Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Troublesome Community Members: What's a Board to do?

[Liz Ryan Cole (lizryancole]

Please reply to this list to the extent possible as I am sure many will want to 
hear the wisdom of the group.

We (and while we have been working together running a hospitality business for 
7 years no one yet lives at Pinnacle Cohousing) have a modest (will probably 
begin at 2 hours per week) work requirement.  We hope that serves as a filter 
against troublesome members, and will explore whether failing to comply with 
the work requirement might be grounds to ask someone to leave.

Also - we see a difference between rental and ownership and wonder how that can 
play out with the TCM.

looking forward to the conversation. thanks  liz




On Aug 8, 2012, at 1:02 AM, Holly McNutt wrote:

> 
> Hello coho communities everywhere! 
> 
> The board here at Nyland cohousing (Lafayette, CO) has a question for those 
> communities out there with an active board of directors. (Not all coho 
> communities use that structure.) 
> 
> What, if anything, can a board do to reign in, or at least contain the damage 
> caused by, a particularly Troublesome Community Member? (TCM)
> 
> We're not talking about your garden-variety TCM.  We've all got those, don't 
> we?  Rather, we're talking about those extra-special people who only come 
> along once in a while and can really poison the well. The kind who threaten 
> to sue or press charges about things that no one else thinks are big deals.  
> At worst, possible litigation becomes a financial risk to the community, 
> which is in part why the board is concerned.
> 
> We realize that the Board's (and the full community's) power is pretty 
> limited here. We can't make someone move, and we can't prevent them from 
> ranting, suing, or calling the police. But are there measures, either formal 
> or informal, that others have taken in similar circumstances that have 
> helped? Mediation isn't much of an option here; what's coming from TCM seems 
> much more impulsive than that.
> 
> Fishing for ideas... Anyone got some to offer?
> 
> - The Nyland BOD
> 
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Liz Ryan Cole
lizryancole [at] me.com
Pinnacle Cohousing at Loch Lyme Lodge
Lyme, NH
Home 802.785.4124
Work 802.831.1240
Lodge 603-795-2141