An Important Meeting

The Atlantic Broadband contract is not the same contract the village voted in.

CONTRACT HANKY PANKY ?

An examination of the finalized and signed Atlantic broadband contract led to the discovery of a couple of clauses that were added after the vote without any mention of the changes

Page 4 Under BULK RATE ADDENDUM

Paragraph 8 under Company Representatives

A paragraph was added to this clause : It is the last paragraph on the page and agrees to provide space to Atlantic at $1.00 per square foot. This paragraph was not in the contract proposal offered by UCO. It was added on with no mention being made about renting space for $1.00 a foot.

Page 6  under BULK RATE ADDENDUM'

Again a paragraph was added to the contract it is on the last paragraph at the bottom of the page . It talks about the special discount program and gives Atlantic the right to adjust prices, terms and conditions by 3% a year for those special services. This was not in the original proposed contract that was accepted at the assembly.. 

Considering that those clauses were added after the vote without consultation or agreement by the delegates this contract is null and void. 

TOO MANY CLOWNS AND NOT ENOUGH CIRCUSES

POPCORN IN THE CLUBHOUSE

It was a hot topic at the Advisory committee meeting. The Decision ? ..... NO POPCORN ALLOWED ! 
Does that mean peanuts and crackerjacks are OK ? Or is it just popcorn they find objectionable ?
Gotta wonder who's running the circus .

BUSINESS AS USUAL

At today's Operation Meeting, during new business, I brought up the following topics:

1) Allocating space for Petition's to be signed in Our Club House.. for what ever purpose any UCO member 

(which all of our resident owner's are) whether it be in the Lobby, or assigned room, for a period of 2-3 hrs.,

weekly or bi weekly.. On a previous occasion I had this conversation with  our VP Eva Rachefsky of WPRF, her response today, was that this could be accomplished within the Social Clubs, at their meetings.

I firmly disagree with that suggestion, as Social Clubs, were created for social purposes, such as making new friends, dancing, dining etc..which co incidentally Herb Finkelstein VP of the Italian American Cultural

Club, was as well present and stated that was the sole purpose of their club...

2) Creating Space to house CV Messenger Club Newsletter, in main office, where one currently can obtain their copy of the Reporter, Condo News, etc. The response offered that this was not an official paper of the Community as well as it's contents were distortions, bashing of individuals etc..which would not be tollerated.

I believe we all are entitled to read what ever we choose and not be limited to material approved by an individual or group...This is a Democracy Last time I looked.

Kindly share your thoughts on these subjects with the Club House Administrator

Thank you......Bettie lee Bleckman

free data

Lets have OPEN DATA

The computer age has opened many possibilities in the transfer and storage of information. Reams of data stored in cyberspace are easily accessed
 UCO stores a lot of data in cyberspace and it is readily available to those who have the keys to enter the cyber portal. Data should be available to all residents in the name of transparency. All data should all be freely available to members of The United Civic Organization. There is no good reason to deter members from viewing this material whenever they want. It's their property, their money paid for it. There's no matters of national security that need to be kept in the dark. So why shouldn't the data be freely available ?

RATS!

The rats are coming! The rats are coming !  No ..... Not really. They're already here. 

Marilyn Pomerantz brought up the subject of rats infesting her building at a UCO meeting the other day. NO.... Not two legged rats, the real thing . four legged furry critters with long tails and sharp fangs.
It seems that Duck Island is infested too. Eva Rachesky reported that a large number of rats
bolted from the island when trees were uprooted during landscaping work. The landscapers reported that hundreds of the furry pests swarmed out the ground,  jumped into the lake and swam away when a palm tree was uprooted. It may be coincidental, but Marilyn Pomerantz' building is on the lake opposite Duck island . Could be the same furry fugitives who escaped the island took up residence at the first available place they could find. Marilyn tells the committee that an unlucky resident of the building found rats in his commode .... TWICE! .....EEEK..... what a horrifying thought. She bemoaned the fact that the association has spent $1700.00 so far in efforts to rid the rats from the building. Some thirty rats have been trapped and removed, but they are still around as evidenced by the trails of droppings and the scuffling and squealing emanating from the ceilings and walls.  . Holes in the walls have been patched, traps are set all around  and Marilyn tells us she tore down a wall behind her stove to discover a well worn rat thruway.
Of course David Israel recounted his rat story. he said his building was infested , it took copious amounts of poison spread around to get rid of them. he also said It's not up to UCO to do anything because rats in buildings belong to the association and they are on their own when dealing with them. Not a great strategy . Unless the pests are eradicated or at least knocked down in numbers all around the village the problem will continue.
The scary thought is : what's going to happen when they start tearing up the old golf course? If a couple of hundred rats escaped the island when a couple of trees were unearthed, it is likely the wholesale removal of the overgrown bushes and trees on the golf course could spark a mass exodus of rats looking for new digs.
Not a pleasant situation by any means.
It's hard to tell just how bad it is , but a survey of the population should be attempted. CV needs to get going and get serious about getting rid of them before we face a crisis of biblical proportions.

Just what is UCO supposed to be anyway?

The United Civic Organization. Just what are they about and what are they supposed to be.

UCO was originally formed as an organization to act as a go-between the residents and the owners of the village, they also were charged with managing and paying the collective bills and to act on villagers behalf negotiating contracts for services.
 UCO is charged with acting under the guidance of the Board of Directors( the delegates) but that concept seems to have been turned around where they decide their own agenda.
It could be said that CV is a communal way of life. Not really a commune in the sense that everyone lives, laughs and loves with each other , but it does fall into the category of communal living in many ways.
Communes became pariahs during the hippie movement of the sixties, people like Jim Jones and Charles Manson left everyone with a bad taste in their mouth and a bad attitude towards communes and their self appointed leaders.
 UCO was not intended to be nor is it a government. Century Village doesn't have a government of it's own. Each and every association , and there are 309 of them, is a fiefdom unto itself. Each association makes their own rules and governs their own people with their own set of rules. UCO has no authority to interfere in association affairs, though officers can be invited to counsel boards of directors.
Each association makes their own rules and each association decides whether or not they will enforce them. It has become a mish-mash of differing ideas about how each building wants to conduct their affairs. For instance some allow pets while others don't, some allow rentals of units while others prohibit them or impose restrictions on renting.
Disputes are common among the many residents and there is no mechanism in place to resolve them other than initiating expensive lawsuits in the county courts.
 Complaints presented to UCO are met with  "It's not our business to get involved with association affairs", under the current system it's all too true. Association problems are supposed to be dealt with internally, but many problems remain unresolved while the officers of UCO stand back washing their hands of any involvement.
In short; UCO is an organization put in place to serve residents with specific tasks. It has become apparent that they are stepping over the boundaries of their mandate in many ways. Though the president likes to think he is in charge of the village, he is not. He is in charge of a group of people who pay the bills, and negotiate on our behalf and speak with the owners on matters concerning our relationship with them. That's where it should end, but it doesn't. The administration continually promotes their agenda without consultation or approval of the delegates. Much like a commune leader out of control, the administration continually oversteps their mandate and works against the wishes of the residents. The continued push for Village wide mandatory WIFI contrary to the wishes of the residents, the hiring of employees without any consultaton whether we need them or whether they are the right candidate, the handing over of millions of dollars to WPRF without question or approval are   glaring examples.
Mr Levy made a suggestion when he visited the village during the uproar over Sheffield O, He said that it might be a good idea to "bundle " associations to protect them from aggressive takeovers by avaricious speculators. Some associations have already done so and work collectively to their advantage. Taking it a step farther; it would be a good idea to establish a village wide association that works on behalf of everyone. Right now we don't have that. A lot of people think that is what UCO does, but it's not true. UCO has a narrow mandate and some people question whether there are conflicts of interest in their handling of our money. Others question the activities of UCO, wondering if they truly act in our best interests.
Is there an answer to this conundrum ? Of course there is. It will take a concentrated effort by a determined group of people to accomplish any change. UCO certainly will not lead the way.

Can you believe this nonsense

 We got a letter (actually an Eletter or Email) from the chair of the Advisory Committee notifying us that they wouldn't accept electronic signatures on petitions to amend the bylaws. There's no good reason for their  refusal, the signatures are all verifiable, complete with phone numbers and addresses. Their reaction is not unexpected as we know that any attempt to change things for the better of the residents to the perceived detriment of the administration is going to be met with unreasonable and obstinate obstructionism. 

Here's the letter and our response below

From: "Anita Buchanan" 
To: "olga wolkenstein" , 
To "MARILYN" (Pomerantz) 
(email addresses removed for privacy considerations)
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2017 9:41:34 AM
Subject: Electronic Signatures

Marilyn and Olga,

Sorry, but the Advisory Committee isn't yet ready to accept electronic signatures on petitions. Under the law (see below) all parties have to choose to use electronic signatures), meaning that we'd have to include acceptance of e-signatures in the bylaws so all sides -- party petitioning and party receiving (UCO) -- would be in agreement. Electronic signatures are an idea whose time has come, but we're just a bit ahead of ourselves. We need a bylaw change and can address this at the July 11 meeting.

Here's the explanation: The ESIGN Act is a federal law passed in 2000. It grants legal recognition to electronic signatures and records if all parties to a contract choose to use electronic documents and to sign them electronically. ... No contract, signature, or record shall be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form.

Attorney language supporting this: "The current electronic petition by the 'Justice for Residents' does not meet the requirements of the Bylaws because the petition must be “signed” by at least 25 members. This means a hand written signature. The Bylaws do not provide for electronic voting or electronic signatures. Ch 718 has provisions for electronic voting but as we know UCO is not a condominium association and thus not subject to Ch 718. "

We want to let you know before you work on other proposals and you might want to redo the one you just submitted for one-vote. Thanks,

Anita Buchanan

Here's our response;

In re: The letter from Anita Buchanan, the chair of the UCO Advisory Committee rejecting E ( electronic) signatures as a legitimate way to propose amendments to the UCO bylaws.
Anita refers to the Esign Act as a basis for denying the use of E signatures as a vehicle for petitioning the UCO administration.

The assertion that the Esign Act prohibits the use of electronic signatures in this instance  is invalid .

The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN, Pub.L. 106–229, 114 Stat. 464, enacted June 30, 2000, 15 U.S.C. ch. 96) is a United States federal law passed by the U.S. Congress to facilitate the use of electronic records and electronic signatures in interstate and foreign commerce by ensuring the validity and legal effect of contracts entered into electronically. . Unilaterally generated electronic records and signatures which are not part of a transaction also are not covered by this Act.
The general intent of the ESIGN Act is spelled out in the very first section(101.a), that a contract or signature “may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforcability solely because it is in electronic form”. This simple statement provides that electronic signatures and records are just as good as their paper equivalents, and therefore subject to the same legal scrutiny of authenticity that applies to paper documents.

The Scope of this Act is inherently limited by the fact that it only applies to transactions related to business, commercial (including consumer) and governmental matters. Consequently, transactions with no relation to business, commercial or governmental transactions would not be subject to this Act.

The proposing of an amendment to the bylaws of UCO does not fall into the framework covered by the act. The Esign Act is intended to be used as a tool for consumer protection in contracts and transactions and to facilitate commerce. Our petition is a request, not a contract or transaction.
The further assertion that electronic signatures are not permitted under UCO bylaws is also challenged on the basis that the UCO bylaws do not specifically or in general prohibit Esignatures. The bylaw simply says "signatures" No reference is made in the bylaws to the nature of the signatures other than they must be verifiable.

We challenge the statement that "attorney language" supports the position of the committee. we question the existence of such an opinion and would like to respond to the attorney who stated it, if such an attorney exists,  so that we can challenge his opinion and defend our position. 

For the above stated reasons we respectfully request that the committee reconsider their position on this matter and do the right thing in accepting E signatures as a valid means to make proposals and present petitions to the administration  of Century Village

War without end

The war on this that and the other thing

It's hard to count the wars that have raged across the planet since time immemorial. 
In the present day in America we have several wars going on of which everyone is well aware. The war on terror is an oxymoron to begin with. wars create terror by their very nature. The struggle between ideologies that has been going on since the days of the crusades should have taught humanity that you can't defeat an ideology with the force of arms. Cries of "the radicalization of Islam" have become the rallying cry to arms leading to hatred being created towards those who practice that religion. The reality is that it's not the radicalization of Islam that is the problem. It's the Islamization of radicalism. 
Apart from the wars going on at the moment where bombs and bullets fly. There are domestic wars taking place on our doorsteps. The war on drugs initiated by Richard Nixon and now seen as a war on a class of people who were seen as a threat to the status quo, namely the hippies and the African Americans. It has brought us to a place where we have created a class of people who have no alternative to criminality to survive. It has enriched corrupt leaders and criminals who use their ill gotten profits to amass political power.  It has drained our treasury and alienated a large segment of our population who no longer trust our leaders.It is a dismal failure of policy that should be abandoned for a change in strategy before it overwhelms us, though it may be too late in view of the opiod epidemic that is killing people wholesale all across America in every class of people and every town and village in the country. This  while big pharmaceutical companies pocket immense profits at the expense of the lives of our sons and daughters and deny any culpability .  The casualties  could be seen as casualties of war, but are viewed as pariahs and outcasts not worthy of our grief. 
The incarcerated "druggies" could be seen as prisoners of war, and in fact they are. Upon release from correctional institutions  they are spat upon by society who quietly go about the business of consuming their particular drug of choice while relegating those who got caught to the ranks of the untouchables. It's an eerie situation remniscent of the return of the Vietnam soldiers who were  vilified not only by the citizens but by an administration who did little to avert the avalanche of angry sentiment heaped upon the shoulders of the veterans.  The anti war protesters took out their anger on the ranks of the returning soldiers , while those responsible for the fiasco were more than willing to place the blame for their failures on them. 
The war on poverty is another hypocritical sordid affair. Poverty in America is growing in leaps and bounds. Fueled largely by the loss of industry to third world countries who permit near or actual slave labor conditions to reap ever increasing profits for the industrialists.
Many American families have been destroyed by the loss of jobs, incomes and homes. Once proud  breadwinners are shuffled onto the food stamp line leading to further depression, substance abuse, criminality and suicide. The so called war on poverty suffered a huge blow when our President announced that " poor people" would have no place in his administration. The upcoming cuts to social programs under the new administration can only lead to a deepening of poverty and an increase in all the negatives that go with it.  The war on poverty is another dismal failure due to the policies and the attitudes of our society. 
Wars will go on forever until a renaissance in thinking takes place. The conditions leading to conflict will only be resolved by the determination of the people. 
Wars on this that and the other thing  cannot and will not solve anything. Until the conditions of poverty, oppression, ignorance and corruption are resolved we can look forward to more war and conflict without end.

CV and the politics of fear

The politics of fear at work in Century Village?

There is a lot of fear in America today, the terrorist attacks, rising crime stats, loss of jobs and homes, all go to fuel Americans fear of the future. Politicians have used the politics of fear to garner votes as they present themselves as the savior and promise that they and they alone can protect us from the evildoers who are out to harm us. This is how fear works. It makes people want to hold on to what they have and look at the unfamiliar more warily. Everyone is subsceptible , politicos know this and use it to their advantage. Our own President is no exception. He uses it when he castigates opponents and claims they are just a group of malcontents intent on destroying the lifestyle of Century Village.A ridiculous assertion , but one that many people believe is true. By his posturing and presenting a brave countenance in the face of these purported destroyers. David israel presents himself as the one and only person standing between the village and the forces of destruction. The greatest fear in the village is that condo fees are going to rise to an unmanageable level causing many residents to sell out and go live with their children. Next in line on the fear charts is that the infrastructure is slowly eroding to a point where massive amounts of money are going to be needed to maintain it. We have already seen huge chunks of money being doled out to repair defective, failing equipment, and lets not forget the five million dollars spent on a band aid approach to renewing the roads, a project that is looking more and more like a dismal failure with estimates of some twenty million dollars to do it again and get it right. The fear of loss was used to browbeat the delegates into approving the cable contract. israel claimed that unless the deal was ratified immediately we would be at the mercy of Comcast, who would use their position to run amok with their proposal. The same tactic was used in the ratification of the paving contract. The administrators announced that unless the deal was accepted then the village would be subject to a million dollar increase in the contract due to the rising cost of oil, and a huge fee for re-mobilization. That gambit actually ended up as a misrepresentation as the price of oil fell sharply shortly thereafter. But the fear of loss worked well. It's hard to resist the urge to succumb to the politics of fear. But if one critically analyzes the issues it soon becomes apparent that though the fears may not be unfounded the people presenting themselves as the only alternative and the only real way to protect you and what's yours are nothing more than practitioners of the politics of fear

 

What do we do with all that money ?

Now that the cable deal is settled we are looking at a big bonus called a gateway, or doorway fee. That's a few million dollars that Atlantic Broadband is going to be paying out to CV for signing the deal. So what happens to that money ? George Loewenstein, the former president of UCO,  gave the doorway fee we received from Comcast when that deal was signed to the residents in the form of reduced condo fees. A neat trick that avoided paying tax on it. 
David Israel has already indicated he is not interested in handing it over. he decided he would rather throw it into the UCO slush fund to spend on whatever he or his "team" see fit.Of course , he claims that it's all for the ultimate benefit of the village, but in looking at the waste and questionable accounting practice and the handing over of millions of dollars to WPRF, we have to wonder if that's the best way to go.
What do you think ?

Condo Termination act finally amended !

Senate Bill 1520 was signed by Governor Rick Scott on June 16, 2017. The following is a summary of the bill, which will take effect on July 1, 2017:

SB 1520 amends 718.117, Florida Statutes, regarding the optional termination of condominiums, making it more difficult for a Plan of Termination to be passed without full consent of the unit owners.  The changes to the law reduce the amount of unit owners required to reject a plan, postpone the time until another plan can be voted on, and requires that the plan be approved by the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (“Division”) based on factual and public policy reasons. Further, it guarantees that an optional termination will not result in a unit owner receiving less than his or her purchase price of the unit.

Changes to 718.117(1), (3) and addition of (21):

Applicability

• The statute contains language indicating it is controlling over language in a condominium’s declaration and applies to all condominiums in the state in existence on or after July 1, 2007. The phrase: “Unless the declaration provides for a lower percentage” has been stricken indicating that the threshold established in the statute is the minimum vote required for optional termination.

Optional Termination

• Prior to the effective date of the amendment, in order to approve a plan of termination, 80% of unit owners must approve the plan, and no more than 10% of unit owners can object. The changes to the statute now require an 80% unit owner vote approving a plan of termination; with less than 5% objecting. Additionally, the changes to the statute now provide that once the plan of termination passes a unit owner vote, it would then need to be approved by the Division.
• The Division will have 45 days to review the Plan of Termination and notify the association of any deficiencies, or if it is rejected. If the Division does not respond within 45 days, the plan is deemed accepted.  Under the new law, plans of termination will now need to include factual circumstances that show that the plan complies with Section 718.117, Florida Statutes, and supports the public policies of the section, which are listed below.
• If a plan of termination is rejected by 5% or more of the total voting interests of the condominium, then a new plan may not be considered for 24 months, as opposed to the current period of 18 months.
• Under the current law, a condominium owner who purchased a unit from the developer must be made “whole” upon termination. In other words, the plan of termination could not provide for paying the unit owner less than the original purchase price. SB 1520 removes the language that restricts this requirement only to the original unit owner, meaning that an owner who purchased a resale condominium would also be entitled to receive a minimum of the purchase price upon optional termination. The bill applies this section to all unit owners, not just the ones who object to the plan

100 signatures for a proposed amendment ?

A proposal to amend the bylaws requiring 100 signatures on any petition was unanimously passed by the Advisory Committee at their June meeting.
It's a scurrilous attempt to deter residents from proposing amendments. Since the inception of Century Village, 25 signatures were required , it served us well and there's no need to change it now. If this amendment is passed at the delegates assembly it pretty much leaves the majority of residents in the difficult situation of having to gather 100 signatures to get a proposal on the table. That is unless you are one of the chosen few sitting on the committee, in which case a single member can propose anything they want.
There's no good reason for changing the requirements other than deterring residents efforts to change what they think needs change. 
If the move to require 100 signatures is acceptable to the delegates , they should consider a further amendment permitting E signatures. That would make things a lot easier for residents and bring some balance to the issue. 
So far the committee has stonewalled the proposal to initiate one vote per unit owner in the election of officers, That proposal has been buried for two years. The committee agreed to deal with it , but subsequently sent a message that the inclusion of E signatures on a new proposal  is not Kosher. Giving them the further opportunity to deny it. David Israel made the case that if the one vote per unit amendment is passed it would require a lot of changes to the core documents. Though he said he thought it is a good idea, he undermined the proposal by suggesting it would be an onerous task to accomplish. 
Regardless of the feelings of the committee, it's an idea who's time has come. One vote per unit is the only true democratic way to elect officers .

What the heck ! PETITION DENIED

The petition to initiate one vote per resident has been turned away by the Advisory Committee . They say it's because the procedure is not in line with the proper way to get signatures. E signatures are not acceptable and are not allowed according to the administration. That may be so. Following the rules is a good thing. So why has the advisory committee buried a similar petition for two years?. The lost petition has  the required number of hand written signatures. Everything about it is legitimate and according to the bylaws that "TEAM DAVE"  is imposing to deny the latest petition they are duty bound to deal with it. There is no good reason for the administration to ignore it. But they have ignored it, continue to ignore it and it looks like they are going to keep on ignoring it.Perhaps it's because the petition was decreed as just another attempt by the malcontents to destroy the village, or some such nonsense.
Malcontents have been a thorn in the side of dictators since Moses led the Jews out of Egypt.  Without malcontents there would be no movement to change the status quo. 
 It's another case of selectively enforcing the rules that suit the administration while continually breaking them when it suits their purpose.We can be sure that if the petition was for something that solidified the position of the in crowd, there would be no hesitation, e signatures or not!
Every member of the Advisory Committee is well aware of the interest by residents in achieving a democratic form of electing officers. Yet not a single one of them has picked it up and moved it forward. Under a benevolent administration the petition would be considered despite the leaders angst about it.
It's obvious that "Team Dave" is doing their best to prevent residents from petitioning anything. Recent discussions on the committee suggested that the number of required signatures on a petition be raised from the current level of 25 signatures  to as much as 117. it's a good way to cement their bodies to their chairs on the committees.
They quoted the legalities of E signatures and claimed they are not valid unless all involved parties agree to allow them. Ok. We get it ! but wouldn't it be fair and decent to find a way to at least consider the petition instead of looking for ways to block all efforts?
It looks like another battle is brewing to get "all parties" to agree to accept E signatures. But don't hold your breath. We can all be sure that "Dave" and his " Team" will do whatever they can to stop that idea before it comes up and bites them. Look forward to the usual nonsense about malcontents and all the rest of the stupid propaganda that will no doubt be issuing from the offices  of the "Team".

Chemicals in our environment

The analysis of chemical contaminants in the soil and the water on the old golf course adjacent to century Village reveals a long list of chemical compounds used in the past to control insects.
Arsenic is on top of the list with levels exceeding the EPA's ( Environmental Protection agency) standards. The levels suggested by the EPA as being a safe  level posing little threat to human or animal life are simply guidelines established to create a red line for reference. The fact is that the real safe levels are largely unknown. Though studies have shown that levels exceeding the standards do cause long term effects on animal and human health, There is not really any safe level of exposure.One remedy suggested by the EPA to deal with high levels of arsenic in soil is to dilute the concentration by mixing the contaminated soil with clean soil. It certainly lowers the concentration, but does nothing to actually remove the culprit. The mixing of a cocktail of  toxic chemicals in a myriad of different environments leads us vulnerable to toxic effects that we may never be aware exist.
Though assurances are given by the EPA that levels are very low and fall short of the levels that are known to cause health problems and damage to the environment. It may be prudent to think about the long term effects of the build up of toxic materials and what the consequences are for the future.
Here's a compilation of some of the worst  chemicals discovered in the soil and the water on the golf course. There is a good chance that these same chemicals can be found in Century Village. There is no barrier or any kind of control preventing toxic buildup in our soil and in our lake. Chemicals from the surrounding area are regularly added to our lake by the introduction of treated wastewater  which does contain the chemicals as the wastewater treatment facilities are not equipped to remove them. Contaminated water leaching from the grounds then entering the CV Lake to be used in irrigation contribute to the distribution of the pollutants.
Chlordane is one of the  "dirty dozen"  banned by the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. It is one of the most potent carcinogens.The National Cancer Institute reported that chlordane is associated with high rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma .
Heptachlor was used as an insecticide. In 1962, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring questioned it's safety  due to its highly stable structure, heptachlor can persist in the environment for decades. It is classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen.
Aldrin is an  insecticide that was banned in the 1970s. It is classified as an extremely hazardous substance in the United States as defined in Section 302 of the U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (42 U.S.C.
Dieldrin was  developed in the 1940s to relace DDT, it is a persistent pollutant. Long-term exposure has proven toxic to a very wide range of animals including humans. For this reason it is now banned in most of the world.Health problems such as Parkinson's, breast cancer, and immune, reproductive, and nervous system damage have been linked to exposure.
Endrin  was primarily used as an insecticide, a rodenticide and piscicide.It is known as a persistent pollutant  and is now banned in many countries. It is not a known carcinogen but is known to be toxic in many other ways with detrimental effects.The use of Endrin was cancelled in the United States in 1991 due it's toxicity.
Endosulfan is an insecticide and acaricide(tick and mite killer) that is being phased out around the world due to it's acute  toxic effects on humans The Stockholm Convention in April 2011 negotiated a global ban on it's use .
Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) is an  insecticide that is slightly irritating to the skin. it is a close relative of DDT  but it is considered to be less toxic to animals than DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)  known for its insecticidal properties and harmful environmental impacts.DDT is an endocrine disruptor. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies DDT as "probably carcinogenic to humans. Other findings claim  DDT is an endocrine disruptor, a predictor of breast cancer, and a marker of high risk"
Methoxychlor is used as a weapon against a variety of insects It was introduced as a replacement for DDT, but it is now  banned because of its acute toxicity, It has been linked to the development of Leukemia in humans. It is not classified as  carcinogen by the EPA though they do indicate other toxic effects from exposure and caution that high levels can  cause central nervous system damage,  depression, diarrhea, damage to liver, kidney, and heart, and  by chronic exposure  growth retardation
Toxaphene was an insecticide widely used in the cotton industry.  It is a mixture of over 670 different chemicals. High levels of toxaphene can cause damage to the lungs, nervous system, liver, kidneys, and  may  cause death. Toxaphene use was cancelled in the U.S. in 1990
Neil J.Moore

Election fever

How does Century Village achieve an election process that truly represents all of the people living in the village?

It's a gnarly question with many differing points of view.
The UCO administration seems happy with the staus quo where delegates appointed from the associations vote for the candidates, supposedly reflecting the wishes of the residents of their particular group. But that's not really working effectively. A lot of delegates don't show up at the assemblies and a lot of them just vote whatever they think is best without any consensus from their association. If a delegate doesn't vote according to the wishes of the association , there's no remedy. Absent delegates leave associations under-represented with their members not having a say.
Another perspective says that only resident owners of condo's should get the vote. The notion  that only resident owners should be allowed to vote is one that could cause some controversy. Absentee landlords or snowbirds who spend a few weeks or months in the village would be disenfranchised. Not having a say in elections could be a deterrent to attracting potential buyers.  The question that should be asked is: Would it be fair to prevent owners from voting because they don't live here full time ? Should there be a qualifier imposing a residency clause?
There are some questions about conducting elections giving owners an exclusive vote. There's a lot of people who own multiple units in the village. Do they get to vote multiple times according to the number of units they own ? That's the way elections are conducted in corporations where shareholders get to vote according to the number of shares they own.
Then there's the question of co-owners. Who gets to vote if , as in many cases, there are more than one owner of a unit? It's possible, and likely, that two people living in a unit have different opinions on who should be elected.
Perhaps the best way to approach the issue is to look back at the development of elections under the democratic principles we all hold so dear.
In the early years of the American Republic, only male landowners got to vote. It wasn't until the early part of the twentieth century that the suffragette movement caused the change allowing women the vote. Changes to the voting act came about in the nineteenth century allowing disenfranchised minorities the vote. That included people who didn't own land but for the most part worked and lived as sharecroppers. Attempts were made to prevent people from voting by applying unfair regulations to qualify. Those regulations were abandoned after civil rights  legislation was introduced striking them down
The only fair and democratic procedure in American elections is to give everyone the right to vote.In a true democracy, which Century Village is not, everyone gets a vote.
Different factions in Century Village have different ideas about what is fair and what is right in electing officers. It is apparent that most people who are invested in the village don't want to see any changes that would erode their authority and control. It's a double edged sword that cuts both ways. Disenfranchising one segment of the population usually results in the loss of voting  rights for others.
A truly democratic procedure would give everyone a vote. That means that anyone possessing a CV.  ID. card gets a vote. The issue that owners find objectionable about this procedure is that transient residents could and probably would vote for officers who favor their rights over the rights of the owners. If this is unacceptable  the only way out is to revert to corporate procedures where owners get to vote according to the number of units they own. That may not be acceptable either as owners of single units would feel as though their rights are being eroded by owners of multiple units who are not just looking to live here but using the village as a cash cow investment.
It's a difficult situation in Century Village. different factions looking to maintain their control at the expense and detriment of others has led us to the situation where we find ourselves.
It is time for a change to an antiquated election  system that has long outlived it's usefulness.
Just what that change is going to be is anyone's guess.

petition

Big Brother is watching

Shades of George Orwell's book "1984" The administration just approved the purchase of cameras to monitor the clubhouse parking lot. The reason ? To catch motorists going out the in road or going in the out road. Sounds strange! But true.
The cameras are going to be state of the art high definition motion detecting marvels. That means that all the details of drivers going out when they should be going in or vice versa are going to be recorded with pictures of their car and license plates to provide proof. Then WPRF will issue a stern warning to the sinners and if they don't stop coming in the out road or going out the in  road they will be not so politely shown the out road and told to use it, and stay out until someone lets them back in. Apparently they will not be allowed back in the clubhouse unless they use the in road for coming in or the out road for going out.
What I really don't get is who is going to sit and watch the videos or pictures( there will be miles and miles of them ) to determine just who the incoming people using the outgoing roadway are ? Or conversely: who the people are who are using the outgoing road  to get in.  Then we have to ask: Who is going to pay someone to sit there and watch it all ? I suppose that's us. So not only do we have a situation where we have drivers going in and out and roundabout. We also have a situation where our money is going out to catch people coming in the out road  . Or is it money coming in to catch drivers going out the in road?
 It's all so confounding!

Water and Waldman

There's a culvert in danger of collapse, it leads to the abandoned golf course. apparently Mr.  Waldman ( the owner of the old golf course ) isn't interested in paying to fix it up. So UCO is going to pay $25K to repair their half of  the culvert which crosses the property line on the road to Southampton, If it caves in the roadway is going to collapse with it.
why should we pay to allow drainage from Waldman's property. ? If he wants to prevent flooding he should be responsible to maintain it. He has no easement. We don't have any responsibility to pay for his stuff .
If Waldman doesn't want to pay for it we should just fill the culvert in with soil and rocks and let him sink or swim with the consequences.

A good reason to change our voting procedure

There's a lot of good reasons to change the way votes are taken from the delegates. One good reason is that there's no way to verify whether delegates who appear at the assemblies have the proper authorization. We did discover that at least one delegate cast a vote in the last assembly, but was not entitled to do so under the current rules. The delegate in question was given the authorization by a board member without any notice or discussion at the association board meeting. This is just one that we know about, there could be others. changing the elections and the voting procedures to give all residents a vote in all the delegates assembly business may not be a bad idea.

One vote each

Sign our petition to amend the bylaws giving each and every owner a vote in the election of officers of UCO.

Residents are not being fully represented when it comes to voting. Many delegates are either absent or just don't bother showing up on election day. Others may not be voting according to the wishes of their associations. A petition to amend the bylaws was presented to the administration over a year ago and was promptly buried. We are re-submitting it and would like to get a lot more signatures than the required 25.

To get a true picture of who should run the village;  a vote by everyone is the only way.

Sign our petition   By clicking here and filling out a simple form. 

Voting by Clickers?

Just Click To Vote !

The delegates voted to approve the purchase of hand held clickers that they can use to vote in assemblies.
That sounds pretty good ! Now delegates can get an accurate count of a vote in seconds. it sure will save time at the assemblies and confound the inaccuracies of counting like they are doing eenie meenie miney moe, But on the other hand how can anyone tell which way a delegate is voting on an issue ? At least with a show of hands anyone can look around and see which way a delegate votes. But with the introduction of these hand held devices it's impossible to tell. There should be some way for the results to be published and to announce which way each delegate voted. That way residents can be sure that the delegate is voting according to the wishes of the association.

Rogue roundup

Century Village needs a Treasurer. Even when one is appointed there's no guarantees. 
Florida is rife with theft, mismanagement and fraud in condo associations. Here's a few examples of what happens when too much trust is placed on those who are supposedly managing Condo accounts.

The bookkeeper for a suburban West Palm Beach homeowners association has been arrested for allegedly using nearly $95,000 of the association’s money for personal expenses from a $2,138 diamond ring to an $804 purse.

Kristine K. Moore, 36, of West Palm Beach, was charged Dec. 29 with larceny and fraud in the disappearance of $94,674 from the master homeowners association of Cypress Lakes, a 1,000-home, 55-plus community off Haverhill Road, just north of Century Village. She was released on $20,000 bond the next day.

A former Boynton Beach homeowners association treasurer is accused of embezzling $51,000 in part, authorities said, to pay the mortgage on his house that allowed him to maintain his position with the association.  In total, he wrote $51,542.59 out to himself, according to the arrest report.

A former president and treasurer of Gulf Reach Condominium Association in Bradenton Beach have been charged with defrauding the Florida not-for-profit corporation of more than $50,000 over a six-year period.  Alyson Colosia, 51, and Javier Colosia, 53, who also own a condo in the 1300 block of Gulf Drive North, were arrested May 3 and charged with the first-degree felony.  

A civilian employee of the Police Department, who as president of a Rossville homeowners’ association used the group’s checking account as his personal piggy bank by siphoning off more than $300,000, pleaded guilty Wednesday to grand larceny.  Danny Juliano was accused of embezzling $366,380 from the Woodbrooke Estates Homeowners Association between October 2011 and February 2015 

Nicole Mae Frost, an attorney from Clearwater, has been disbarred by the Supreme Court of Florida after an investigation found the attorney culpable in mishandling and misappropriating client funds in two matters.

A Manatee High School teacher is under investigation and facing charges of stealing from a condo association. Alyson Colosia faces a scheme to defraud charge. Bradenton Beach Police say she and Javier Colosia served as president and treasurer of the Gulf Reach Condo Association.  

Police say between 2009 and 2015, the two misappropriated about $134,000 in ATM cash withdrawals and transfers from the association for their personal benefit. 

 

The missing money was discovered when the association conducted an audit in 2015.

Petition

We are petitioning for a change in the bylaws that changes the way elections of UCO officers is conducted.We want to give every unit owner a vote . We are doing this because we believe the current system is unfair.
We need a minimum of 25 owners signatures but would like to get a lot more to demonstrate widespread support for this motion.Contact us and we would be more than happy to collect your signature. 

What's This ?

The advisory committee approved a motion to trade the CV Realty building on East Drive for a shack located on the road near Southampton. What are they thinking ? The realty building is owned by the village. The shack is owned by the Levy family. The realty building is currently leased to the real estate company doing business there, at an extremely good rental rate, Coincidentally one of the Levy family is a principle officer in the real estate company.  Now UCO wants to trade buildings so that the UCO Reporter has a place to do their work. We didn't see any appraisals on either building to see if they are of equal value.
Since UCO has got involved in the real estate market. I have a bridge in Brooklyn they might be interested in buying .

Here's why we need a treasurer and transparent accountability
click here to see a good reason for term limits and open transparency in the administration

And Don't think for one minute that it can't happen here !

Still no Treasurer ??????

TREASURER WANTED 

Qualifications:

Must know "Creative" accounting

Have a willingness to work under an unreasonable, dictatorial ruler

Must know how to effectively throw others under a bus

Must know how to avoid questions from the board of directors

Must know the State regulations for a non-profit organization and how to effectively get around them.

Must be willing to sacrifice integrity for the benefit of the "team"

Must be able to accept the blame for the transgressions of others

Must be good at stonewalling

Possessing a knowledge of sound accounting principles and practices is not a pre-requisite as the organization does not use them.

Please apply to the UCO administration offices with a resume. Don't call  looking for an answer we'll call you. 

Does this sound familiar ?

here's a story about unauthorized spending, dictatorship in a Florida HOA check it out by clicking on the link.
HOA NIGHTMARE

Israel hogging the clock !

The debate on the cable contract at the delegates assembly , chaired by our esteemed Potus; David Israel,.was limited to one hour in total and two minutes for each speaker.

A friend of the village timed the speakers and the debate. It turns out that David Israel took 23 minutes of the time to espouse his ramblings. Ed Black took another 5 minutes and the debate was cut short by five minutes.. That leaves 27 minutes for the rest of the village to have their say. David Israel and his team bucket boy  ED Black got more time to promote their opinions than the rest of the delegates combined.  Does that seem right to anyone ? Worse yet; the debate was cut short by five minutes and a final speaker was not allowed to have his say. 

One speaker made the comment that it;'s not the chairman's place to interject his opinion after every speaker, especially when the speaker doesn't conform with the chair's ambitions or goes against his very obvious bias. She was absolutely correct. It is not the chairs place to answer or argue with anyone. The chair gets to conduct the meeting , not  fence with speakers, though that's the way it's always been done around here. 

It was interesting to note that an association  fielded three delegates, who, according to the rules, cast a vote each, but they voted on opposite sides of the question.How does that represent the wishes of their association, They either want it or they don't. How their delegates voted in opposition to each other exposes a fatal flaw in the way the vote was conducted, and in the way business is conducted under the current system. 

During the roll call vote, one elderly delegate didn't reply when her name was called to vote. She seemed to be a bit confused and didn't answer after repeated calls. Someone, I'm not sure who, ran over to her and coached her what to answer . How does that work ? This delegate didn't seem to be in tune with the proceedings .We're not sure if she understood what she was voting for. But it didn't look right .

It really is time for the delegates to get some cojones and put an end to the domination of every issue by the chair.

A smack in the chops !

We're waiting for David Israel to start up with his WIFI ambitions again now that the cable contract is a done deal. Experience has shown that he just keeps bringing it back even though the village says they don't want it.
If you look at the way this new cable contract was handled it's apparent that negotiations started right after the defeat of Israel's WIFI scheme at the delegates assembly, where they overwhelmingly turned it down.
The bid for a cable contract that included MANDATORY WIFI for everyone started 2 years ago. it doesn't make a lot of sense when we still had about four years to go on the existing contract.A lot of people see it as a sneaky end run to get WIFI despite all the opposition.  Stifling the mandatory wifi bid that was included in the original Atlantic proposal is a small victory for the residents. and a big smack in the chops to Israel. It's more probable than not that WIFI will be back under a new name or something.  There's still a "Broadband Committee" in place and no doubt they'll be at it again.
If Israel continues to keep pushing his dream of wifi for all, then another smack in the chops should be delivered at the next election.

Hell or High Water

Hell or high water !

Today the delegates voted by a slim margin of 11 votes to accept the Atlantic Broadband contract proposal. A lot of good points and questions were raised in the discussion preceding the vote. Concerns were raised that David Israel was too biased and seemed intent on pushing through his desire to award the contract to Atlantic. Others raised concerns about David Israel hogging the microphone for too long and not giving residents a chance to finish their statements under the two minute time limit that he imposed .
Israel claimed that Comcast acted irresponsibly in not providing a contract that the assembly could look at. This is a misrepresentation( I'm being kind ) Comcast did indeed provide a contract proposal according to their executives who are handling the issue. ( we verified this by calling them )
It's not the end of the world. A lot of people are very concerned that Atlantic is going to give us the same service they provide to their customers in Miami, which, according to the customers is atrocious. But that remains to be seen. Let's hope their service is all they claim it to be. If it's not, we can only hope that delegates remember it at the elections.
One bright spot in the whole affair is the absolute demolition of Israel's bid to include mandatory wifi in the Atlantic contract. There's a sneaking suspicion that this whole bid was a roundabout way for Israel to achieve his goal of village wide wifi. That idea got soundly rejected more than once at the assembly and then was abandoned when Comcast re-entered the bidding war with a proposal giving residents the option of wifi or not. Atlantic quickly reworked their bid to reflect the same clause in their proposal, and mandatory wifi died a quick death.
It should be said that The Messenger Club was instrumental in bringing Comcast back to the table, and at our suggestion included the no wifi option. Whether the administration wants to admit it or not. Not only that we noted that some of the clauses in the final Atlantic contract were changed due to the presentation by Olga Wolkenstein. Those all important changes would undoubtedly have stayed in the contract if the club hadn't demanded they be altered. The first clause removed at our suggestion was the clause giving Atlantic the nod to increase their rates whenever they saw fit. The second was the clause allowing them to change the channel lineup at their discretion without notice.
 Now that the delegates have voted and their voice has been heard, Century Village is looking forward to ten years of Atlantic Broadband come hell or high water.