Recall sought at Century Village, where critics target road spending
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Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
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A small group of Century Village residents has called for the removal of the retirement community’s president, alleging the 7,000-unit condominium complex in suburban West Palm Beach has spent all of its cash reserves and is operating in arrears.
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The group has filed a petition with the village’s master homeowners’ association, the United Civic Organization, urging the recall of its president, David Israel. The petition alleges Israel has presented the association with “unsubstantiated financial statements” and has not acted in the “best interest” of residents. It has been signed by more than 90 residents, according to the group.
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Israel flatly denies the allegations. A Board of Inquiry created by the association to investigate ruled Thursday the claims were invalid. The village’s 350-member delegate assembly will vote on the matter Friday.
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This is the second time in the village’s 40-year history residents have urged the recall of a UCO president. A petition was filed in 2003 but no action was taken against the president, Israel said.
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At the center of the dispute is a $5 million project to repave the village’s road network and repair its drainage system. The homeowners’ association swept “virtually every dollar” from its budget to complete the project, Israel said.
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Much of the reserve money had been set aside for the repairs.
Century Village resident Edward Grossman, a retired accountant who has led the charge to recall Israel, contends the project should have been completed in two phases. The move would have left the village with money in its reserves for emergencies and other projects, he said.
“It wasn’t supposed to be done,” Grossman said. “We didn’t have the money.”
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An engineering report recommended the road and drainage project be completed in two phases. The first phase was to be done immediately, and the second phase would have been competed in one to three years. Israel said the association went against that recommendation because members feared the cost of escalating asphalt and other supplies would cause the project’s price tag to skyrocket by as much as $1 million.
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“The reserves were spent to complete the entire task,” Israel wrote in an email to The Palm Beach Post. “In the new calendar year, we are indeed rebuilding all reserve lines.”
But Grossman and his group have other gripes. They say the association has not given them a proper forum to inform the village’s 14,000 residents about their recall effort.
The community north of Okeechobee Boulevard and west of Haverhill Road has more residents than many small cities and towns.
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Grossman says it is difficult to reach homeowners without access to the association’s email list. Israel, who runs a private blog about the village, has an unfair advantage because he can post information to sway residents, Grossman said. Israel has written about the recall effort on his blog.
Grossman and his group cited the blog in their petition to recall Israel.
Israel said the complaint is “absurd.” The blog, he said, provides residents with a valuable public forum.
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“For the sin of opening up an unrestricted communications channel for our residents, I am to be removed from office,” Israel wrote on the blog. “Give me a break.”
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Grossman also accuses the association of withholding information about the Board of Inquiry and stacking it with members who support Israel. Frustrated with the process, Grossman and two other residents walked out of the inquiry meeting on Thursday after members dismissed three of nine complaints filed against Israel.
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“Our feeling is that we have been done-in,” said Grossman, who has lived in the village with his wife for the last five years. “This is like a banana republic.”
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Israel says Grossman and his group “simply like to fight.” Two petitioners working with Grossman served as vice presidents of the association and have failed to be re-elected, Israel said.
“They enjoy pot-stirring and want to lead the parade, but most folks, ‘the silent majority,’ are sick and tired of their tactics,” Israel wrote in an email to the Post.
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Dave Israel
Article extracted from the Palm Beach Post - online
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The group has filed a petition with the village’s master homeowners’ association, the United Civic Organization, urging the recall of its president, David Israel. The petition alleges Israel has presented the association with “unsubstantiated financial statements” and has not acted in the “best interest” of residents. It has been signed by more than 90 residents, according to the group.
-
Israel flatly denies the allegations. A Board of Inquiry created by the association to investigate ruled Thursday the claims were invalid. The village’s 350-member delegate assembly will vote on the matter Friday.
-
This is the second time in the village’s 40-year history residents have urged the recall of a UCO president. A petition was filed in 2003 but no action was taken against the president, Israel said.
-
At the center of the dispute is a $5 million project to repave the village’s road network and repair its drainage system. The homeowners’ association swept “virtually every dollar” from its budget to complete the project, Israel said.
-
Much of the reserve money had been set aside for the repairs.
Century Village resident Edward Grossman, a retired accountant who has led the charge to recall Israel, contends the project should have been completed in two phases. The move would have left the village with money in its reserves for emergencies and other projects, he said.
“It wasn’t supposed to be done,” Grossman said. “We didn’t have the money.”
-
An engineering report recommended the road and drainage project be completed in two phases. The first phase was to be done immediately, and the second phase would have been competed in one to three years. Israel said the association went against that recommendation because members feared the cost of escalating asphalt and other supplies would cause the project’s price tag to skyrocket by as much as $1 million.
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“The reserves were spent to complete the entire task,” Israel wrote in an email to The Palm Beach Post. “In the new calendar year, we are indeed rebuilding all reserve lines.”
But Grossman and his group have other gripes. They say the association has not given them a proper forum to inform the village’s 14,000 residents about their recall effort.
The community north of Okeechobee Boulevard and west of Haverhill Road has more residents than many small cities and towns.
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Grossman says it is difficult to reach homeowners without access to the association’s email list. Israel, who runs a private blog about the village, has an unfair advantage because he can post information to sway residents, Grossman said. Israel has written about the recall effort on his blog.
Grossman and his group cited the blog in their petition to recall Israel.
Israel said the complaint is “absurd.” The blog, he said, provides residents with a valuable public forum.
-
“For the sin of opening up an unrestricted communications channel for our residents, I am to be removed from office,” Israel wrote on the blog. “Give me a break.”
-
Grossman also accuses the association of withholding information about the Board of Inquiry and stacking it with members who support Israel. Frustrated with the process, Grossman and two other residents walked out of the inquiry meeting on Thursday after members dismissed three of nine complaints filed against Israel.
-
“Our feeling is that we have been done-in,” said Grossman, who has lived in the village with his wife for the last five years. “This is like a banana republic.”
-
Israel says Grossman and his group “simply like to fight.” Two petitioners working with Grossman served as vice presidents of the association and have failed to be re-elected, Israel said.
“They enjoy pot-stirring and want to lead the parade, but most folks, ‘the silent majority,’ are sick and tired of their tactics,” Israel wrote in an email to the Post.
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Dave Israel
Article extracted from the Palm Beach Post - online
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Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a well written article.
I must make an important comment:
UCO is NOT operating in arrears, no matter how many times the "Drei Malcontents Bund" repeats this "Big Lie" statement, it will not become true!
All bills are paid and there is NO risk of default.
Dave Israel
President
United Civic Organization
The article also omitted to mention that Mr Grossman never runs for UCO office, nor serves as a working volunteer on UCO committees. Thus he avoids ever having to help make decisions. Considering the vague and unsupportable nature of his recall efforts, that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why doesn't he use the Blog that is available to all? Blog people are not gullible, thank goodness for the Blog and IFFI.
If Curly wants to even up the "unfair advantage", he can set up his own Blog in about ten minutes, and there are plenty of internet-savvy people hanging around the pools and clubhouse that can help him do it. He can also post to this Blog, without fear of censorship, but without any protection against reasonable argument, debate or criticism.
ReplyDeleteInstead, the clique of professional stink-raisers propose, year after year, to even the political playing field by eliminating this Blog and all others, private ownership and Free Speech be damned. Village affairs and UCO financial matters belong, in their minds, back where they were in the Old Days, in the hands of those "in the know", and reluctantly disseminated in dribs and distorted drabs to homeowners who dare to enter the UCO office.
In this atmosphere of secrecy and distain for the common homeowner, is it any wonder that UCO, year after year, dragged 7800 stakeholders into ill-advised lawsuits with ruinious legal bills, sketchy insurance schemes, deliberate neglect of infrastucture, and unneccessary building projects? Are you surprised that the same group that fought like animals to have all CV homeowners fund ANOTHER lawsuit against ANOTHER developer, is the same group that fought to defund the WiFi project? Easier access to the internet is EXACTLY what these people do NOT want us to have.
If I were to guess 90 % of the malcontents either do not have the skills or they don't have the courage to publish on the blog.
ReplyDeleteI haven't lived here very long, only coming up on two years, however, I have tried to become involved with the community and care very much about our village.
ReplyDeleteI moved here mainly because of my mother, and like to think that many have accepted me as one of their own.
In the short time that I've been here, I have joined the staff at the reporter, and became president of my HOA.
I can honestly say that I don't agree with some of the things going on, but as a delegate, am disturbed at the constant disruptions at the Delegate Meetings month after month by a few malcontents. Quite frankly, if I was quoted in the Palm Beach paper with a comment that I just read, I would probably be completely shunned by all in this village including my mother. I am of course speaking of Grossmans "banana republic" comment in the paper. I would have put mister in front of his name, but that would indicate some sort of respect, and after that, he deserves none.
As a member of the growing Hispanic community, and the son of parents born in Puerto Rico, which by the way grossman, IS a part of the US, I take offense to your narrow minded comment. Lets face the facts, this is the 21st century. Just because Florida is part of the south, doesn't mean that narrow minded view will be tolerated.
By the way, I don't have the letters CPA after my name, but I do have the letters USN(Ret), RMB. And I doubt anyone cares, just like they don't care about the letters after your name.
Bob Rivera
I am sorry, got a little side tracked.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the impeachment proceedings against President Israel, any charges brought forth should have been supported with the evidence at the time. Calling for an inquiry without giving the evidence prior to the public meeting was a complete waste of time for all involved including the spectators.
While I do not totally agree with the time limitations placed on both sides of the issue, I thought it childish for the three musketeers to walk out the way they did.
Suggestion for the next time, and I am sure there will be a next time, limit each of the three to two minutes each and the president will be accorded two minutes for each one of them that speaks, each side has six total minutes, timed strictly and have a kill switch for each side that the timekeeper can turn off the mike instead of hammering a gavel that some people ignore.
Bravo, Bob Rivera. You said it all!
ReplyDelete