For two (2) hours on Wednesday evening, January 23, 2008, nine (9) of the eleven (11) announced candidates for the 3 open positions to the Montgomery Village Foundation Board of Directors made their statements of candidacy and answered questions from the 20 or so Village residents and homeowners who braved the cold weather to attend the Candidates’ Forum at the Whetstone Community Center.
The candidates’ written statements as published in the
The Observer invites each candidate to log onto http://www.s24c.com/mvo13.htm and give their answers to the following 7 unanswered questions.
1-Financial Reporting. The MVF monthly financial statements lack detail and only display total income and expenses. Missing are detailed comparative reports of expenses and income categories, individual line items or fund types.
There is no factual basis for the MVF narrative analysis and conclusions that are printed in The Village News and accompany the financial statements provided MVF board members in advance of monthly MVF board meetings.
This results in a distorted and misleading presentation of revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities and equity accounts.
Limited selected financial information is only communicated to create an illusion of favorable financial conditions and excellent staff performance as well as to justify past and current board decisions and actions
Question 1: Do you believe there is transparency in the MVF financial reporting? Do the monthly financial reports reflect the true financial condition of the Foundation? What is your assessment of the financial health of the Foundation? If you are elected to the Board, what would you change and what would you maintain about the Foundation’s finances and financial reporting?
2-The Audit. From 1999 to 2005, there were over 30 acts of theft and embezzlement of funds entrusted to the Foundation. There were nine (9) annual fiscal year audits (1999 to 2007) and several special examinations of the records incidental to the embezzlement conducted by the auditing firm of Regardie, Brooks & Lewis costing $385,000 including $65,300 paid in 2007. RB&L was only able to uncover one (1) of these acts.
| # | Description | Remaining Life | Current Cost |
| 1 | Check dams | 0 | $24,280 |
| 2 | Dock Restoration | 0 | $268,050 |
| 3 | | 3 | $134,730 |
| 4 | Lake Bank Stabilization | 0 | $29,000 |
| Total | | | $457,010 |
Question 3: What is your assessment of the condition of the park, lake and stream property elements encompassed by
4-The 2008 Budget. North Village Homes Corporation stated in its North Village View column in the
The lead front page story in the
“He and the MVF Board will focus on the 2009 budget in December and January to map out the potential budget increases and define the assessment ceiling needs for the next 5 years. Then, from January to March, residents will receive more information about the need to raise the assessment ceiling further, with a vote on another increase tentatively scheduled for the end of March.
“The Foundation must have the ceiling increase decided before 2009 guidelines are set in May. Two information sessions will take place for residents before the next assessment ceiling vote.”
Question 4: Do you believe the 2008 budget was adequately and properly prepared or should it be re-examined and restructured to include a strategic plan for future guidance on capital projects? Or do you believe we should focus on the 2009 budget to map out the potential budget increases and define the assessment ceiling for the next 5 years?
5-Community Management Fund and Maintenance Activity Fund Deficits. Fixed Price Contract Income for both management and maintenance has been in decline for the last decade. The Foundation has not been able to compete on price and service which has created accumulated deficits in the Community Management and Maintenance Activity Funds.
6-Capital Reserve Funding. The Foundation’s initial reserve funding policy mandates that the annual contribution to the reserve fund be from two sources: One, “Reserve Contributions from Assessments” (equal to the annual depreciation cost) and two, “Reserve Interest” (Interest on reserve investments) However, through a series of policy decisions and accounting - financial reporting practices, recommended by the Audit Committee, understood by members of the Board and validated by the auditors, only a small fraction of assessment and interest income budget for capital reserves has been credited as income to the Reserve Fund.
Assessments and interest income designated for capital reserve have funded deficits in other fund types.
Question 6: Do you approve of the present Foundation policies and accounting-bookkeeping –audit practices that divert assessment income designated for reserve funds to hidden Fixed Assets accounts? In your opinion what are the critical capital infrastructure needs of the Foundation and what would be your plan to address these needs?
7-The Village News. The Village News is not trusted by many as a source of accurate, fair, useful and critical information about the Village including the Foundation, the various community groups, Homes Corporations, Condominiums, rental and business communities.
There is a feeling that The Village News’s editorial, reporting and communication policies are geared to self promotion over effective communication. Its news and features, more than likely, attempt to create an illusion of favorable property conditions, superior service performance by the Foundation’s staff and contractors or to justify past and current board decisions and actions.
Standard features and summary information of Homes Corporations such as annual meeting and approved annual budgets only report on or include Homes Corporations which are managed by the Foundation.
Major Village-wide news events and happenings, especially bad news, are reported first and much more accurately by The Gazette.
The Village News’s advertising revenue is declining and does not cover printing, staff and overhead costs.
Question 7: What is your opinion of The Village News? What editorial, reporting and communication policies and practices, if any, would you change if you are elected to the Board? Would you be in favor of converting to an improved Village News version published monthly plus occasional special editions such as an election or summer activity edition?
The Observer invites each candidate to log onto http://www.s24c.com/mvo13.htm and give your answers to the following 7 unanswered questions.
Excellent candidates forum last night. Too bad only about 20 people (not counting MVF staff) showed up. If past holds true, questions and answers will be published in the next Village News.
ReplyDeleteTop of the class: Pamela Bort, Jim Deye and Mark Firley. Smart, articulate and knowledgeable. Against M-83, against widening of Wightman Road. FOR preserving greenspace -- Centerway Park, golf course, Lake Whetstone Park.
Picked up the Frohman-Negro-Perley flyer at the MVF the other night. They say they are for "sound financial management" but Frohman and Negro voted for Zakian for EVP and mindlessly rubber-stamped his YEARS OF DEFICIT BUDGETS when they emptied our reserves to pay for day to day operating expenses. Now they want us to believe they're fiscally prudent? Gimme a break!
ReplyDeleteThe other candidate from South Vilage showed how well South Village is run and you want them?
ReplyDeleteApparently its a dump!
Also your third candidate has done nothing for the Village or his own community during his 30 years in the village!
From what I hear, South Village has run a surplus 4 of the last 5 years and its reserves are fully funded. Can you say that about the MVF?? Nope.
ReplyDeleteBort and Firley who serve on the South Village board have the discipline and budget savvy needed on the MVF board. They won't rubber stamp everything that comes across the board table. They have a sterling track record having successfully managed SV finances.
Jim Deye raised 4 kids in Whetstone and was a swim team parent for 25 years. That's a huge volunteer commitment, if you've ever been a swim team parent. He's also served on church committees and headed up the parish council at his church -- a major leadership role. He's a senior executive at a major research operation at NIH. He's served on the MVF audit committee for the past year. He can read a budget and understand the financials because that's part of what he does in his professional life and what he's done for years as a volunteer.
Looks to me as if Bort, Deye and Firley have the discipline and financial acumen to keep the MVF moving in the right direction -- which is what all of us should be seeking for our Village in this election.
This site should have a counter so we can see what support there is!
ReplyDeleteThere is a counter! It's at the top of the first page. More than 3,200 hits. Hope everyone who reads the blog and comments figures out who the good guys are -- Bort, Deye and Firley. Looks to me as if there's lots of interest, even if people are only reading and not posting.
ReplyDeleteI would take kind exception to the people who poormouth our community. Do we have a litter problem? Like many of our communities, we do. (Truth). We spend a lot of time and money trying to keep the place looking nice, and a small minority of people don't treat it well. The number of reported incidents are down overall, but they're not where I'd like them (zero).
ReplyDeleteUnpleasant fact: We're also an aging part of the community, with sufficient turnover of residents that people don't always "get the message" - let alone the required information on "when is garbage day."
Most folks clean up their act when asked to in a friendly way. Some few resist. We're trying to deal with them as best we can within the confines of the law and the opinion of counsel.
We tried a trash bounty program - it had limited success - the miscreants continued their bad behavior anyway.
We're hardly alone in this - I've heard similar complaints at most of the HOA meetings I've been to in the last month or so from all over the Village.
And there are those who are angry that even though they try to keep things nice, the HOA isn't a mechanism to "enforce" their standards. That's a fundamental misreading of our charter. We're also not in the business of providing concierge service levels. There are a lot of our friends and neighbors who are living paycheck to paycheck and who can't afford hiring full time "trash police." We have pickup, and even negotiated extra services (free bulk pickup on prior arrangement), supplmental litter patrols, etc. Are they enough? Maybe not, but asking your HOA to berate an inconsiderate neighbor is not much more likely to be effective than doing in yourself.
Maybe if the loudest complainers tried conversation instead of confrontation, and encouraging rather than punishing and demanding, they might get farther.
And maybe if these same people worked to make a pleasant neighborly reminder the norm, instead of demanding third party backing in escalating confrontations, we might all be better off.
I read the Village paper and I am supporting Bort, Deye and Firley. I have known Perley for decades and he is a mean old man. He voted to raise my assessment by 50%! Frohman, Negro, Donegan, Musante gave us Zakian, deficit budgets and a serious loss of credibility. They also would have raised the ceiling by 50%. Shame on them for having the gall to run!
ReplyDeleteIs this what this Blog is all about, a campaign for Firley, Deye and Bort?? Do you expect to win using negative statements about the other candidates?? I also have known Perley for a number of years and I believe he has done more for Montgomery Village than almost anyone! If yu want to support candidates tell us what they have done for our community and quit bashing the other candidates!
ReplyDeleteFriends, on more than one occasion and in print in this space, I have called for anyone who supports me and those I run with to refrain from name-calling and incivility. The sad legacy of the last few years has been a climate where people are so upset that this sort of thing leaks out. If you would support us, be kind. We are all neighbors at the end of the day. Debate and engage on the issues - that's fair, but please please be civil.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I post exclusively under my own name for just such reasons - that I may be held accountable for what I say. I urge my supporters to do the same. Enough anoymous name calling on all sides, please.
Because Deye has raised kids in the Village, and been a swim team parent (many of us have) and volunteers at church, that makes him a good candidate for the MVF Board?
ReplyDeleteI say no.
Best thing is that he has been on the audit committee but that's all you can say about him, the rest is ancient history and irrevalant to MVF as a whole.
Don't waste a vote on him.
Quoting the person above,
ReplyDelete"Best thing is that he has been on the audit committee but that's all you can say about him, the rest is ancient history and irrevalant to MVF as a whole."
That sure sounds like Frohman, Negro and Perley, ancient history and clearly irrevalant.
Vote for the people that will help bring MV into the future rather than going into the past.
Vote for 3 of the following please Bort, Deye, Firley, or Donegan.
In response to above, Frohman and Donegan have shown their merit in their respective communities.
ReplyDeleteI got my ballot in the mail today and all I can say is VOTE. This election will be most critical I have seen in 30+ years I have lived here in MV.
The previous blogger, Save Whetstone, very good point there. It is 2008, not 1978 and it is the most critical vote ever. If we want to move ahead and improve like it is 2008 then the change on the board is needed. What is needed are new faces, new ideas, new leaders at MV. The new EVP and President are moving in the right direction, forward not backwards. Keep the momentum going.
ReplyDeletegrenspan is a crook , stole money from whetstone
ReplyDeleteIf Greenspan stole money from Whetstone then why don't you call the police? I will tell you why, you are a lying scumbag!
ReplyDeleteGreenspan looked like a homeless person sitting in that folding chair holding a campaign sign over the weekend
ReplyDeleteDid Greenspan's sign say "VOTE FOR ME FOR FOOD"??
ReplyDeleteTo all who supported my candidacy, my thanks. It was truly an honor to find so much support in the community.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to disappear from the community, and intend to continue working for its betterment in whatever way I can.
The first thing I'd like to do is to encourage all to support the new board. They have one h*ll of a job in front of them, and will need our good will (and frankly, our prayers).
They start with mine.
Thank you all, but thank the winners with a presumption of good will and support.