Steve Anderson '24 Board Candidate
Candidate for Tolomato Island Board of Directors
Steve Anderson
My name is Steve Anderson. I am announcing my candidacy for the 2024 TIPOA Board of Directors. I am looking forward to serving our community by helping to develop a collaborative, transparent, and open administrative environment. My focus will be to enable the committee structure, by utilizing effective leaders, and giving them the resources and responsibilities to meet our goals. And importantly, while I will represent EVERY owner, I am going to pay particular attention to the largest Tolomato owner block, the non-residents. We seem to be either taken for granted or dealt with unresponsively.
Currently non-residents, my wife Shelley and I decided to make Tolomato our home so we can live closer to our grandchildren and enjoy what Tolomato and Southeast Georgia offer a semi-retired active couple. We are in the initial phases of planning and building our dream home. That recent experience has motivated me to be an instrument for change and good for what clearly seems a fragmented and dysfunctional Tolomato administration.
I believe an effective Board must demonstrate the ability to:
-manage and perform its responsibilities by listening to ALL community members equally without bias.
-adhere to a budget, and only spend association funds wisely and not waste funds on non-essential legal matters.
-limit Board responsibilities to those they are specifically charged with in the Covenants and By-laws or charged with by the owners.
These abilities are fundamental. I will bring these needed abilities, and other leadership attributes to the TIPOA Board. I ask for your vote to help make a well-functioning TIPOA Board of Directors a reality for our community.
I have a strong background in creating and managing highly successful businesses. After earning my BS in Computer Science, I worked for companies such as Apple Computer, Oracle, and Arthur Andersen's professional consulting services firm. I founded a multi-million-dollar dental software company in the late 1990s. I then pursued an advanced education as a Doctor of Dental Medicine and founded a highly successful cosmetic and dental surgery practice in Atlanta. I have always worked in professions and industries that require professionalism, compassion, openness, and complex diagnosis skills followed by executing real life solutions that demand personal and professional accountability. I also have extensive experience in volunteering at a local church and the Boy Scouts (as an Eagle Scout), and most recently—for the last decade – I am the formative member and current elected Board president of a retail Commercial Owners Association (COA) in metro Atlanta
I am an approachable but no nonsense "get it done" kind of person. I listen to those around me and look for improvement opportunities that make sense and ultimately benefit the community that I work and live in. I truly believe that all of us, if we work together, openly, and reasonably, can make Tolomato Island an even more wonderful community for ALL its members.
As your Board member, I will work with new Board members and owners alike to:
- Unify the community by creating transparency and implementing meaningful open Board communications.
- Move to focusing on serving its members.
- Dedicate the Board to focusing on its specific duties and responsibilities as clearly outlined in the correct interpretation of the Covenants and By-laws.
- Establish accountability of individual board member actions and put in place rules that identify and restrict financial gains from insider information and clear conflicts of interest when carrying out board duties.
- Establish committee protocols and committee charters for self-governance that encourages community participation while promoting the community.
- Establish pragmatic approaches to solving community issues and/or problems.
- Govern for the needs of the owners of Tolomato by listening to and carrying out what our community desires.
As your Board member, I will also work with all stakeholders to:
- Immediately conduct a thorough financial and operational audit and establish regular audits of all association finances focusing on revenue and collections and regularly publishing audit results.
- Develop a meaningful Master Plan that addresses infrastructure concerns, amenities, and preservation of historic monuments and the community pond and our natural landscapes.
- Make improvements that increase values in our homes, lots or investments.
I respectfully ask for your support and vote to become a 2024 TIPOA board member.
Yours Truly,
Steve Anderson
If you would like to ask me questions, you may openly dialogue with me by first clicking on my blog Title and entering a comment at the bottom.
Comments
1030 Guale Pt
on Wednesday, 11 October 2023 23:28
Steve, you have so much to offer our community and I welcome you to serve on our Board. I specifically like your comments regarding immediately conduct a thorough financial and operational audit and establish regular audits of all association finances focusing on revenue and collections and regularly publishing audit results as well as establish accountability of individual board member actions and put in place rules that identify and restrict financial gains from insider information and clear conflicts of interest when carrying out board duties. Thank you for willing to serve.
DrSmileGuy
on Friday, 13 October 2023 22:42
Yes, thank you. It's 'our' money and we should know and feel confident that financial resources have accountability. Also, it is totally unacceptable that anyone who serves in a position of trust and then uses their position and inside information to secretly gain financially. It's wrong...It's cheating.
Amason
on Saturday, 14 October 2023 14:01
Steve and Shelley,
It will be great to have you in this beautiful neighborhood!! Thanks for volunteering to serve the community. New members willing to serve and bring new ideas are invigorating!
JimandGinny
on Sunday, 12 November 2023 18:50
Everyone seems shy so I will start on the questions.
The by-laws state that Board meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules and Procedures. With respect to members, Article 3.14 reads as follows:
Members other than directors may not participate in any discussion or deliberation unless permission to speak is requested on a Member's behalf by a director. In such case, the president may limit the time any Member may speak.
Current practice is for the Board to conduct its business, get committee reports, then invite member comments. Member comments are typically not recorded in detail. This being the case, members occasionally have comments that are detailed in nature and/or require follow up. Several months ago, I asked if a Board member would make a motion to attach my comment to the minutes. The Board President stated that my request did not require a motion and that the TIPOA attorney said that the only time a motion is required is when the Board is spending money. Also, as usual, the request to attach the comment was summarily ignored.
Do you agree with the above interpretation of Robert’s Rules and Procedures?
What is your opinion on attaching member comments to the minutes?
DrSmileGuy
on Sunday, 12 November 2023 22:58
The TIPOA Bylaws takes precedence. However, it is my goal that the TIPOA Board designs its meetings in a way that values community input and should give the community they represent an opportunity to comment on and be a genuine part of the decision making process. A board that alienates or passive aggressively appeases the community they represent and work for, does not deserve the honor of their service and should be voted out. I see no real issue with including community comments (so long as they are issue appropriate) in the meeting minutes, especially if they are written and represent a group of community members with concerns.
JimandGinny
on Monday, 13 November 2023 12:39
The past 2 Boards have been hammering us with "WE MUST FOLLOW ROBERT'S RULES". They have even read from the rule book. But the Board does have leeway. The relevant section of the By-Laws is duplicated below.
6.2. Parliamentary Rules. Except as may be modified by Board resolution, Roberts Rules of Order Newly
Revised (current edition) shall govern the conduct of Association proceedings when not in conflict with Georgia law,
the Articles of Incorporation, the Declaration, or these By-Laws.
The thing is your approach is not in conflict with Robert's Rules--that is, motions are not limited to spending but rather include any action taken by the Board.
JimandGinny
on Thursday, 16 November 2023 17:32
The Boad told us that the dollar value of delinquent accounts is concentrated in a handful of properties. Purchases of these distressed properties result in TIPOA recovering these accounts and replaces the accounts with paying home owners, thus purchases of distressed properties should be encouraged. Purchases of these distressed accounts also gives the buyer a potential for higher-than-normal return on investment. That is, it is a win-win.
Unfortunately, information regarding these properties is available only to the Board. Furthermore, the Board is typically the first contact prior to a distressed property being listed on the open market. These facts, coupled with purchases by board members has led some to wonder if board members “may” be profiting from their unique position. For example, one board member purchased (either in their name or through LLCs registered in their name) 6 properties over a 4-year period. The county listed 1 of these purchases as not being fair market value and 2 as being estates. A second board member purchased 2 properties, one of which was listed as not being fair market value.
I will repeat, I am not saying that the board members who purchased theses properties did anything wrong. I am saying that since the membership does not have access to the same information as board members, this does not look good.
The question, how do we encourage purchases of distressed properties while removing any appearance of impropriety—how do we level the playing field? What we can’t do. Georgia Properties Owners’ Association Act (GPOAA) does permit the Board to publicize a list of outstanding assessments. Furthermore, nothing in the governing documents or GOPAA places restrictions on Board member purchases and I don’t think we should restrict their purchases. What we can do? GPOAA does permit members to submit a written request for such information. Most members are not aware of this.
Could we include a note to accounts receivable in our financial statements specifying the number of accounts more than 2 years in arrears or with more than $2k in outstanding assessments? Maybe include in the note a listing of the amounts “without” any identifying information? As part of the note, we could say that additional information is available upon request?
Could we set a policy that no Board member may make an offer on any property to be listed for sale until such time as the sale is listed on the open market?
Other ideas?
DrSmileGuy
on Saturday, 18 November 2023 22:45
Ethics is professional integrity. Integrity is doing what's right when no one is looking.
The TIPOA Board should hold itself to the highest ethical standard within our Tolomato community. If 'distressed dues' property purchases were done when "no one was looking" and based upon 'insider information', in my opinion, it would be unethical and board members involved in such a profiteering backroom scheme should immediately resign. There are TRANSPARANT ways to go about this which would remove any appearance of unethical improprieties. Being ethical is not a difficult concept. But when easy money becomes the motivation and private rules are in the playbook, this is what you get from those in power. Those with exclusive access to privileged information must do the right thing when no one is looking.
I think your suggestions Ginny are valid and appropriate. When I am elected to the TIPOA Board, I pledge to implement rules that are fair, transparent, impartial, and avoids the 'appearance' if improprieties.