Falling On My Sword

Outright lying was the last fucking straw.

Our current treasurer sending a second fraudulent and misleading invoice to the mortgage company unit owners was wrong. More importantly it’s against the Illinois Condominium Act.

I could not sanction lying and what amounted to stealing by my presence on the board. I chucked the whole kit and caboodle and wished them well.

We have come a long way in a short period of time. To engage in this bullshit reeked of our developer.

Now I can stomach a lot of things but I was in not was ready to sell my soul on this one.

There are certain things that shouldn’t ever be done. Number one is share a toothbrush with someone, number two is certain “private acts” should remain private and not be transferred to any recordable medium and number three is you shouldn’t lie and cheat your neighbors.

Make sure you write those down as those are pearls of wisdom I’m giving away for free.

I know all three happen (*shudder*) but they shouldn’t.

Especially the third.

Then of course let’s set aside the legality and morality of this tawdry little tale. I’m ignoring what I believe to be an important part of the story.

Me.

I can be a ball breaking, self righteous, judgmental pain in the ass. On the other hand I can be overly generous (to a fault), compassionate and loyal---whether it be to a person or a cause.

Let’s put it out there. Self realization is important.

Nonetheless, I would ask no less of anyone that I would demand of myself.

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know about the exploits of the past year and a half and how I’ve played a part in this whole little melodrama.

Let me correct myself and shed my modesty by revealing my large part in turning this ship around.

To date my suggestions and recommendations have saved or netted the association over $15,000 in line item costs, project costs & “found money” from the city.

Let’s count the ways, shall we?

2003 & 2004 Refuse Rebates from the city totaling approximately $2,700.00 of found money---I researched and applied for the program.

The $3,500 & $2,500 dollars in savings in 2005 and 2006 by doing our own yard work and maintenance---my idea. I developed the first maintenance schedules from May 2005 until the end of that year.

Who found a costly $3,300 overcharge on the porch contract? Yours truly.

Who had the bright idea to leverage a look at other insurance agencies into a $3,000 savings on our annual premiums? D’oh! It looks like it was Woody to the rescue again.

Despite that fact that I’m a human being who falls short of God’s grace, I can---if given half a chance---make a discernable difference.

I wonder how I can sneak all of this in on my resume?

Let’s not even talk about who found the reliable porch contractor whose bid came in a full $20,000 under the competition or who found the financing for the porch project in the first place.

Guilty as charged.

Believe it or not, I managed to do this with a (somewhat) active social life AND two jobs. Most of these little tasks were done over numerous lunch hours.

Who says sixty minutes can’t make a difference?

I’m in it to win it folks. This is my home.

So when I point out mistakes or inconsistencies, it’s never about me lording over someone, it’s about what’s legal and what’s right.

The current language of the Illinois Condominium Property Act clearly states that when a unit is bought out of foreclosure, the new owner is not liable for any old debts or prior special assessments.

It’s pretty freaking clear on that point.

So despite my many e-mails and verbal explanations, our treasurer still went ahead and charged the mortgage company unit owners for debts that they didn’t legally owe.

What makes it even worse is that we have a judgment against the person who is legally responsible for that debt.

In effect, we’re double dipping. We’re charging two different people for the same thing.

That’s like selling a cold bottle of beer to two different people.

What a crock of shit.

That type of slimy, duplicitous behavior is disgusting.

And to further add insult to injury, I get the not so subtle rebuke about the definition of board duties.

Excuse me?

I didn’t hear anything about board duties when I was doing the grunt work researching and contacting the mortgage companies to find out where we should be sending the invoice.

After all, that should have been the treasurer’s job, right?

I didn’t hear anything about board duties when I caught the $3,300 overage on the porch contract.

We all should have been going over it with a fine tooth comb, right?

So it strikes me as odd that chests want to get poked out about who is doing what in the association.

You want my help and dedication when it’s beneficial but shun it at will?

Screw that. I hit the door.

Let’s see if this dog can hunt without its sense of smell.