I started my day on Thursday with POA Board Member Dudley Devore. He was in my Planning Focus Group. He sat up at the front of the room with “Skip” of Chambers Consulting. Chambers Consulting is the group we are paying $125,000 to to determine how we are going to spend our money as a community going forward, by helping us develop a long range plan. Skip is leading the Focus Groups. He is also leading us in our thoughts.
Skip seems like a very nice fellow. Big guy, good personality, sincerely pleasant to be around. He also seems good at his job, which I get the feeling involves leading us into a preconceived (by those that hired him) line of thought. He’s from the Country Club industry, and he has known our new GM, Jill Philmon, for 15 years.
It was a good meeting, and I actually did enjoy hearing the thoughts and ideas of some of my fellow community members, which were quite intelligent and varied. One woman sitting in front of me I thought I would end up literally hating, but in the end, I actually found myself agreeing with much of her thinking on one of the hypothetical projects we could do in the future, and I found her thought process to be sound, and quite enlightened and creative. That is the great thing about peaceful discourse with intelligent people… you can take an imperfect collection of ideas, and come to consensus surrounding really good ones, that have been developed through a collaborative process (which is NOT what has been going on in the community lately, nor how I would explain the current relationship between Board/GM and Property Owners).
The part of Skip’s presentation that jumped out to me was the oft repeated, and subtle mental guidance, that “standing still was not an option” for our community , and that if we stood still, “we would die as a community” (an unfair, manipulative and misrepresented assumption in my opinion). This thought process was then guided through questions to what sort of projects we as members thought might be good in the future. There were a lot of good ideas, at both the conceptual and specific project level.
Towards the end, Dudley Devore seemed to take the lead role of the discussion, rather angrily asking the question, not to Skip, but to the rest of us, “How are we going to pay for all of these things?” He said it quite angrily, and even accusatory – implying that by participating fairly and honestly in this hypothetical exercise of “long range” community planning …. that we had somehow magically locked ourselves into these projects, and had somehow voted for these projects, and shown some sort of selfish demand for these projects, many of which were quite expensive.
Dudley, we DIDN’T do, say, support, or imply any of this! We were simply engaging honestly in a planning exercise. Don’t twist it into a vote of support for everything we discussed. Don’t turn honest participation in a planning exercise into a statement of “We Must Have These Things!” Because I did not hear that. I just heard a good group of thoughtful residents participating in a thought exercise. Your angry question, which included political posturing of support for, and hints of, raising money through the sale of property and assessment and fee increases, seemed to be subtly and calmly supported by Skip, as he seemed to agree, suggesting at a few points that maybe it would turn out that Big Canoe just wasn’t the right fit for some residents, and that maybe they would have to end up looking elsewhere. There was also subtle suggestion for future marketing and direction that supported “the trend” of attracting only new residents that did fit the model for this new and improved, and more expensive, Big Canoe. PLEASE, respectfully remember that you are talking about some of our friends, and members of our community, that have been here for many years, have built relationships and called this place home, and looked at this community as a place they would live out their days, and that have raised grandchildren and children here (those children and grandchildren also having formed important 2nd generational bonds to this community) – and then suggesting that “THEY” aren’t a good fit for Big Canoe. Well, I’ll stop before I say too much. Suffice it to say that I think this process is already way off track if it is being approached as a cold, emotionless dollars and cents business plan. That is NOT how you build a community. Also, since we are paying for a marketing program now, we need to make sure future marketing represents the entire spectrum of home styles and neighborhood types…. not just the upscale country club mentality – or we create a demand vacuum for the owners of all the wonderful collection of traditional homes and cabins within the community. We are a diverse community – and this needs to be recognized and accepted in future planning.
Fast forward to 5:00pm that afternoon, upstairs in the Clubhouse at the Board Planning Workshop Meeting. The focus was on the Financial Increases as discussed in my earlier article from a couple of days back. As Jane Hagan was giving her presentation, Dudley led her into a question regarding how much authority the Board technically had in raising assessments under the Covenants. I don’t remember the exact response, but it was $700+/month. Later, before property owner questions started, the Board did a quick vote. Phil Anderson, Steve Wilson and Jim Farinholt supported tabling the largest part of assessment increases ($13/mo for lots and $25/mo for homes) until a later time. Jay Goldman, Wayne Crawford, and Dudley Devore supported moving forward with the increases. During Dudley’s speech of support he again pointed out that they had the authority via the Covenants to take Assessments up to $700+/month. It was clearly delivered as a sort of veiled threat, and it did not go over well.
The 1st two property owners to speak on the financial issues represented the community well and received resounding applause. One resident talked about wanting to see a cost/benefit analysis on all of the expensive projects that were being presented as “necessary”. She really nailed the issue in terms of putting the focus on RESIDENT needs, versus the Board’s seemingly dogged focus on spending projects geared towards attracting outsiders and visitors to our “resort like amenities”.
One property owner made what I consider to be the most powerful argument I have heard yet, one that I have long been warning about, and which I think has been highly understated. I believe he said he had been here 5 years, and in general he talked about how disappointed in this Board he was. Towards the end he said that he had just talked with two families, who said that recent Board activity had resulted in their deciding to leave Big Canoe. Then he concluded that he and his wife had also decided that perhaps their long range plan should include an exit strategy from Big Canoe as well. He concluded that perhaps the Board should start focusing more on keeping current residents, rather than focusing on getting new ones, or attracting visitors. That really resonated with the room, as evidenced by overwhelmingly loud applause.
I want to say a bit about the politics and election in all of this.
I think I speak for most of the community that Phil Anderson will be missed at the podium when he leaves the board at the end of this year. While I may not agree with much of what he has been lead spokesman for during his tenure, I think he is an honest and good man, and he really commands a stage like nobody I have seen in a long while. Believe it or not, I will miss having a stable and strong person like him at the helm, and I hope we can find someone of similar caliber to replace him as the head of the Board.
I think Jay Goldman has good Financial experience. But the concept of locking in money at good rates, in an interest rate rising environment is not rocket science, and I think we all get the concept. But our community amenities (our primary leveragable assets) have all been locked up as collateral for the next 7+ years due to the 2016 Land Deal. That ill-considered Deal had consequences. One of those consequences is that we need to implement another form of “financial planning”, which is called “Belt Tightening”, and I am not as comfortable that Jay has that kind of financial expertise.
Jim Farinholt is still an enigma to most everyone I know, but I like that he didn’t vote for the increases at this time. Wayne Crawford writes a good wine column I am told.
Steve Wilson seemed like the natural choice to replace Phil as head of the Board. He’s a personable guy that makes himself available to the residents to answer basic questions, and that makes us feel like we have human contact with the Board. When that sort of relationship is an honest one, it can be so valuable to a community. Unfortunately, I’ve seen the limitations of that “Mr Nice Guy” facade crumble when one actually pushes past asking for low level questions, and actually asks for responses regarding issues of substance. Then Steve can show an uglier side. Add to that the fact that Steve never voiced a word of opposition to any of these incredibly dumb proposals or directional changes by the Board over the past 3 years – until it became politically expedient on the eve of an election – and I am afraid that ALL trust is now gone, and any promise I once held for Steve as replacement Head of the Board is also gone. We are at a crossroads too important to take the chance that we are being duped by a slick election tactic of “show them what they want to see” to get elected, then revert to business as usual.
Dudley Devore. Dudley, Dudley, Dudley….. “Angry Napoleon” is not a good look for you, nor is it an effective sales tactic to use in trying to intimidate and force change on the community, nor would it be a good look as Head of the Board and face of the community. Angry accusations, entitled temper tantrums, and veiled threats of raising assessments to the maximum allowable by authority of $700+/month probably just ruled you out as having the temperament necessary to lead the next Board (in this writer’s humble opinion, and in the words of some I talked to immediately following the meeting). Even more, in some minds you just jumped to the top-of-the-list of people to be considered in any future signals the community may feel forced to send the Board, involving By-Laws Section 3.10 / Removal of Elected Directors by Members. I don’t know of ANYBODY, including myself, that is seriously suggesting we take that step, but it needs to be said that if the Board wants to exercise their iron authority via Covenant to raise assessments to obscene and community damaging levels – the Members also have authorities afforded under those very same Covenants, put in place as checks and balances against abuses of power.
I think Grant Grimes is probably a very good person. But I feel very strongly that the current ideology of the Board will absorb him if elected, and we will basically just be rotating in a candidate, without rotating in any new thinking, nor approach.
So here we are on the eve of Election Ballots arriving, with this Newspaper making its Official Candidate Endorsement. I am doing this because I have been getting increasing calls, emails and messages asking me my opinion on the subject. Until just yesterday I thought I had an opinion, but it wasn’t 100% yet. I still waffled some. I was still trying to fairly consider some aspects of having Steve or Grant as my choice. (That is now settled in my mind, per above statement.) But there was one more substantial hurdle for me to consider, and which has been asked of me repeatedly by almost every single person I have talked to, in the past month – concern that Lou Stepheson, or Patricia Stimmel, would not be able to stand up to the entrenched “Boys Network”. They might not have the power, nor will necessary, to push back. It is a very rational concern, and takes me back many years – to a time before most existing residents lived here.
Billie Anne Rice, the wife of Waterford Developer Ken Rice, was an exceptionally strong and smart woman we elected to the Board back in the early 2000’s. For the most part, they shut her down and marginalized her. I will always think that was one of the biggest disgraces in Big Canoe’s history – and one of the most crucial, because she was elected in just such an environment as we currently have, and many would agree that we lost an opportunity to change course back then.
While thinking of the above yesterday, I came to some realizations….
Lou Stepheson and Patricia Stimmel, collectively, would bring a new financial approach to the Board… one in which we return to traditional accounting and budgeting methods… a balanced budget approach of what goes out cannot exceed what comes in – and that if increases need to be made they be made carefully and transparently with community input/feedback, before a lot of study money is committed. Also they would bring review and analysis process for existing financial activities.
But individually, if one of them was thrown into the current Board, I believe they would fail. I honestly believe that to be a probability. I think that the existing makeup of the Board would marginalize them, and go to great lengths to intimidate them, and unfortunately I do believe that strategy would probably work at least to some degree.
HOWEVER, during this process these two women have formed a bond of friendship and respect. Working as a team they have run a joint campaign. They have learned to collaborate and work together. I believe that if we put Lou Stephenson and Patricia Stimmel in TOGETHER, AS A TEAM, then they will find courage and strength from each other, encouragement from the community, and together they could become a solid rock, upon which we can begin to build the foundation of a new Board.
FOCUS ON BIG CANOE, GA formally throws its support for….
LOU STEPHENSON AND PATRICIA STIMMEL BOTH FOR POA BOARD DIRECTORS.
Hope everyone is enjoying the change in Season, the beautiful fall leaves, and is beginning to get a stir in the Spirit for the upcoming Holiday Season. Let us hope and pray that the community can be allowed to rest from the hectic pace of rushed change, and simply enjoy our families and wonderful community. We are all truly blessed to live here, and we should give Thanks!
PS…. before you get too comfortable and settled into the Holiday Spirit… there is Community Coffee Saturday Nov 10 at 9am in the Mountain Grill Room. Finance Committee members and POA staff will discuss the 2019 Budget and take questions from the floor. This is your last chance to provide input before next Thursdays Board Meeting when they will vote on this.
Peace,
-david hh / publisher
Big Canoe, GA 30143
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