OUR VILLAGE GOVERNMENT

    Yesterday, at the Messenger Club meeting at the Clubhouse, amid all the other talk, Phyllis Richland raised a very important topic. It  concerns how we govern ourselves and how we prepare for the future. You see, wifi is not the only thing to do to attract thinking, forward looking people. Our By-Laws are antiquated and cumbersome; we are unprepared for post Millenium Agreement (where we were royally screwed, by the way). The time to start reinventing ourselves is NOW. Money must be set aside towards these revisions. Capable people with a hand on the pulse of the Village as it truly is must be placed on a small and cohesive committee along with lawyers capable of deciphering legalese. A well connected law firm must be retained to guide us through this very difficult and long term project. It is a must that we do this.
     Hopefully, one of the ways that we will improve ourselves and our administration will be in a reorganization of the committee system.  Our committees have now proliferated with the lines of areas of responsibility and authority becoming blurred. We have committees overruling others in a confused chain of command and committees subject to pressure for their vote. We also have some magnificent committees whose Chair and members have done yeoman service to the Village. I will mention just a few of those committees and/or people. There are more but this is simply to make a point. Phyllis Richland has done more for the quality of life for the elderly, the needy - all of us - than anyone else I know. She has worked tirelessly for us. Toni has done a great job in Insurance, Jackie Karlin in Certs, Dom. Marcia in Beautification, and these are only a few of the hard working people BUT- when items come up again and again first in one committee and then another as the loser tries to subvert the vote - well, this is not good. It does not allow for actual truth in government as voted and it is a balky slow and cumbersome system Streamline the committees. Streamline and make very clear the spheres of influence, shall we say, and when a vote is to be submitted to the delegates for a vote it should be along with a clear description of exactly what they are voting on.
       Our delegates are a hard working group of people, BUT there are too many gray areas in the voting procedure, The delegates should be voting the results of a polling of their association, not their personal opinion. When the "house" members start voting their personal ideas we get what we now have in D.C.. Delegates need to represent their constituents, the unit owners in the association and we MUST set up a system wherein we can make sure that unit owners were polled. We must make sure that people are voting only once, that the authorized delegate or alternate is voting, a better way than just the placards.
       We need to poll our residents for their ideas of the most important issues facing the Village, for ideas to improve ourselves and have these read and sifted through, prioritized and planned for. We need a better handle on all these so we know how to work our future financial means and necessities, to plan for them so we do not have to use the Rob Peter to Pay Paul system we have now. We cannot always guarantee a Dorothy to pull our ..... out of the fire.

   There is much to be done, much work ahead of us, but with a willing administration and a revitalized and interested group of residents, we can do it. Vote Esther, tell your delegates and help get this show on the road. Please, for all our sakes.