing nothing, deleted emails without reading them, neglected requests, and was the opposite of proactive. That company tried to sue the condo, but quickly withdrew. During an audit, their records and accounts were incomplete, and shambolic. Yet, the condo's previous board of managers always approved them... which was suspicious.
A review was done on proposals from the construction contractor that the building used during the past 10 years. Shocked by what they saw, residents agreed that the costs were too high. Two new contractors were invited to give proposals. Their projected prices proved that the building's usual contractor was a ripoff--charging more than twice what both other contractors charged! Sometimes, the old contractor charged three-times the appropriate price! When residents realized that, they were furious about getting scammed. That contractor was fired, too. Clearly, the old board members allowed it to happen, and probably profited from it via bribes and kickbacks. Why else did the Board of our condo remain unchanged with the same people for 30 years?! It's an unpaid job, so they are evidently attracted by the illegal money of kickbacks and the funds syphoned to "hidden accounts".
The removal of the corrupt contractor ignited a firestorm from certain people, and it became apparent that they were the small population that "benefitted" from the old behaviors. Instead of being grateful for what they stole, they greedily wanted to continue stealing. They did everything imaginably to get rid of the new people on the Board. They slandered the new people who tried to be proactive "fixers" on the Board of Managers. They bribed other residents to make false accusations. Proof was submitted that two of them tried to get a woman fired from her job by creating false complaints about her! That's insane! Threats to the new members were published. It cost the building's budget a hefty sum to pay for lawyers to settle things.
When the new President of the Board of Mangers suggested increasing the compensation for the building's staff--to be in-line with prevailing wages--that same group of residents lobbied against it. It seems that they were complacent to overpay the prior contractor and previous management company, but they were not okay adding more compensation to the hardworking staff. They also objected to replacing the table and chairs from 1982 that the doormen use in their Break Room. (That is a mental sickness of greed & cruelty that is prevalent with landlords and employers in NYC). Somehow, they coerced enough people to vote against it (or perhaps not enough people voted for it... since apathy is prevalent in our condo and people don't get involved because nothing changes). That was a shame; we like our staff, and they deserve proper pay.
One change created an improvement. Our condo advertises that one of the amenities is a daily shuttle bus that ferries residents to/from the subway station. People also use it to go to the markets and stores in that area. Residents pay for it every month in their "maintenance fees". But, whenever the driver didn't come to work or the bus malfunctioned, it was cancelled abruptly. Occasionally, the previous Board found a replacement, but they usually didn't seem to care. Residents said that they didn't care because they never used the shuttle. (That is like the city's corrupt Metropolitan Transit Authority; its leaders don't use the subway or buses, so they don't care about their dilapidated condition). Residents complained that they should always have a ride, since they pay for it in the monthly Common Charges. Furthermore, elderly people, people with children, travelers with luggage, and injured residents must also pay for taxis when there is no shuttle. The new President instituted a policy that the condo would always pay for a car-service SUV to replace the shuttle, whenever needed. Furthermore, if the shuttle driver didn't come to work, the condo's administrator would do her best to get a replacement driver. Everyone cheered for those refinements. Only the supporters of the old Board disliked it.
A series of other overdue improvements occurred. The Common Room was finally refurbished and opened for use (after two years of closure). The cellar's flooring was redone (which leads from the elevators to the garage, recycling area, and laundry room). The doormen got new swivel chairs. The repairman who (routinely) never properly fixed the garage doors was fired and the doors were fixed. New security cameras were installed with a viewing monitor at the Front Desk. Proposals were initiated to install the terrace accoutrement that was promised when the building was erected in 1989 but never done. (As of now, there is only fenced-off cement). Most residents loved those things... but the few who favored the previous administration--which syphoned funds and didn't do improvements--did not.
The new Board celebrated their decisions as ways to attract new tenants and compete with the luxury towers being constructed in nearby Long Island City. Mostly, they wanted residents to enjoy living in our condo. The clique of troublemakers acted like NYC landlords or Electricity Suppliers who don't care about improvements because they think NYC will endlessly lure people to overpay for the privilege of living in substandard ways.
That small clique began intense bullying of the Vice President and she decided to resign. Perhaps they paid her to leave. An election occurred to fill that sudden vacancy. An upstanding woman was nominated. The cantankerous group who wanted the old Board started an onslaught of bullying to stop her. They tried to get her fired from her job by making false complaints. Only a terrible and mentally-deranged person tries to make someone lose their job! (I witnessed it at three prior NYC jobs and Lewis saw it at two prior NYC jobs, so we know its prevalent... yet we detest it). Lawyers were needed to issued "Cease and Desist" orders to legally make them stop. After seeing those people's behavior, the condo's lawyer wrote to the population to say that he never witnessed anything as vile. Meanwhile, another vacancy opened on the 7-person Board.
After several delays for the election, the upstanding candidate won the role of Vice President. However, that despicable contingent of residents was powerful enough to get their ringleader (the man who was caught trying to get the other candidate fired and needed the Cease & Desist Order) elected, too! Lewis and I couldn't believe how that happened?! How could anybody elect such a vile person? Making things worse, the person who was the previous president was re-elected to the Board! After a slew of paperwork proved her incompetence and inaction--and implied her embezzlements--how could any smart person vote for her again? Yet, people voted for two proven troublemakers. Obviously, the "bad guys" had more clout and power than anticipated. We hypothesize that they are keen to keep other "hidden monies" from being discovered, and they want to reinstate their overpaid corrupt partners.
Worrisomely, the new president abruptly resigned. We don't know what made her abandon the role--especially since she was accomplishing many good things. She was quickly replaced by a member of the Board who sympathized with the "old ways of doing things". The nasty clique installed another of their cronies to fill that vacancy. So, after all of the "championing for change", the Board still includes 3 troublemakers, 2 fixers, the same treasurer who held the role during the last 10 years (who didn't stop the corruption), and one new person without ambition. Consequently, the lawbreaking thieves control the Board... again.
Alas, with a Board that is half corrupt/greedy/uncaring, we doubt that things will improve. As you might expect, another cost-proposal was created for the construction projects that our building supposedly "needs". The outrageous prices were approved, and we're certain that friends of the Board Members enriched themselves at our expense:
Waterproofing of the parking lot and tennis court, and painting the walls and parking lines in the garage = $855,000.
($150,000 of that is allegedly needed to install a waterproof membrane under the tennis court).
Removal and replacement of tennis court surface = $450,000.
(The building only has a single tennis court).
Painting lines on the outdoor parking lot = $50,000
(Why is that separate from the lines in the garage?)
Repair deteriorated coating of garage entrance = $50,000.
Patch the existing slab up to 2-inches = $6,000.
New windows for the swimming pool = $125,000.
New fire alarm system = $150,000.
Removal of debris on the roof and replace damaged guardrails = $300,000.
New lavatories for the gym and removal of jacuzzi = $75,000.
Waterproofing of the terrace = $250,000.
Railing repairs = $7,500
Railing replacement at elevated slab = $37,500.
Horizontal crack repair of driveway = $30,000.
Tiled floor and painted walls in the laundry room = $12,000.
Landscaping along the waterside promenade = $110,000.
Landscaping in front of the building = $22,000.
Repair deteriorated coating of the promenade = $500,000.
Resurfacing the sidewalk in front of the building = $39,000.
Repair the drains on the terrace = $12,500.
New tiled floors for the five elevators = $7,000.
Lobby upgrade: new wallpaper, sconces, rugs, and polishing the marble floor = $350,000.
Permits, scaffolding, coordination, et cetera = $225,000.
(Why is there a charge for coordination? Shouldn't that be included in each of the earlier items? Why does the cost-estimate say "etc"?
Those are most of the highlights, but the total expenditure was $3.75 million! That's unjustifiable. It seems like they took our money and wrote checks to themselves (disgustingly similar to NYC's government)! That absurd cost was divided amongst 407 unit-owners.
In a tainted world, things do not get better unless a major shift occurs. That's why people relocate.
