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Dear Homeowners' Association Member or Officer,

  Does your association need help with meeting problems such as orderly meetings, bylaw changes or writing minutes?  Or do you need advice to resolve association problems?  We can help.  Please contact Robert McConnell Productions for parliamentary services.   Our fees will vary according to the problem.  Often there is no charge for simple problems.   Please contact us atRobert@parli.com  or call us at 800-532-4017.  We also have books, videos and DVD’s on how to conduct effective meetings and preserve your rights as a member.  Knowledge is power!  Use it effectively.  Become informed.  Click here:  http://parli.com/orders

 

                                                         INTRODUCTION:

IN DEFENSE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT

 

By Robert McConnell Productions

 

 

          Listen to the news.  Read the paper.  Look around you. The world is in turmoil over who should govern whom.  This conflict about righteous government is at your front door.  What are you going to do about it?

          No longer can you, a member of a Homeowner’s Association, just sit back and ignore what is going on around you.  You must stand up and do your share or you will lose your right to  be self-governed. 

          So what is self-government?  This idea began many years ago when John Locke and other thinkers began to think seriously about how man should be governed.  This concept was the impetus that impelled our founding fathers to overthrow a king. No longer were they satisfied with one man controlling every phase of their activities, but they wanted to govern themselves.    

 

The elements of self-government are:

 

1.    Consent of the governed: basically means that when men join together to form a community body, they are giving their consent for the body to act as one by the consent of the majority.

2.    Equality and rights: We are all equal under the law.  The law is impartial and applies to all. 

3.    Rotation in office:  This is government by representation:  Although we make decisions as a body, we also give up some of our rights by assigning them to others.  This is considered representative government.  In government at large, we elect people to legislate laws for us.  In organizations we elect officers to carry out specific functions so that the organization will operate harmoniously.  We elect board of directors to carry out the directives the association.  We have committees that oversee the upkeep of the common grounds.  We select people to manage different aspects of the association.   If we didn’t do those things, then the association would be constantly having meetings, voting on those things themselves, and then appointing someone to carry out the details—which would be a lot of work for everyone. 

However, in this representative government, those serving do not have carte blanch to do whatever they want.  They are limited in their scope of action by laws –state laws, covenants, bylaws and rules and regulations.  Each is to obey these laws.  They can only do what they have been given by law to do.  They cannot act outside the law.  For example, the office of Treasurer has specific duties.  It would be outside his scope of action to conduct a board meeting unless he was assigned that duty.  These representatives have term limits.  Each is to serve for a term and then return to the body as a regular member of that body.

4.   Prevention of tyranny: This type of government prevents both the tyranny of mob rule, the “tyranny of the majority.” and the tyranny of  one person.  Mob rule is prevented by assigning rights to the minority, the absent member, and individual member.  The tyranny of one is prevented by rotation in office and a provision to remove from office. 

 

            So when someone buys into a HOA, they are agreeing to the idea of self-government.  They are consenting to be governed according to the laws of the association, abide by these laws, and participate in meetings and being considered for office. 

 

EFFECTIVE SELF-GOVERNMENT

 

          To participate in self-government one must be informed.  Unfortunately most homeowners could care less about the government of the association as long as it doesn’t bother them.  Apathy sets in and a few people end up running the show.  This can either be a blessing or a disaster.  It is usually a disaster because the people who end up running the show like the power.  “Power corrupts.”  Problems follow and the association is in an uproar.

          Our web site is here to encourage proper self-government through education.  “Knowledge is power.”  We highly recommend that each homeowner study the covenants, bylaws and other rules of the organization.  Know what they mean; obey them.  Then get a good understanding of meeting procedures which help keep order in meetings and allow members the right to propose business, discuss it in an orderly and courteous manner, and vote. 

          Our book, Webster’s New World, Robert’s Rules of Order Simplified and Applied,  our videos and DVD’s will educate you in the essential’s of the democratic process.  Take this information to heart, learn it, share the information and use it to bring order and end tyranny.  If your association members will each learn the democratic process, you will have more members willing to serve on the board, in offices, and sustain the democratic process.  You will have a well run association with the homeowners liking one another.  Your property values will also go up because everyone is working together for good.  For more information click here. 

 

          The rest of the writings under this HOA section on our web site show what happens when people don’t understand self-government and are not informed about the laws that govern the association.  This is our true story and continuing story.  In the future we hope to be writing about how it has turned around.