Good Stewardship

This past year the Love Suissevale Committee has shared several communications on different topics to enlighten Suissevale owners on issues and projects that are in various stages of discussion and implementation. This information can be found on: www.LoveSuissevale.com.

During monthly board meetings and research, we often run into issues such as lack of transparency in project planning, bidding processes, financial disclosure and policy changes.

While many Suissevale owners may not want to be involved with these matters with any level of detail, we all have a right to know how our association dues are being spent, and all members should have an opportunity for input on projects and rules changes that take place. The board of directors should be operating in an open and transparent manner and adhering to Good Community Stewardship practices, and that is not the case.

Several homeowners are running for seats on the Board of Directors for 2020 after failing to make progress working with the current BOD to address several issues and concerns such as lack of transparency & openness. We are running for the BOD out of necessity and would prefer to let our vacation home be just that, a retreat; but too much is at stake to let this continue.

We have all agreed on a platform centered around being “Good Stewards” for the Suissevale community. Following these principles, we feel that we can engage and involve the Suissevale owners in the many issues large and small that our community of 500+/- owners are facing.

We came across a list of some characteristics that identify good community stewards that really resonated with us: https://waywardjourney.com/2014/08/13/are-you-a-good-steward-or-a-bad-steward/

• Good stewards are committed to selfless service. They have no desire for power. They do not need to be in charge or exert control over others. They are responsible and accountable without any prompting or prodding.
• Good stewards believe in sustainability. They understand that they are building value not for themselves but for their customers, members, shareholders or future generations.
• Good stewards practice inclusiveness. They welcome all into the fold. No one is turned away. They always find a way to bring new blood into the organization.
• Good stewards embrace innovation and change. They understand that while the organization’s principles are unchanging, the means to achieving them are not. They welcome new ideas and fresh perspectives.
• Good stewards are team players, and they’re quick to give others credit. They work together to reach goals.
• Good stewards believe in communication and being transparent. They gladly seek advice and feedback from their stakeholders.

This past year we tried to work with the board on several items we are concerned with and have not received satisfactory answers or seen any positive action. Below are just a few:

5 Year Planning – No membership feedback was allowed at the 5-year planning meeting that took place on February 15th. At this meeting the planning committee, which is entirely made up of board members, told the homeowners that were in attendance that they could not ask questions or give feedback. During the BOD meeting on April 18, current members John Barba and Bob Ashton again stated that they did not feel there should be any community input in this planning process. We find this completely unacceptable that a committee that is tasked with doing 5-year planning would not solicit community input, and essentially plan the future Suissevale using only their vision.

Waterfront Garage – There was no solicitation of feedback from the membership on the placement of a 14 x 28 garage prior to spending money on design review and permitting. We believe that there should be community engagement on all projects that affect the look of the community.

Land holdings – There should be a clear policy governing the buying, selling and use of Suissevale owned land assets. To date we have not been able to find or access any such information or written policies.

Replacement Dock Purchases - Request for multiple bids on expensive projects is not consistent and written requests made to multiple vendors for all projects that are over $5,000 did not happen.

Project Spending – The BOD is planning on spending $193,000 over the next three years on various projects. $100,000 is earmarked for paving and effected homeowners have not been engaged. These projects are going to be funded by a combination of 3 years of increased HOA fees, drawing money from reserves and “attempting” to sell land assets. What other means of funding were discussed?

Financial oversight – A volunteer financial committee should be created to help provide additional budget & expense planning so that information such as vendor expense reports and reallocation of unused water funds is available to all members for review.

The status quo is not acceptable, and the BOD candidates below want to help address these and many other issues that are currently affecting or have the potential to affect Suissevale in an adverse way in the future.

We hope that you will consider the following candidates during the 2020 election that will be held via USPS mailed ballots mailed in July, 2020.

Karen Crusco - Mark DeJon - Jim Graham - Tom Keddy - Peter Mullarky - Joe Sastre

Please, only vote for these candidates. Their bios are posted here.