Is Your HOA Board Liberal or Conservative?

I had an epiphany tonight.

Being an ardent Hillary Clinton fan, I had occasion with this past election to become more interested in politics than I ever have been. I have spent more time arguing with hard-core Republicans and conservatives than I like to think about. Arguing politics is probably one of the biggest wastes of time that exists. I don't think anyone will ever convert a person from one way of thinking to the other by discussing it.

And yet we argue. I have tended to look at things through "party" eyes, and tonight I was given a glimpse into just how deeply ingrained particular attitudes really are. The country is not really divided by the political parties as much as by basic beliefs - and it extends to all manner of things outside of running the government.

A couple of years ago, our condo complex had an HOA board turnover. It was a bitter feud between 25-30 of the most active owners. (Out of 212 - many of whom couldn't care less...just like non-voters!)

Our old board had its faults. The bookkeeping was less than it could have been, and funds were assessed for some things and used for others instead. I don't think there was any wrong-doing there...it's like when you are saving for a new sofa and your car breaks down. And it wasn't documented as well as it might have been.

Anyway, our fees had gone way up. Insurance rates had doubled and were part of our HOA fees. We had to redo a jacuzzi and some tennis courts. They were assessing us large amounts of money and it angered everyone. They had fired the property manager and went a year or so without one. Our landscaping was being done by several in-house employees that had little or no supervision, and very little training. The complex looked terrible and morale was very low amongst the home owners.

Several owners banded together, swooped in and got rid of the old board, and took over. They hired a management company, fired the employees, found better insurance, worked harder to get lower bids and manage costs. Our fees went down by a large margin. They've done a great job and our complex has never looked better. So what am I going to talk about finally?

Our old board was comprised of older people, mostly from up north, and here's the surprise - THEY WERE LIKE DEMOCRATS! If a pipe burst in the walls, and someone's unit was damaged, the HOA took money from the funds and usually paid for the damages to that unit. Many people did not have H06 insurance. If someone broke your window and you couldn't catch them, the HOA would probably fix it for you. They clothed the poor and fed the hungry!

The new board is mostly comprised of Southerners in their early to mid 40's. I'm almost 100% sure that they are all Republicans. We've had our political arguments for a year or so...they are all my friends. I've enjoyed some rolicking debates with almost all of them.

Issue at hand: Our complex condo insurance has a $5000 per claim deductible. If we have a fire, and the building burns down, the complex insurance will put the "structure" back. They will not replace cabinets, windows, countertops, etc. The individual unit owner will have to do this - either out of pocket or with their own HO6 insurance. And with 8 units per building, the $5000 deductible would be split 8 ways. Less if only part of a building was damaged. Also, HO6 insurance will not pay for something that is part of the structure...like those windows that we are responsible for.

If we have a storm and a tree falls on a building, crushes 2 condos - those two owners will have to come up with $2500 from somewhere to repair their units.

My SC homeowners insurance agent tells me that most good HOA boards have a special "kitty fund" to cover the deductible and help the owners. I suggested that to one of the new board members, and you'd think I had ignited the frustration of every Republican in town! Did I DARE to suggest we have an assessment to pay for something that would help those who couldn't afford to pay the deductible? If we had a claim on 10 units per year, that would be $50,000 the board would have to pay! (I don't think we've had 10 claims in the last 10 years) And here is an actual quote from the email I received from a board member about it...

"If my unit is one of the units that gets damaged I would love for someone else to pay for it. Isn't that the American way these days?? But if my unit gets damaged I will have to pay my deductible just like anyone else would."

And me? Well, I'm all for paying a small assessment that covers it for everybody. A liberal alone with a conservative HOA government. I have to admit it is funny right now. I just hope if we have a fire in the complex, it happens in the buildings that are happy to pay the deductibles...:-)

What do y'all think?