Many people have derogatory names for board members, but frankly I couldn’t believe it when I heard this one. The member went on to say “the pig is 160 lbs!” In my mind that didn’t seem too porky for a board member.
The truth is I heard wrong. The president has livestock … and yes it's a pig. This was the rare Member who checked the CC&Rs and there it was “no livestock allowed”. After talking with other Members, he decided to run for the board and take action. Oops … 2nd mistake. First was when he called the pig Chris P Bacon.
Now at the board meeting the topic was addressed “Livestock is not allowed” and the gloves were off. Had I attended I would have suggested to get ready for a grand feast. Bring in the band. Let's get the fire pit in order. Due to pressure from some board members the new member resigned. Maybe a year or more later the members car was broken into. Easy solution he would install a security camera. Oops, not under the Bacon watch. That camera did not have pre-approval and has to go.
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This is an extreme yet typical example of selective enforcement. Some Board Members and friends of the board may exempt themselves but non-board members are forced to comply with subjective CC&Rs. The board gets to choose what they want to enforce. Does the security camera affect property values? Likely not. How about Chris P Bacon? Would you buy next door if you heard the grunts, groans and smelled the excrement? When they don’t enforce the rules for themselves it’s NOT an oversight, it's a choice. They know exactly what they can get away with. HOA attorneys tell boards they have the latitude to interpret the docs however they want. And this brings out the pig in them. Sorry typo … I meant bully!
If you have suffered HOA abuse, please contact HOATruth.com. Dennis Legere is the principal advocate. And, you can reach me at EarsUp@iCloud.com. Full disclosure, we are not attorneys. We just don't like bullies.