Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: All Residents (homeowners) are HOA Directors

[O3C11N6G (normangauss]

I my community, I have noticed two patterns in people's motivations to 
support or not a certain proposal.

1. One pattern is to look at the proposal as it affects the individual. 
This pattern places emphasis on whether the proposal is going to adversely 
affect the individual.
For example, we recently passed a proposal to have our central walkway lined 
with trees.  The project sponsors had a global idea in mind which would have 
created a beautiful shaded walkway that would be inviting during the hot 
mid-day sun we have here.  I thought it was a great idea.  Unfortunately, 
several members felt that the trees would block the views from their front 
windows or create a mess in their front yards when the leaves fell, and 
asked that trees not be planted in front.  This of course destroyed the 
global idea of a tree-lined walkway.

2. The other pattern is to look at a proposal from an entirely global 
perspective.  Originally our development had trees planted according to a 
conceptual idea of our landscape architect.  We paid $70,000 to have this 
landscape installed.  Right after most of us moved here, there were calls 
made to make changes to this original pattern.  Most of the proposed changes 
were individual in origin.  One person thought that a tree was too close to 
her home.  Another removed the original deciduous shade tree and planted a 
small ornamental shrubby magnolia in front of her home.  Others removed 
shade trees from their back yards because they thought that there was not 
enough room or because they wanted fruit trees.  Others have removed 
portions of the lawn because they do not like lawns.  In other words, 
personal preferences trumped community preferences.

The role of the Board of Directors is to look at the community globally. 
Members are expected to avoid having personal wants sway their decisions and 
to make their decisions only after careful thought.  There is no such 
expectation on the part of the general membership.  I have often seen 
support of certain proposals on the basis of emotions:  (1) the committee 
has worked long and hard on their project and they deserve recognition by 
not having the community debate it,  (2) so-and-so is a good person and we 
support her because we like her, (3) I don't want to lose my friendship with 
so-and-so, so I will support her,  (4) we are tired of talking about this 
and want to wind it up, so let's just approve it and go on to the next item, 
(5) anybody who raises serious objections to this proposal is an 
obstructionist and deserves to be over-ridden because of "the wisdom of the 
group" (in other words, mob rule).

If Board members could agree to follow the duties expected of them, the 
community would benefit.   No such agreement has ever been expected of the 
whole membership, and so personal biases and emotions often sway 
decision-making.

Norm Gauss