Published
by
Grayson Walker, Ph.D.
Published
December 2007
Gulag
is an acronym for the former Soviet Union's penal system. Since then, it
has come into common use to describe any repressive system. I named my
column the “Tales From The Galt Gulag,” because I write about the
repression of condominium Owners on the Galt Ocean Mile. The
Galt Ocean Mile is the biggest crime scene in Broward County.
Gulag
Growth
The
gulag is growing. The Census Bureau projected that Florida’s population
will pass that of New York within a few years, reaching twenty-million
people. Forty percent will live in condominiums or homeowner associations.
Confounding our growth problems, the real estate market is projected to
lose an additional thirty-five percent of its current value over the next
two years. There are projections of massive repossessions. The gulag’s
problems are growing, and Florida is ignoring us.
A
Culture Of Sheep
As
Max Beerbohm, the English author and satirist, wrote, “You cannot make a
man by standing a sheep on its hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep
in that position you can make a crowd of men.” As you know, a Condo
Commando is a member of a Condominium Board who uses fear and intimidation
to rule. While the phrase has a cute ring to it, such a person is anything
but cute. The term is misleading. The Condominium Commando is actually a
Fascist Dictator. The Condo Commando is the architect and beneficiary of
the culture of sheep.
The
Condominium Culture Of Sheep
There
are two levels of the culture of sheep in the condominium culture. The
first is among the owners. They have become submissive, passive people,
afraid to raise their voices in dissent. At the most fundamental level,
the owners allow the condominium commando to control their condominium
association. Second is among the Boards of Directors. Board members submit
to a dominant person, the head “condo commando” because they are
afraid to exercise their fiduciary. Instead, they meekly obey as if they
were small children.
The
United States was founded by brave people who left Europe to found a new
country and escape religious and political repression. Their descendants
created our Bill of Rights and Constitution. These fearless people were
not afraid to fight for principles. They refused to knuckle-under to the
repression of the European monarchs. What has happened to strength of
character that created America, that we are willing to accept the evil
repression of the condominium commando? How could people who have the
brave blood of the American pioneers become a culture of sheep?
How
did we become a culture of sheep? Is this some Malthusian solution in
which the genes that made us bold and brave have been selected out? Is
natural selection working against us, diluting the genes of strength and
character, and creating a culture of sheep?
The
Condominium Owner As Sheep
If
you attend a condominium board meeting, you would think this has happened.
Here at Southpoint, I have watched in amazement when an owner raised a
question about an action by the board. There were three components to the
crowd’s reaction. First, they hissed at the questioner, telling her to be
quiet. Then they raised their voices over that of the questioner, saying,
“let the board do their job.” Finally, the response from the Board was
to ignore Owner, saying, “Next question.” Amazingly, the crowd of
sheeple allowed this to take place instead of rising as one in objection to
this violation of not only the questioner’s rights, but of their rights.
The
Board As Sheep
Board
members fail to realize that the condominium association is a non-profit
corporation. The members of the Board have a fiduciary responsibility to the
other Owners. Perhaps, most importantly, the board members have equal
authority. Most boards elect several officers – president, vice president,
treasurer – without realizing that each officer answers to the other board
members. A simple majority vote of the board can remove any officer.
This
is an important point, because some people, including board members, believe
that the board president has additional powers. This is due to the title of
president. This has nothing to do with the independent executive powers
exercised by a head of government, such as the President of the United
States. In a corporation, the president of the board has no special powers.
Your board president serves at the pleasure of your Board of Directors.
One
of the tragedies of the failed experiment of the condominium, is the failure
of a board of directors to remove a “condo commando” from their
midst.
In
the history of corporations, there are many instances of the Board firing
the President for a variety of reasons.
How
To Stop Being Sheep
A
Condo Commando is trampling upon your rights. You may be the victim of voting
and/or financial fraud. What can you do about it? How can you protect your
rights? First, call our Condo Ombudsman, Danille Carroll. Let her know what is
going on in your association, and ask for her help. Second, call Representative
Julio Robaina. He is the strongest supporter of Owner’s rights in the
Legislature. Third, join the Cyber Citizens For Justice. They are the only
Florida organization that is working for Owner’s rights. Fourth, join the AARP
and let them know you support their Owner’s Bill Of Rights. If you want other
ideas, please feel free to contact me.
Help for Owners
Attorney
Inger Garcia can be reached by telephone at 954-894-9962, at www.IngerGarcia.com,
or at [email protected].
Jan
Bergemann of the Cyber Citizens For Justice can be reached at www.ccfj.net,
386-740-1503 or at [email protected] .
Condominium
Ombudsman Danille R. Carroll, Esquire can be reached at 954-202-3234 or at [email protected].
State Representative Julio
Robaina can be reached at 305-442-6868 or by email at [email protected]
The Southpoint Condominium website can be reached at http://Southpoint-Condominium.org
The AARP’s Bill of
Rights for Homeowners is available online at http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/consume/2006_15_homeowner.pdf
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I
own an apartment in the Galt Gulag,at the Southpoint condominium, on
the Galt Mile in Fort
Lauderdale. Many people
do not realize how many rights they
give up when they buy an apartment in
a condominium association.
I
have taught American Government, Constitutional Law, and Ethics for over
twenty-years, but I was not
prepared for life in
the Galt Gulag. At the
June 2005 Board meeting, Board
President Marty Glazer called the critics
of the Board “insurgents.” I am an
insurgent in the Galt Gulag. You can reach me at [email protected]
or 954-567-0520.
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TALES
FROM THE GALT GULAG -- PART I
TALES
FROM THE GALT GULAG -- PART II
TALES
FROM THE GALT GULAG -- PART III
TALES
FROM THE GALT GULAG -- PART IV
TALES
FROM THE GALT GULAG -- PART V TALES
FROM THE GALT GULAG -- PART VI
THE CONDO LAWYER -- INGER GARCIA
THE CONDO LAWYER -- INGER GARCIA
II
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