Dear Editor:
Six months ago, the Walden Lake Community Association board was called out for a lack of transparency, consistency and objectivity regarding meetings between WLCA directors and Visions Golf LLC to discuss Visions development plans (see “Is WLCA out of bounds?” in the Sept. 18, 2013 edition of the Plant City Times & Observer.
To no one’s surprise, least of all the WLCA board, Visions filed with Plant City for rezoning on Feb. 19, 2014. On March 10, the WLCA board held an “emergency meeting.” The crowded meeting at the community center opened with the board asking if anyone had questions. One of our neighbors asked the first question, an apt question that has been asked numerous times in the past year: “Can you tell us here tonight if this board is prepared to intervene on behalf of the residents or advocate for the development or take no position (‘Geneva’)?” To no one’s surprise, the board looked left, they looked right and concluded: “That is a very good question. We will need to check with legal to see if we can even stake out a position.”
Now, I would have had more respect for the board had the members immediately adjourned the meeting. But, they did not; there was more — much more.
WLCA Director Bob Hunter proposed next that before they stake out any position, they should host yet another meeting with Visions Golf and its attorney. His rationale: We must show fairness.
Directors Bruce Rodwell and Rich Glorioso concurred, and the approved motion was recorded, pending approval by the WLCA attorney. Objections were cut off abruptly from members, hence this letter to the editor.
At first blush, Hunter’s proposal may sound reasonable. To this resident, it is not, and this is why. The WLCA board already has hosted numerous meetings with Visions Golf.
• In June 2013, WLCA President Jan Griffin was “summoned” (her words) by Visions Golf to its offices for a consultative meeting. Ideas were exchanged.
• In September 2013, Visions Golf came to the Community Center to meet with three WLCA directors, including Griffin and Treasurer Karen Olson, for another consultative meeting. Ideas were exchanged, and “development plans” were presented.
• In December 2013, Hunter and Griffin asked for a workshop and hosted Visions Golf again.
We now learn that the WLCA board has invited and accepted Visions Golf to present another sales presentation at the WLCA Annual Meeting April 10, and will check with legal on April 3, after the fact.
Concerned that the WLCA board had the cart in front of the horse, I tried to contact WLCA legal as a member to politely voice these concerns, the response: WLCA legal does not have attorney/client privileges with individual members, only the corporation, and we will not communicate unless through an attorney.
If the board thinks yet another meeting is appropriate because Visions Golf just filed, I would ask, “So what?” This pattern of behavior by the WLCA board places the board as a “consultant/mediator” for Visions Golf. If the board will not stand up for its members, then it would be better the board stand down. Let Visions Golf hold its own sales meetings — and at their expense.
In the upcoming WLCA board election, I will vote for Sharon Philbin and Terry Murphy and hope for change, but hope is not a strategy. I have no more “mulligans” to give the WLCA.
If the Visions Golf sales presentation does take place on April 10 at our Annual meeting, at least then, the WLCA charade will be fully exposed to all. To give members false hopes is wrong and cruel. Deference is one thing, promotion is quite another, and deception is totally unacceptable.
Those of us who are interested in protecting our property rights, both stated and implied, from all comers, are on our own — sadly, nothing new there. There are only two choices left, fight or take flight.
What say you?
Don Marshall
Walden Lake