Many resident have recently received a letter from the DLPOA Officers, which has discouraged voting at the Dec 8 election meeting, and makes some concerning claims. If you have not received this letter, you may view and download a copy here.

In response to many questions, here is some information to add more clarity on the election and correct some information which was misrepresented in the letter:

1.  The election is not “bogus.” It has been legally requested via a signed petition, which was presented publicly during the meeting which took place on November 5. The special election was requested because the DLPOA officers failed to hold the required elections during the October 21 meeting. Our bylaws allow for this special election in this circumstance; the petition was reviewed and acknowledged by government authorities; and the outcome of the election will be binding until the next election in October 2016.
2. The election committee is not a special interest group. It is a group of residents who openly volunteered to put in their own time in order to coordinate this special election which was requested to represent all DLPOA residents. These volunteers made themselves known in the November 5 meeting, which all residents were open to attend. The election committee is made up of residents from all over the lake, with both lake front and lake access properties.
3. The election committee did invite the participation of Bob Jones and the officers. Once committee member, Ryan Charlton, even asked me to accompany him to a scheduled meeting with Bob in order to take a record for the website of the election plans, but we were turned away at the door. No member of the lake, officer or otherwise, was turned down or discouraged from participating in the coordination of this election.
4. I think we will all agree that we do not want to ‘waste’ money on unnecessary activities, but what about the money wasted on this very letter? None of us know how the money we’ve voluntarily given is being spent because that information has not been provided despite numerous requests from numerous people. As a non-profit organization we are legally obligated to file financial statements and tax forms. Beyond the law, we all have a reasonable right to access to this information. Establishing trustees and officers which we have all selected should set us on a path to better financial visibility which should also mean we can spend our money more wisely and do more for the lake.
5. It is an unintentional and unfortunate coincidence that the date of the election coincides with Bob being out of the country. This was the earliest date which the election committee could rent a venue, and also meet the 14 day written notice requirement mandated by the bylaws. That said, while a property owner must be present in order to vote, they do not need to be present in order to be voted in as a trustee or an officer.
6. It is absurd to suggest the election committee has even considered plotting to remove voting privileges from anyone. To the contrary, the election committee has been stridently working to communicate with lake residents and properly identify the property owner districts in order to ensure all members have an opportunity to vote and can have their districts represented by a trustee. Further, the DLPOA governing body has no authority to determine which properties do and do not belong to the DLPOA; and as all member properties have equal voting rights, this erroneous claim is not only unfounded but is nothing more than shameless fear-mongering. Indeed, the letter raises a valid point – what would anyone have to gain from this? The answer is nothing. The divide between lake front and lake access properties is an antiquated argument which should not even be an issue. We are all equal residents with equal right on this lake. To suggest anything else is creating strife where there needn’t be any.
7. There is no ‘problem’ with any resident on this lake who seeks to have their voice heard. Although the election committee is acting within legal bounds and in the best interest of the lake as agreed by those present at the November 5 meeting, if there is a ‘special interest group’ in the future who wishes to get involved in the lake, we should have provisions in place to allow them to do so in a civil manner.
8. The authority and validity of the existing DLPOA officers can be called into question, as to be validated they would have had to have be reelected at the October 21 meeting. Further, some of the ‘acting officers’ were actually never elected. It is unclear whether the last-elected officers are actively participating in these most recent decisions and communications, or whether Bob Jones has been acting alone. In either case, the call to ‘let your officers run the lake’ is a sentiment we all share. In order to do this, we need to first elect trustees and officers.
9. Our bylaws do not provide for a winter shut-down of the DLPOA.  Until bylaws are amended, a monthly meeting of the trustees is required throughout the year.

Hopefully this addresses and clarifies the points raised in the letter. I hope all who wish to participate and are able to, do so on December 8.

-Leslie Alore