Stories like this one never cease to amaze me. Some people will do just about anything for an ocean view. An illegal sea wall and some sand bags are the only thing stopping the Ocean Club condominium from washing out into the Atlantic on the coast of South Carolina.
The million dollar unasked question is why was a construction permit issued on this site nearly 30 years ago? The resort sits at the mouth of the Dewees inlet, where waves batter the fragile coastline. Adjacent to the condo building of 150 units, part of the beachside golf course had to be closed, slowly eroding into the ocean.
Embezzling from HOA budgets is the gift that keeps on giving. More than two months ago a New Mexico realty business which managed a number of Rio Rancho HOAs was raided. All the computers were seized. Homeowners don’t even know how much was stolen because the management company’s records are still under lock and key.
Investigators say hundreds of thousands of dollars were embezzled. All Rio Rancho homeowners know is that their monthly dues are going up. They have no way of knowing how high. Strange, that while the consequences are so severe most HOA thefts by board officers and management companies are only discovered by accident.
Why are HOA critics characterized differently than other critics of corporate exploitation and political cronyism?
If you have ever lived under HOA rule, and have had the audacity to speak up about the pettiness and injustice that permeates many of these so-called “communities,” you have probably experienced one or more of the following reactions to your criticisms:
Typical talking points directed at the critic:
“You are just a disgruntled owner with an ax to grind.”
“You are one of those people who doesn’t believe in rules and think you can just do whatever you want.”
There’s no question that someone who intentionally neglects their yard or home should face some kind of justice. The big question repeatedly raised on this blog is where is the appropriate court of discipline? Should it be elected city or county officials whose job it is to maintain zoning codes? Or should it be a gang of angry neighbors who are given the right to fine, lien and foreclose on homes, often personally profiting in the transaction?
Even after a forty year TV News career of reporting on the victims of crime I’ve never succeeded at getting into the heads of white collar criminals, why they do what they do, and why they’re seemingly unconcerned about the emotional and financial damage they do to their victims. They seem to think and act in a language I’ve never understood.
The Arbor Ridge Homeowners Association in Torrington, Connecticut has been socking away money to pay to rebuild roads that were poorly constructed by the original developer. But over a six or seven year term as president and treasurer of the HOA, it appears that 52 year old Roger Okenquist has been socking away money in his own personal account.
