Why all the secrecy? The Blog investigates this central question

It is a widely known fact that our Board, under Sutherland control, has gone through extraordinary lengths to deny homeowners access to Association records. The rights of inspection spelled out in our By-Laws have been largely ignored - even flouted - for years, as repeated attempts by a parade of former and current homeowners seeking to exercise their rights of inspection were - almost without exception - summarily stonewalled. 

There is a relatively straight forward way around that brick wall – although it is costly. Given the clear rights of inspection that are due members of the Association, not only as guaranteed by our By-Laws, but by the Georgia Non-Profit Corporation Code (O.P.G.A. 14-3-101) – state law by which our Association is governed – an aggrieved homeowner can obtain judicial enforcement of their rights without having to leap any extraordinary legal hurdles. But the mere fact that our Board forces the issue itself creates an extraordinary hurdle – because the only way to bring the power of judicial enforcement to bear is for the homeowner to sue their own Association. And, given that the costs of bringing such legal action must, almost invariably, be underwritten by a single member, that cost is usually sufficient to discourage any casual interest that homeowner may have in reviewing Association records.

Of course, there is one homeowner among us who has been pulling the levers of power on the Glen Iris Lofts Board of Directors since its inception, and who knows better than anyone - by virtue of being an attorney - that the cost of suing one's own Association will nearly always trump that member's interest in reviewing records, and that person is Stuart Sutherland.  This, despite the fact that professional codes of conduct and the ethical requirements of his profession would appear to demand that he demonstrate a greater respect for the law. But, for some reason, he doesn't.  And this apparent willingness to simply disregard what the law would require - knowing that the eventual cost for doing so could be professional censorship or even possible disbarment from practicing law in the State of Georgia – raises a number of interesting questions. (Continued...)

Our broken election process: Ripe for proxy abuse

GIL ELECTION PROXY FORMS ARE NOT CERTIFIED   Given that substantially greater than half of all votes cast in elections since the inception of our Association have been by proxy, the fact that proxies are not certified as the valid instrument of those that purportedly signed them represents a serious challenge to the legitimacy of election results.

Without a process of certification, there is very little way to know if a proxy is legitimate or fraudulent. It wouldn’t take much for someone with an interest in a certain outcome to identify those who perennially fail to vote and whose non-attendance at the annual meeting is all but certain and to use that information to fraudulently vote on behalf of those members.  And if any ballots so produced were cast by mail and sent to CMA, the chances of getting caught doing it are nil. (Continued...)

Dun & Bradstreet Credit Reporting also notes a Sutherland/Miller-Gallman affiliation

Last Monday, the Blog posted a copy of the Hoover's Business Report that noted the alleged affiliation between Kit Sutherland and Miller-Gallman Developers.  We have since been able to obtain a copy of the Dun & Bradstreet Comprehensive Credit Report for "Miller Gallman Developers", that, like the Hoover's report, supports an apparent affiliation between Kit and Miller-Gallman Developers.  Note: The Dun & Bradstreet report is included at the end of this post.

As with the Hoover's report, we wondered why no other executives (namely Jerrold Miller) were listed as having an affiliation with the company.  Upon further investigation, (Continued...)

Sutherlands bounce check to Association

No one is particularly thrilled about the prospect of having their lesser moments made public, and that's even truer when those that would make them public would do so with the apparent objective merely to embarrass or discredit. Worse still are the occasions when lesser moments are fabricated out of whole cloth for the same purpose. One wouldn't have to walk too far down either direction of any hallway here at GIL to find a homeowner that will claim to be a victim of this sort of demagoguery at the hands of the Sutherlands. And I personally have witnessed people that have found themselves caught up in a Sutherland gossip and discredit campaign that was either a dramatic embellishment of facts or that had absolutely no basis in fact at all.

This 'sort of behavior' - to borrow a phrase from Kit Sutherland - is dangerous politics, because with each successive engagement, the retail price of hypocrisy is ratcheted upward, should one ever find one's self at the cash register paying retail for their own lesser moment. But knowing this doesn't require any special insight; admonishment that reportedly came from Jesus' own mouth more than two millennia ago has served to better advise those that would 'cast the first stone'.

That's why I think it would be surprising for many to learn that Kit and Stuart have bounced a check to our Association at least once. It's true (documentation included and follows post conclusion).  Of course, (Continued...)

Next time around, election ballots will list all the names of those wishing to serve

GIL BALLOTS DO NOT LIST THE NAMES OF ALL CANDIDATES  The fact that the those currently on the Board would not add Scott Reno’s name to the ballot in the most recent election – and, in fact, have never placed anyone on the ballot other than those recommended by an incumbent Board, represents an egregious assault on the democratic process and the rights of GIL homeowners.

When buying their home, every member of our Association agrees to bind themselves to the decisions and actions of the GIL Board, and in exchange, homeowners are supposed to have the right to fully and genuinely participate in the governance and affairs of their Association. At GIL, homeowners only get half of that bargain. They become bound by the actions and decisions of the Board but, ultimately, their rights of full and genuine participation in those actions and decisions are not forthcoming.

In future elections, the Board can keep their 'ballot' and save us the $.20 a page CMA copy fee.

WE WILL BRING OUR OWN BALLOTS - ONES THAT FAIRLY LIST ALL THE NAMES OF THOSE WISHING TO SERVE.

Remember: Rules best serve those who make them

OUR BALLOTS ARE NOT SECRET  When the ballot on which you are asked to cast your vote requires your name, unit and building number and contains a written admonishment that ballots that lack such information are ‘invalid’ and will be ‘discarded’, that’s generally a sign that your vote is not secret.

Worse, your secret-to-everyone-but-the-Sutherlands ballot then serves as an excellent tool to accurately determine whom among us is a ‘good resident’ and who needs ‘re-education’ - lest they become an object of scorn, gossip and retribution.

Our By-Laws mandate ‘secret ballots’.  AND SECRET BALLOTS ARE WHAT WE WILL HAVE.

The $3.4 million hayride

According to information presented by the Board of Directors at the most recent Annual Meeting, our Association ended 2011 with $214,035 and it expects to collect $46,106 in reserve additions from assessments over the coming year.  Those two numbers total $260,141 – which doesn’t sound like we would be doing too badly at the end of 2012, does it?

But in order to leave homeowners with that false sense of financial security, the Board had to perform the budgeting equivalent of moon walking – the act of appearing to make forward motion, when in fact, we will be going backwards.  The only difference being that they arguably did it better than the late Michael Jackson ever hoped to do as we will be going backward over the coming year by about three full stage lengths.  How so, you ask?  Because they skillfully left $400,000 that they plan to spend over the next twelve months out of the budget.

  

The Board stated that the more than $400,000 that they expect to spend off budget in the coming year will be for stucco and window repairs.  This trick is not new.  The Federal Government has been doing it for nearly a decade in the way it accounts for war spending, the only distinction being that (Continued...)

Hoover's Company Report: Mary Sutherland is Secretary of Miller-Gallman

The Blog was finally able to get a copy of the Hoover's Company Report for Miller-Gallman developers that, does indeed, list Mary C. Sutherland as Secretary of the company (see below).  We wondered why no other executives (namely Jerrold Miller) were listed in the report.  Upon further investigation, the Blog discovered that information is contained in the company report for "Miller-Gallman Developers" (with a "-" in between the words "Miller" and "Gallman"), whereas the company report that mentions Kit was filed with the company "Miller Gallman Developers" (note the absence of the "-" between "Miller" and "Gallman").  If you combine the two reports, you would have the complete company information, at least as far as Hoover's is concerned.

You can judge for yourself, but in the Blog's opinion, it doesn't look necessarily like a "telephone marketing" roundup of random names.  Hoover's is a name that's well respected in the business world as a reliable source for corporate information, and there is no reason to believe that they simply concocted the information out of thin air.

At the very least, I think most would agree that it's a situation that certainly warrants a statement from Kit herself as to whether or not the information is accurate.  To-date, Kit has not denied the allegations that she has financial ties to the developer of Glen Iris Lofts.  Doesn't it make you wonder why she hasn't?

Join your neighbors in support of change by sending an e-mail to gil@go.to with the simple subject line ‘Count me in’ – and be a part of where Glen Iris Lofts is going.

Note: If you see the message "Sorry, embedding multiple documents..." below instead of the file contents, simply click the link below and open or save the file to your computer.

Hoovers Company Report

What's my share? A unit-level detail view of assessments from 2003-2012

WHATS MY SHARE?
Courtesy of: Chris Gordon (Ph II, 611)
A unit level breakdown of every budget line item for 2012, your unit's assessments for all years 2003-2012 and the total assessments paid by your unit since 2003. For readers who are into numbers or just curious, this is the file for you!

Note: If you see the message "Sorry, embedding multiple documents..." below instead of the file contents, simply click the link below and open or save the file to your computer.
Whats My Share

Change is coming to Glen Iris Lofts…

No one who reads the Glen Iris Board meeting minutes is going to walk away with anything other the clear and sobering assessment that our Board leadership isn’t much interested in change of any kind.  Precious little time is spent on discussion of how things may be improved – unless of course one counts the time the Board leadership spends shooting down suggestions for improvements.

The list of resident demands for change that have gone unheeded is long and distinguished.  Whether it’s the enclosure of the lower Phase II car park that the homeowners who park there were willing to pay for themselves, the constant clamor for the installation of security cameras on the property to do something – anything – to address the serious property crime problem we have struggled with from day one and still continue to struggle with nearly ten years later and whose rate of occurrence hasn’t decreased at all, or whether it’s a guest parking policy that doesn’t really match the ‘needs curve’ of guest parking accommodation by homeowners.  And there are countless other issues or ‘hot buttons’ that various homeowners have that fail to be addressed – or even considered – year after year.  Most who are knowledgeable about the political realities here at Glen Iris will tell you the simple truth: it doesn’t really matter what you or any other homeowner wants, if Kit doesn’t want it, it ain’t gonna happen.

But, finally, there is some good news for everyone that calls Glen Iris Lofts 'home'.  Although the (Continued...)

In her own words: An e-mail from Kit Sutherland

There are some who claim that Kit Sutherland is simply misunderstood - and that she isn't caddy, nosey, conniving and always up to something nefarious, as many have alleged.
So the Blog decided to let you decide for yourself.  In an e-mail (see below) recently obtained by the Blog that was sent by Kit Sutherland to then Board President Sandy Jones, Kit trashes a GIL homeowner and one of her closest neighbors - a person who has been, by any account, an outstanding neighbor and a reliable pillar of support for our Association - Frank Lynch, the owner of Cactus Car Wash.

"Apparently, Frank's inability to sell or lease his investment property is not hurting his cash flow. His Jeep Cherokee, which was fairly late model(ed) and in good condition, was replaced this week with a massive, brand new Range Rover. I expect to see it parked soon in the center of the driveway in front of the elevator, where he parks regularly when he is unloading groceries, dry cleaning, etc. Can't wait to get a management company that can supply pre-printed "courtesy" warnings about this sort of behavior..." -Kit Sutherland

The e-mail also reveals the shocking revelation that, beyond harboring ill will toward GIL resident Lynch, Kit and Stuart Sutherland were even milling over what they could do with the Glen Iris Lofts commercial space that Lynch owned at the time, should the Association find a way to wrest it out from under him by way of playing hardball in resolving a technical error made in the drafting of an easement agreement granted to Decker Car Wash (d/b/a Cactus Car Wash) the year prior.

"Speaking of Frank, Stuart and I keep pondering what we (i.e. the association) might be able to do with the ground-floor level of #206, if it became an element in re-negotiating the easement situation..."      -Kit Sutherland

But she didn't stop there, no.  The e-mail goes on to reveal that Kit was also plotting to pull a fast one on her BFF, Jerry Miller, by trying to (Continued...)

SAFETY ALERT! Many GIL lofts at risk for fire

VERY REAL DANGER  Most GIL homeowners are probably blithely unaware that their loft has a serious construction defect that substantially increases the probability of having a potentially devastating house fire.  Although the Blog has not been able to determine how the Glen Iris developer, Miller-Gallman, was able to skirt the local building code and slide the defect past city building inspectors, the dryer venting assembly of every loft we inspected was found to be in substantial violation of the local building code. (Continued...)

Win a free $30 Cactus Car Wash gift card by solving the Glen Iris anagrams!

Solve the following Glen Iris anagrams and you could win a free $30 Cactus Car Wash gift card! 

1.  CREDIT USE BEGAN (2 words)                                             I                            E

2.  SCORN PIGPENS (2 words)                                            E                                    

3.  SLY DRAMA HUNTER (2 words)                                                                          

4.  BOD AT RISK (2 words)                                                                                         

5.  RECENT LOFT FICTIONS (3 words)                                                                     

6.  TRANSLATED HURTS US (2 words)                                                                    

7.  EACH COMING SIGN (3 words)                                                                          

Jot down the correctly unscrambled words in an e-mail and send to the Blog at gil@go.to by midnight, this Sunday (January 22) to win your free car wash.  If more than one correct (and complete) entry is received, the winner will be chosen at random from among the correct entries received.

Please be sure to include one of the following methods to receive your gift card, should you be the winner: your mailing address (if you would like your gift card sent to you via U.S. Mail); your parking space number at Glen Iris Lofts (your gift card will be left under your windshield wiper blade).

Also, be sure to indicate if we have your permission to use your name when we announce the winner or, if you would prefer that we use a screen name to identify you as the winner.  Either way, just let us know :-)

*One Cactus Car Wash gift card in the amount of $30.00 will be mailed to or left on the winner's car on Monday, January 23, 2012.

Enjoy!

the Blog

The solution to this anagram puzzle can be viewed on the continuing page. (Continued...)

BREAKING NEWS: We’re broke.

2012 should be a year to celebrate – our Association will have its 10^th birthday.  But the guests to that party will have to bring their own kazoos, ice cream and cake – because, after nearly a decade of Sutherland control and domination of Board operation, we are, effectively, broke.  Yes, you read correctly, broke.  You could say that we are an island surrounded by a sea of Sutherland red ink.

We ended 2011 with total assets of $214,035 that are expected to be augmented by an additional $46,106 in reserve fund additions over the coming 12 months, for a projected total of $260,141. However, we also have repairs that have been identified and determined to be necessary expenditures (Continued...)