The member who called Elaine, posted their frustration on this blog. The facts had been checked with the senior center and allowed to be blogged about. This site allows members to post their frustration as long as the facts check out. However, the users of this site made one huge mistake. They checked their facts with the senior center but not with the president. WE HAVE GOT TO START TRUSTING EACH OTHER. Jim Taufer said if we have a question bring it to him. Let's start doing that--then if a blogger has a different opinion, discuss it here or if they like the board's response, bring it here. But be open with the board first and then exchange ideas here--that's the way it should work.
Elaine (vice president of the senior center board) apologized to the board and to the members, via this site. We apologize to the board for not calling them!!! Let's hope we (board and bloggers) don't make these types of mistakes in the future (but with our history, we probably will--we hope it will be shorter and shorter-
Last night's meeting I feel went very well. There was, and almost always is frustration because of something that has been brought to Jim's attention prior to a meeting. Anyone that is trying their best to be honest and fair and yet always being accused of the opposite should be defensive. We read this posting yesterday and so again Board Members had to waste their time to prove to a handful of people their honesty. Anyone that didn’t attend the meeting would only have this statement to go by. They wouldn’t see the proof for themselves that the meeting was cancelled just as stated by the President.
ReplyDeleteI will be the first to admit that Jim has a temper but only when he is defending something that he truly believes in. I am responsible for getting Jim involved with the Association. I love it so much here and I hoped that he could help the community with his knowledge and voice. I know how passionate Jim can be about his work and I hoped he could make a difference but all I see is bickering. His name is constantly being slammed on the blogs about how unfair he is to a few Board Members. I didn’t see any mention about how information was sent out about Jim by a Board Member to discredit his name. He is angry and he lost respect for this Board Member. He will respect anyone that deserves it but he will not sugarcoat anything. You always know where you stand with him. If he hears something being said about him he will confront you and get to the truth. If you have a question he will answer it then he won’t take time to think about it or ask for your concerns to be written. He understands if you have a question you want an answer now not later. I admire him for his honesty and integrity. He has been aggravated and ready to get out off the Board but someone will talk to him and tell him that he is making a difference and he can’t turn his back on those members.
This has been a tough time for the Board and the Members. Mistakes have been made in the past and mistakes will be made in the future but things will never change as long as we are split. So much time has been spent arguing about verbage in our By-Laws and now CC&R’s. They are important but I think what is more important is healing our community. Let’s stop arguing about wording and start working together and try to clean up Hideaway and make it a place to be proud of instead of a place no one wants to admit they are from. The Board is so afraid of being sued that they can’t do their jobs without taking everything to the Attorney first. Members want change but the Board needs suggestions for change not constant complaints.
I think blogs are good but most of what I have read is so negative. People write comments with no name so you assume the author and then you find yourself mad at someone that may or may not have written it. It just keeps the anger going. We are tired of this contention. Why can’t there be blogs with articles about Associations that made a difference and uplift instead of bring down? I suggest working together and try to unite Hideaway so our blog can offer ideas on making things better instead of pulling apart. But if this can’t happen and differences can’t be put aside do me a favor and please vote Jim out. If there are that many of you that feel the Board is trying to deceive you, get a petition and vote them out so we can get on with our lives and quit worrying about something that will never change. I know how hard some of the Board Members are working to make things better for everyone. I am privileged to call them friends. I am proud of all of you and your hard work.
Jody Taufer
We had the meeting at the senior center and I'll be giving a summary of it soon.
ReplyDeleteRoy explained that a woman from the center had called and asked them to cancel the meeting becasue there was voting going on. Some members called Elaine (VP for the senior board)to verify this since it was the second canceled meeting. It was explained that nothing was scheduled for that night--so it looked like the Board had fibbed,
Well, actually it turns out Elaine got Oct mixed up with Nov when the voting will be on Tuesday and did call Roy and did ask him to cancel the meeting! Elaine is a sweetheart and gives her apologies, the board did not fib, and hopefully we can give trustees a little more credit with these types of issues in the future--beginning with me.
Dear Jody,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you wrote in to the member to member site, of course you are a member and it is important that we all communicate. Although I appreciate it when members put their name down on the blog or comments section, I disagree that people should identity themselves on this forum because of Jim's temper. When he decides he doesn't like you, there is little you can do to gain his favor again. Sometimes he has good reasons for his disfavor and sometimes not, but I am more concerned about him earning the members respect then us earning his. The fact that he does not care for Cliff should not interfere with business. If the board simply follows the proper procedure for things, it doesn't matter who likes who or what. Jim doesn't respect Cliff but I do. Many members do. What cliff has put up with in smear tactics, constant attacks, disrespect, heckling and so on at meetings has not gone unnoticed by the members.
Jim doesn't care for me either. I accepted that when he first came into office and kept saying he didn't want to be my “puppet” and bristled every time my name came up. But you know what? I still think Jim has a lot of good qualities and I still think his temper really hurts the organization. I suggest that members not identify themselves if they think what they say will annoy Jim because if you are on his "bad" side, he finds it hard to treat you well. I am a prime example. (Although I must admit he was very professional with me at the last meeting.
That being said, I do believe that Jim wants what is best for the association and greatly appreciate his time and effort on matters. I also think Roy, Rick, Cliff and Tom--all of them want good things for our members. All of the trustees have skills and weaknesses. We should tap into each of their skills and stop focusing on the weaknesses--and that goes for Jim too—start tapping into the strengths of Tom and Cliff and get over past ill-feelings, the association deserves this from the whole board.
Thanks for reaching out Jody. It means a lot to me and I am sure others.
Jody, glad you are contributing.
ReplyDeleteI too thought Jim would be a great leader and that is why I supported him in the first election--he has lots of experience in running things and I think he is pretty charismatic when he wants to be be. His temper has proved to be a huge drawback for us and has created a lot of rancor. I understand how hard it is to control, yet that is no excuse. People shut down and are unable to talk when someone gets that agreessvie tone to their voice--the person who is losing control does not have any idea how they come across and I have no tolerance for such behavior,
Tom Levefere was trying to express himself and Jim got that agressive tone as if Tom were an idiot and would not let him explain what he was trying to say--well, now none of us know because Jim shut him down. i voted for tom and know what he wants to accomplish and do not appreciate someone talking to him in that tone--amazingly Tom remained calm and finally saw that Jim was not responding and rather than escalate, Tom pulled back for the members sake and I respect him for that. I just hope that next time Tom comes better prepared and I suggest he pass out a handout letting members know what he wants to say so that if Jim gets this bully tone again, Tom will have made his point. If you read this Tom, bring a handout!
I like Jim. I think Jim is qualified to serve. Sometimes he makes speeches that inspires everyone. I hate his temper. i think it hurts everyone.
I am glad I only come down on weekends to visit my place. I would love to see people clean up the trash around their places so that I am not embarrassed to bring my friends down on the weekends. Hideaway is a beautiful, peaceful part of Utah but it has become trashy in the last few years. I guess I don't understand the attachment to junk cars, old refrigerators, washers, dryers, broken down campers and trailers and falling down buildings-you don't have to have an expensive home to be clean and neat. I have noticed some of the smaller homes are very clean and orderly. Some of them even have old cars in the yard but they are lined up neatly in the yard and covered-not scattered all over the acreage. Cleaning up the place would certainly increase the value of our lots and homes-I think it is sad that some people have had to let their homes go back to the bank because they can't sell them-with all of the problems with the board, the roads and all of the money paid to the attorney for all of the fighting-we may never be able to sell our properties for what we paid for them. Just my thoughts
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