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The Montgomery Village Observer | |||
| Subscribe to MV Observer E-Newsletter & blog | Community Association Articles and Resource Center | |||
| The Montgomery Village Observer is a the digital communication network for and about the Montgomery Village, Maryland community. It includes an e-newsletter, this website and a MV Observer Blog The mission of the Montgomery Village Observer is to communicate and exchange observations, comments and opinions about Montgomery Village's institutions, governments, homeowners associations and off course The Montgomery Village Foundation. The MV Observer is published by Art Hiban a 22 year resident of Dockside in South Village Homes Corporation who occupies himself as a semi retired self employed property management consultant. | ||||
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Read the Observer's Past Editions and blog postings
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The 2008 Fiscal Year Budget
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The MVF Financial Reports
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Follow the Money - The Story of the Missing Money!
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MVF Financial Reports – More Questions than Answers! The latest financial update published in the Village News Money Matters feature appeared in its January 4th 2008 edition. The financial highlights through November 30, 2007 was written in the familiar "Lois speak" prose with its convoluted explanations, tortured analysis and confusing rational to justify its unsubstantiated financial claims.
In the meaning time there has been a financial information black out with no news concerning the MVF December 2007 financial statements , the status and results of the 2007 fiscal year annual audit not to mention the financial statements for January and February 2008.
The only thing the Village has heard is the newly appointed Director of Finance and Administration, Bill Blum, no long works for the Foundation. Isn’t he the one who was going to cure MVF’s fiscal, financial and record keeping ills?
Link here to continue More Questions than Answers download in a print format log on to read comments posted on the MV Observer's blog and post your comments . |
2008 MVF Board Election Results Reform candidates Jim Deye and Pam Bort lead a field of ten (10) as Whetstone Homes Corporation President Linc Perley edged out Mark Firley for the final position for a three (3) year term on the Montgomery Village Foundation’s Board of Directors. The results signaled for the second year in a row homeowners’ dissatisfaction with the board leadership as incumbents Jerry Donegan and Scott Frohman ran 8th and 9th . Link here to continue 2008 Election Results download in a print format or log on a read comments posted on the Observer's blog
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It's the 2008 Budget Stupid!
The 2008 annual fiscal year $9,000,000 free spending budget is a flawed document and should have been rejected and re-examine before accepting it as the Foundation’s operational and financial plan for this year.
MVF’s tradition of arbitrarily setting unsubstantiated multi year future spending entitlements and then bully and beg Homes Corporation and Condominium representatives to bestow their blind faith-based blessing and approval defies any reasonable or commonly accepted budgeting principles or practices.
The Observer has prepared a summary comparison schedule and analysis and the result are not favorable.
Link here to continue It’s the 2008 Budget Stupid!, download in a print format or log on and read comments posted on the Observer's blog .
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Lesson in Strategic Planning
What do Christopher Columbus, Princess Leia and Ernest Rutherford have in common? They each have valuable lessons to teach community associations about unlimited visions and universal limits when setting forth strategy for future.
Aimee Winegar, a Community Manager for the Montgomery Village Foundation, in an article, Far Horizons, Uncertain Empires, and Quantum Physics: Lessons in Strategic Planning reprinted from the December 2007 edition of Quorum Magazine has valuable lessons for Community Association Boards about the power of charting a long voyage despite unpredictable obstacles.
Link here to continue Lessons in Strategic Planning or download in a print format.
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Reasonable Expectations Residents of homeowners associations and condominiums, whether they have lived in the community for years or have just arrived on the scene, most likely have some ideas about how they would like to see the board run their association.
Sharon Cranford, a member of the Whetstone Homes Corporation in an article Reasonable Expectations, reprinted from the December 2007 edition of Quorum Magazine outlines four (4) of the most obvious expectations. See how your board measures up!
Link here to continue Reasonable Expectations , or download in a print format .
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Board – Community Communications Your board can talk to your residents! How a board in a managed community communicates with its members is not only important, but also challenging. The challenge for a community board is to find out how to create an environment in which all types of communication can occur. What can board members do to enhance in-person communication? Mary Helen Amery, president of the Eastgate Homes Corporation, in an article in the January 2008 Quorum Magazine’s Homeowners Column outlines what board members can do to enhance in-person communications between the Board and Community. Link here read the Board – Community Communications or download in a print format .
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Campaign 2008 - 7 Unanswered Questions For two (2) hours on Wednesday evening January 23rd nine (9) of the eleven (11) announced candidates for the 3 open positions to the MVF Board of Directors make their statements of candidacy and answer questions. While the candidates written statements as published in the January 18th edition of The Village News and the responses given by those candidates in attendance at the Forum were extremely informative.
However, there are still a number of core issues facing the Foundation Board hasn’t been adequately and completed addressed by each candidate. The Observer invites each candidate to log on the www.s24c.com/answers.htm and give their answer to the following 7 unanswered questions.
Link here to continue Campaign 2008 – 7 Unanswered Questions, download in a print format or log on and read comments posted on the MV Observer's blog.
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Montgomery Village 2007 Citizen of the Year The MV Observer announces its winner and runner ups for the Montgomery Village 2007 Citizen of the Year Award. The MV Citizen Award is given the individual whose individual effort had greatest positive impact on the community.
Link here to continue The MV 2007 Citizen of the Year Award, download in a print format or log on and read comments posted on the MV Observer's blog.
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The MV News November 1st “ Money Matters column by Interim Treasurer Richard Wright reported that “Through 10 months the (financial) performance is essentially on track…with income $301,000 better and expenses $264,000 worse than budget. However, the expenses profile…will wind up slightly negative”. The remaining narrative was a series of un-intelligible explanations of the alleged income and expenses categories line item amounts and anticipated 2007 year end budget variances. While attributed to Wright, the report was written in the familiar unreliable financial “Lois speak” style prose of Lois Campbell. The Observer has restated the MVF financial statements through October 31, 2007. While both versions used the exact same income-expense general ledger accounts and cumulative line item amounts, the Observer’s rendition leads to a much different conclusion about the state of MVF’s financial health Link here to continue Mr. Wright You're Wrong Again! download in a pdf format or log on to read comments posted on the MV Observer's blog and post your comments .
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The MVF Board of Directors and staff should feel an under whelming sense of failure, shame and regret for preparing, presenting, communicating, adopting and approving the MVF 2008 budget and assessments at the October 25th board meeting.
The events over the past 90 days were a series of missed opportunities. The hold over board members from the Wright-Silliman-Zakian-Huson-Campbell regime are still in control and promoting the corrupted MVF financial, operating and governing policies and practices of the past quarter of a century.
The most amazing revelation is that Lois Campbell, 3 months after William Blum became the Director of Finance and Administration and 2 months after Dave Humpton was hired as Executive Vice President, in her new capacity as “Consultant” is still in control of Foundation’s communications and financial operations and exercising unchallenged influence over board and committee deliberations.
Link here to continue The Budget Crash of 2008! read in a print format or log on to read the comments on the Observer's blog
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The hiring of Dave Humpton and Bill Blum Now the Real Story Can Be Told! The Montgomery Village community enters 2008 with a collective upbeat sense of relieve, hope and optimism with the experienced and capable leadership team of Dave Humpton and Bill Blum on board, in place and in charge. While we celebrate the favorable results now, during its 6 months of intense deliberation, the Personnel Search Committee experienced a continuing series of disappointments and set backs. The silent consensus among its members was that a favorable result was very much in doubt. Headlines in The Gazette’s September 19th edition validated these doubts “MVF lingers without leader – One board member’s refused to vote leaves hired in 4-4 tie”. As the Village enjoyed the Labor Day holiday weekend the silence on the Director of Finance and Administration opening signaled more disappointment. How did we avoid the train wreck? We got lucky, 3 times. Link here to continue The Hiring of a new EVP & DFS was a good job! We were lucky! read in a print format or log on to read the comments on the Observer's blog
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