Should You Run for Director?

 Opinion by Dave Griffin

   Anyone who has been around the Meadow's of St. Patrick for a year has seen quite a lot of drama on our Home Owner's Association Board of Directors.  Each of the board members, the "old" and the "new," have been good hearted people who wanted to help lead our neighborhood up from a scattering of a dozen homes to a full fledged community we could all enjoy.  Many of our officers were able to help toward that goal. 

   Anyone thinking of running for the office of Director in the upcoming election should be forewarned it's not an easy job.  It won't take up all your days and nights, but you'll need some people skills and you'll certainly need patience.  You should have some idea of what you think is best for the community and how you will try to implement that plan as a member of the board.  But you'll also have to be honest with yourself and admit that you don't have all the answers, that  your job will often be to seek better answers from the suggestions of those who you will represent.  That's what makes the job difficult: being a leader by not always putting your own ideas first.

   So if you want to be a director who represents your constituents instead of coercing them, and you feel you can listen to community members, explain your ideas to them, come to an agreement and then work to implement a shared set of goals .... then maybe you should think about running for the office.

How To Run For Office

You may obtain a Nomination Form and a Board of Directors Criteria statement from any of the following three members of the Nominating Committee:

Carol Koch                            cklk122sc@gmail.com         

122 Blarney Stone Ct.            843 748-0447

Dave Griffin                           davidgriffin@sccoast.net

294 Four Leaf Lane                843 357-9579

We’re All In This Together

         The following is a public statement released byh the MOSP HOA Board of Directors in 2013.  The sentiments also apply today.

          Most of us were happy to accept the services of five of our neighbors when they volunteered their time and efforts to conduct the day-to-day business of our Home Owners Association. The Board now in place has worked in an open manner to resolve any problems and to maintain communications with the membership through open meetings, the publication of this newsletter and the sponsoring of an Internet blog. 

            The Board of Directors is not the Association.  We are … all of us.  The Association’s central documents are the By Laws and Declaration that protect our property values while ensuring the community remains a pleasant and safe place to live.  When it has become necessary to enforce the rules, the Board hasn’t shirked from its duty to protect the well being of the members. They’ve done this by enforcing the Declaration, the document we all agreed to when we purchased our homes.  If the Board neglected their obligation in that regard they could face legal action by everyone who elected them to enforce the rules. 

            It’s never a pleasant task to tell a homeowner he or she has violated the Declaration. The Board and supporting committees follow set procedures to try to resolve the problems in the most neighborly and non-confrontational way possible. This is after all a neighborhood and that implies respect and mutual obligation to each other.  When we work together we can form ties that will make the Meadows of St. Patrick a more enjoyable place to live.

                                                          

 - The Board of Directors, MOSP Home Owners Association