Residents who brought HOA concerns to Lacey council elect new board
About 65 residents of the Aldea Glen neighborhood in Lacey gathered Tuesday to elect new homeowners association board members. The new board then elected Brandon Gardner its new president.
“I appreciate everything that everybody has done,” he said. “And we will continue forward to make this a great community.”
However, existing HOA board members Bridget Gilleese and Robin Wilson took no stock in Tuesday’s meeting because they considered it to be an illegal gathering.
“Anything that transpires isn’t legal,” Wilson told The Olympian.
Five days ago, Gardner, plus Aldea Glen residents Shane Hunter, Tim Smith and Joshua King, appeared before Lacey City Council to ask for help with their HOA board, which they accused of being “out of control.”
Smith, Hunter and King elaborated on their concerns.
For Smith, he and his wife ran afoul of the HOA’s dogs-on-a-leash rule when their two dogs got loose, but the two dogs were picked up quickly, he recalled. Still, he was shocked at how the misstep was handled in such a confrontational manner by a board member.
Hunter raised concerns about four aggressive dogs and a home he felt was out of compliance with the HOA’s covenants. His meeting with the board didn’t go well, he said, resulting in a larger movement within the HOA that resulted in Tuesday’s meeting.
One of King’s worries is that if, for example, a child was hit in the street by a car and the HOA was held liable and sued, the insurance company might deny those claims if they felt the HOA didn’t have a board or it was in dispute. And a settlement in the millions of dollars, spread among the 127 lots in the HOA, would be a lot more money than the $120 a year they now pay in annual dues, King said.
“We don’t want to wait (until the next general meeting in May) to have a working, functional, transparent board,” said resident Maggie Lutcavich. “I’ve been here 20 years and never seen anything like it.”
What’s the next step for the HOA and its new board? King said they plan to hire an attorney and get before a judge to try to secure a motion for a directed verdict — essentially having the judge rule on their HOA board dispute without the need for a trial.
The best outcome, however, would be for the HOA members and Gilleese and Wilson to come together.
“We don’t fight and we talk it out,” King said.
Lacey City Council member Michael Steadman came to the HOA meeting and was pleased with what he saw.
“I love it when people get energized to the point of action and do it in a positive, constructive and civil way,” he said.
Having difficulty with your Lacey-based HOA?
The city of Lacey has resources for homeowners’ associations. The city has HOA-related meetings every quarter and an HOA academy once a year for board members and management companies.
“This conference-style event features presentations from professionals knowledgeable in HOA legal issues, board responsibilities, dispute resolution, neighborhood safety, and more,” the city information reads.
This story was originally published November 22, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
