Response to Al Morin's so-called rebuttal
To Section 10 Neighbors – Message to arrive by mail the week of Feb 13th
Halleluiah, Al Morin has actually responded to a few of my concerns in writing. This is a complete reversal from his past style of ignoring my requests for information about important issues in our community, like embezzlement, by-law changes and the building of a replacement clubhouse. Mr. Morin, one additional thing I would also like in writing is your assurance that the association did not have to pay our attorneys or someone else to draft your response which is supposed to be a rebuttal, I guess. Please send this to my email below.
Two years ago when I found out what these people on the board were doing to our community, the tone of my inquiries started out much softer. Through two years of the frustration of getting no response to anything, my style has become more aggressive, more in-your-face. If that’s the only method that gets results, so be it. I am direct and to the point, but at least I don’t sneak around and say defamatory things behind someone’s back. I would also like to credit one former board member who opened my eyes to all these misdeeds with a remark about the board having purposely changed the by-laws to remove all rights of the residents. More on that shortly!
First, the good news…Point Aquarius now has a blog. For the non Internet savvy readers, a blog is loosely defined as an acronym for “web log”. It is a place where information can be posted for all to see and comment on, both pro and con. Remember, that’s what the board took away from us a few years ago. They changed it from two way dialog to one way…their way. The new site is listed below. Just type it into your browser and hit the enter key. Kindly review my first posting in which I asked Al Morin to resign. Please feel free to add your thoughts. This appears to be our only hope to cut through the inaccurate propaganda now flowing from the board.
http://pointaquarius.blogspot.com/
Most of you who read my first newsletter know that the gist of the message was about the way the clubhouse project is being mishandled by the board. Did you notice how silent Mr. Morin was on that subject? Why didn’t he offer rebuttal to the comments I made about the dysfunctional clubhouse committee? Did he fully explain why he personally nixed a new survey to update the one that is over 5 years old? If Mr. Morin and the board have made every effort to keep the residents of Point Aquarius informed there is scant evidence of this communication especially with sufficient detail about the big stuff like the clubhouse. For a project of this importance with a huge financial impact, clear details should have been mailed to all residents. We have never had to borrow money to pay for anything. Maybe most residents don’t want to go into debt and are willing to live with a less grandiose building. At the very least, everything should be clearly spelled out for all to see and question. Then, a properly written survey should be sent out to get community buy in to proceed. Instead, we have a group of 6 or 7 individuals who have demonstrated self serving inclinations making all decisions. It’s a sad day for Point Aquarius if we allow this to happen.
Although Mr. Morin states, “Complete control was never an issue in the modification of the by-laws,” read the following information that comes from another concerned board member:
Ralph, I don't know whether you saw the petition that was circulated with over 100 signers in revolt of the deficit budget, the assessment increase and not having a definite plan with regard to the clubhouse. I am sending you a copy as an attachment. (When the budget was voted on, we did present a balanced budget to the Board that included no increase in assessments and still had money for the roads. But as usual, this was rejected by Murphy, Morin, Hansen, Saltzman, O'Hara and Morgan.)
The petitions were presented to the Secretary, Joan O'Hara at the regular Board meeting. Bob Murphy said he would assume that all names were correct and that he would "give us this". Al Morin immediately took the signed petitions away from Joan O'Hara at the meeting. Between that time and the special Board meeting that was called, Al proceeded in calling petitioners and harassing them for signing the document. At the special meeting, without the knowledge of all the Board members, the Association's attorney's were invited and paid by the Association to attend this meeting. The attorney's proceeded to inform the Board and the property owners assembled that, as stated in our By-Laws, the property owners had no rights other than two things. These were (1) electing the Directors in April and (2) changing the By-Laws. In other words, our petitions were useless.
How did these by-laws just happen to get changed to delete all rights of homeowners for the benefit of the board? Since Mr. Morin says it was never an issue, did the replacement words just show up in the text by themselves? According to a previous board member, that was their plan all along. The change to allow one representative per section was likely just an effort by the inner circle to insure Mr. Morin’s reelection from an area with only 16 lots and no one interested in a board seat. Does this guy sell snake oil too?
In the February 2006 Point Aquarian, a guy named Bob Murphy is trying to legitimatize the process adopted by the board to build a new community center as they now call it. He alludes to a 2001 survey in which respondents indicated they wanted a new clubhouse. The fact that he even mentions this survey suggests he might be aware of the value in assessing the wants and needs of our community. Why then is he relying on something that is 5 years old rather than updating it? Many of the people who completed the old survey have moved long ago. Hundreds of new families have taken up residence here in the homes that have been built since 2001. Why is the board going out of its way to exclude all these people from expressing their opinion about what kind of clubhouse is needed for our community? They have money in the pot too. It is because the board is fearful that the masses won’t agree with their convoluted design for the project.
Before I resigned the clubhouse committee in disgust, I heard the chairman and other members refer to this 2001 survey as “worthless”. They pointed out, that it was badly written by the previous administration and would be of no use by the committee now working on the new clubhouse. I encourage everyone to ask Mr. Morin for a copy of it. My bet is that he won’t show it to you, just like he didn’t respond to me when I asked for it. Remember, secrecy is paramount to these people.
In my brief tenure on this committee, I implored the leadership to conduct a new survey to update the desires of the residents and allow new and transplanted neighbors a voice in how their money would be spent. Mr. Morin and the board still refuse to answer specifically why they won’t allow a new survey. What are they hiding besides convoluted logic in building something Point Aquarius doesn’t need at a very high cost? As evidenced by the written clubhouse resolution (copy enclosed) the board has insured that there is absolutely no feedback from the community in any part of the plan for the new building. Read the resolution again. It is a travesty. Mr. Morin and the board should be ashamed of this document.
Most of you will remember the embezzlement by Leslie, the former property manager. Mr. Morin states, “With the help of myself, several other board members and external auditors, we were able to detect and recover all of the missing funds.” Here’s a different description of what actually happened from another board member which casts doubt on this hallmark accomplishment:
Doesn't it seem strange that when Leslie was indicted for embezzlement, Al Morin refused to allow anyone other than himself to investigate the checks and other financial records of the POA? I told him on several occasions that we should call in a third-party auditor, and he refused, saying that he was handling it. Now, he is neither a bookkeeper nor a forensic accountant. What assurances do we have that all monies were accounted for and returned? The property owners have never been furnished with a full accounting or copies of the investigation from the Sheriff's Department. Were there other improprieties taken by individuals other than Leslie? Doesn't this seem strange that we have never had access to any information concerning this incident other than what Al Morin told us? Is there something we are not being told? It might prove to be very interesting reading to review the detective's report concerning Leslie, Al Morin and any others that may have been involved.
Instead of heaping praise on Mr. Morin for saving our money, we may heap something else on him after a thorough investigation of this scandal is completed. I am a betting man and my money is not on Mr. Morin. Let me go on record right now that I would like to review the complete file on the financial embezzlement. I hope others will ask too. We need an unbiased group to look into this bubbling controversy. Isn’t it also interesting that a number of individuals have attempted to review association records form time to time, only to be rebuffed? The open-door policy appears to be selectively enforced. I am a member in good standing and I will post to the blog what I hear from Mr. Morin or the board about my request for this vital information about possible misdeeds.
Mr. Morin is apparently referring to me when he says it is easy to criticize others while one sits back and does nothing. I wholeheartedly disagree. It is hard work keeping up with all the shenanigans these people are pulling over on the community. Let’s see, we have no rights, but we are expected to pay our fees so a few board members can build the clubhouse they want. I’ll keep publicizing everything on the blog so we can all be informed. It is becoming a bigger and bigger job the more I dig. If he and his buddies all acted for the benefit of the community instead of their own self-interest I would gladly volunteer to help with other projects. But, when I observe evil deeds that need to be countered, I can’t just sit back like some Enron employees did. We all know what happened to them. I don’t want the same fate for Point Aquarius.
In what may be the lamest excuse I have ever heard for outright obvious errors by the board, Mr. Morin says that these volunteers bring different skills to this unpaid service. Perhaps he meant to say “no” skills. It’s not OK to do bad work and hope we survive. Mr. Morin doesn’t appear to realize it, but PA is just like a small business which needs accuracy to function. Can they read English? Presumably the board as authors of the clubhouse resolution actually read the document before they printed and distributed it. I guess they didn’t notice anything wrong. Holy cow! We may have a huge mess on our hands! How many other mistakes have occurred because of slipshod work? Have they paid contractors twice or paid for work never done? Are the numbers entered correctly into the spreadsheets used to analyze projects like the clubhouse or road repairs? Is the budget really accurate? Remember, Enron and WorldCom had auditors too.
Let’s review a few of the lowlights from Mr. Morin’s tenure as our representative:
Due to changes to the by-laws by the board, the residents have lost all rights to object to anything these people may decide to do, no matter how foolhardy it may be.
Although we are paying for it, we have absolutely no say in the design or features of the new clubhouse.
Another board member has provided a vastly different version of the investigation involving the embezzlement and has concerns about additional improprieties. .
Mr. Morin thinks it is OK to do slipshod work in managing the affairs of our community.
He routinely ignores legitimate requests for information from dues paying residents.
Call Mr. Morin as he requested to talk about his improvement needs, but listen carefully. I tried to converse with him for a half hour in my living room several years ago, and I never got a straight or intelligible answer to any question I asked. Remember, you had better write down whatever you hear, because it will change if you talk again. In my opinion, Mr. Morin is in way over his head and I again ask for his immediate resignation from the board. Point Aquarius needs leadership that seeks input from residents not the type that steals their rights and excludes them from participation.
Ralph Splawski - Concerned Resident of Section 10
ikswalps@gmail.com
Halleluiah, Al Morin has actually responded to a few of my concerns in writing. This is a complete reversal from his past style of ignoring my requests for information about important issues in our community, like embezzlement, by-law changes and the building of a replacement clubhouse. Mr. Morin, one additional thing I would also like in writing is your assurance that the association did not have to pay our attorneys or someone else to draft your response which is supposed to be a rebuttal, I guess. Please send this to my email below.
Two years ago when I found out what these people on the board were doing to our community, the tone of my inquiries started out much softer. Through two years of the frustration of getting no response to anything, my style has become more aggressive, more in-your-face. If that’s the only method that gets results, so be it. I am direct and to the point, but at least I don’t sneak around and say defamatory things behind someone’s back. I would also like to credit one former board member who opened my eyes to all these misdeeds with a remark about the board having purposely changed the by-laws to remove all rights of the residents. More on that shortly!
First, the good news…Point Aquarius now has a blog. For the non Internet savvy readers, a blog is loosely defined as an acronym for “web log”. It is a place where information can be posted for all to see and comment on, both pro and con. Remember, that’s what the board took away from us a few years ago. They changed it from two way dialog to one way…their way. The new site is listed below. Just type it into your browser and hit the enter key. Kindly review my first posting in which I asked Al Morin to resign. Please feel free to add your thoughts. This appears to be our only hope to cut through the inaccurate propaganda now flowing from the board.
http://pointaquarius.blogspot.com/
Most of you who read my first newsletter know that the gist of the message was about the way the clubhouse project is being mishandled by the board. Did you notice how silent Mr. Morin was on that subject? Why didn’t he offer rebuttal to the comments I made about the dysfunctional clubhouse committee? Did he fully explain why he personally nixed a new survey to update the one that is over 5 years old? If Mr. Morin and the board have made every effort to keep the residents of Point Aquarius informed there is scant evidence of this communication especially with sufficient detail about the big stuff like the clubhouse. For a project of this importance with a huge financial impact, clear details should have been mailed to all residents. We have never had to borrow money to pay for anything. Maybe most residents don’t want to go into debt and are willing to live with a less grandiose building. At the very least, everything should be clearly spelled out for all to see and question. Then, a properly written survey should be sent out to get community buy in to proceed. Instead, we have a group of 6 or 7 individuals who have demonstrated self serving inclinations making all decisions. It’s a sad day for Point Aquarius if we allow this to happen.
Although Mr. Morin states, “Complete control was never an issue in the modification of the by-laws,” read the following information that comes from another concerned board member:
Ralph, I don't know whether you saw the petition that was circulated with over 100 signers in revolt of the deficit budget, the assessment increase and not having a definite plan with regard to the clubhouse. I am sending you a copy as an attachment. (When the budget was voted on, we did present a balanced budget to the Board that included no increase in assessments and still had money for the roads. But as usual, this was rejected by Murphy, Morin, Hansen, Saltzman, O'Hara and Morgan.)
The petitions were presented to the Secretary, Joan O'Hara at the regular Board meeting. Bob Murphy said he would assume that all names were correct and that he would "give us this". Al Morin immediately took the signed petitions away from Joan O'Hara at the meeting. Between that time and the special Board meeting that was called, Al proceeded in calling petitioners and harassing them for signing the document. At the special meeting, without the knowledge of all the Board members, the Association's attorney's were invited and paid by the Association to attend this meeting. The attorney's proceeded to inform the Board and the property owners assembled that, as stated in our By-Laws, the property owners had no rights other than two things. These were (1) electing the Directors in April and (2) changing the By-Laws. In other words, our petitions were useless.
How did these by-laws just happen to get changed to delete all rights of homeowners for the benefit of the board? Since Mr. Morin says it was never an issue, did the replacement words just show up in the text by themselves? According to a previous board member, that was their plan all along. The change to allow one representative per section was likely just an effort by the inner circle to insure Mr. Morin’s reelection from an area with only 16 lots and no one interested in a board seat. Does this guy sell snake oil too?
In the February 2006 Point Aquarian, a guy named Bob Murphy is trying to legitimatize the process adopted by the board to build a new community center as they now call it. He alludes to a 2001 survey in which respondents indicated they wanted a new clubhouse. The fact that he even mentions this survey suggests he might be aware of the value in assessing the wants and needs of our community. Why then is he relying on something that is 5 years old rather than updating it? Many of the people who completed the old survey have moved long ago. Hundreds of new families have taken up residence here in the homes that have been built since 2001. Why is the board going out of its way to exclude all these people from expressing their opinion about what kind of clubhouse is needed for our community? They have money in the pot too. It is because the board is fearful that the masses won’t agree with their convoluted design for the project.
Before I resigned the clubhouse committee in disgust, I heard the chairman and other members refer to this 2001 survey as “worthless”. They pointed out, that it was badly written by the previous administration and would be of no use by the committee now working on the new clubhouse. I encourage everyone to ask Mr. Morin for a copy of it. My bet is that he won’t show it to you, just like he didn’t respond to me when I asked for it. Remember, secrecy is paramount to these people.
In my brief tenure on this committee, I implored the leadership to conduct a new survey to update the desires of the residents and allow new and transplanted neighbors a voice in how their money would be spent. Mr. Morin and the board still refuse to answer specifically why they won’t allow a new survey. What are they hiding besides convoluted logic in building something Point Aquarius doesn’t need at a very high cost? As evidenced by the written clubhouse resolution (copy enclosed) the board has insured that there is absolutely no feedback from the community in any part of the plan for the new building. Read the resolution again. It is a travesty. Mr. Morin and the board should be ashamed of this document.
Most of you will remember the embezzlement by Leslie, the former property manager. Mr. Morin states, “With the help of myself, several other board members and external auditors, we were able to detect and recover all of the missing funds.” Here’s a different description of what actually happened from another board member which casts doubt on this hallmark accomplishment:
Doesn't it seem strange that when Leslie was indicted for embezzlement, Al Morin refused to allow anyone other than himself to investigate the checks and other financial records of the POA? I told him on several occasions that we should call in a third-party auditor, and he refused, saying that he was handling it. Now, he is neither a bookkeeper nor a forensic accountant. What assurances do we have that all monies were accounted for and returned? The property owners have never been furnished with a full accounting or copies of the investigation from the Sheriff's Department. Were there other improprieties taken by individuals other than Leslie? Doesn't this seem strange that we have never had access to any information concerning this incident other than what Al Morin told us? Is there something we are not being told? It might prove to be very interesting reading to review the detective's report concerning Leslie, Al Morin and any others that may have been involved.
Instead of heaping praise on Mr. Morin for saving our money, we may heap something else on him after a thorough investigation of this scandal is completed. I am a betting man and my money is not on Mr. Morin. Let me go on record right now that I would like to review the complete file on the financial embezzlement. I hope others will ask too. We need an unbiased group to look into this bubbling controversy. Isn’t it also interesting that a number of individuals have attempted to review association records form time to time, only to be rebuffed? The open-door policy appears to be selectively enforced. I am a member in good standing and I will post to the blog what I hear from Mr. Morin or the board about my request for this vital information about possible misdeeds.
Mr. Morin is apparently referring to me when he says it is easy to criticize others while one sits back and does nothing. I wholeheartedly disagree. It is hard work keeping up with all the shenanigans these people are pulling over on the community. Let’s see, we have no rights, but we are expected to pay our fees so a few board members can build the clubhouse they want. I’ll keep publicizing everything on the blog so we can all be informed. It is becoming a bigger and bigger job the more I dig. If he and his buddies all acted for the benefit of the community instead of their own self-interest I would gladly volunteer to help with other projects. But, when I observe evil deeds that need to be countered, I can’t just sit back like some Enron employees did. We all know what happened to them. I don’t want the same fate for Point Aquarius.
In what may be the lamest excuse I have ever heard for outright obvious errors by the board, Mr. Morin says that these volunteers bring different skills to this unpaid service. Perhaps he meant to say “no” skills. It’s not OK to do bad work and hope we survive. Mr. Morin doesn’t appear to realize it, but PA is just like a small business which needs accuracy to function. Can they read English? Presumably the board as authors of the clubhouse resolution actually read the document before they printed and distributed it. I guess they didn’t notice anything wrong. Holy cow! We may have a huge mess on our hands! How many other mistakes have occurred because of slipshod work? Have they paid contractors twice or paid for work never done? Are the numbers entered correctly into the spreadsheets used to analyze projects like the clubhouse or road repairs? Is the budget really accurate? Remember, Enron and WorldCom had auditors too.
Let’s review a few of the lowlights from Mr. Morin’s tenure as our representative:
Due to changes to the by-laws by the board, the residents have lost all rights to object to anything these people may decide to do, no matter how foolhardy it may be.
Although we are paying for it, we have absolutely no say in the design or features of the new clubhouse.
Another board member has provided a vastly different version of the investigation involving the embezzlement and has concerns about additional improprieties. .
Mr. Morin thinks it is OK to do slipshod work in managing the affairs of our community.
He routinely ignores legitimate requests for information from dues paying residents.
Call Mr. Morin as he requested to talk about his improvement needs, but listen carefully. I tried to converse with him for a half hour in my living room several years ago, and I never got a straight or intelligible answer to any question I asked. Remember, you had better write down whatever you hear, because it will change if you talk again. In my opinion, Mr. Morin is in way over his head and I again ask for his immediate resignation from the board. Point Aquarius needs leadership that seeks input from residents not the type that steals their rights and excludes them from participation.
Ralph Splawski - Concerned Resident of Section 10
ikswalps@gmail.com
posted by Ralph Splawski at 11:20 AM
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