QUESTIONS EVER MORE

     Well, I'm back. Exhausted, happy and ready to rock and roll, as the saying goes. And, as usual, more questions seem to rise to the surface and business seems to go on as usual here in the Village, something that ought not to be. Sooo....

1. A question of redundancy, ironically raised this time by the Lord himself, David Israel. Yesterday, at the Operations committee meeting, which took place immediately after the Bid committee meeting, when it came time to take a vote, Himself muttered in so many words that, "Well, there's a redundancy here, we just voted, but alright call the roll." Referring to what, you might ask? This.
Bid Committee                         Operations Committee   
David Israel                               David Israel
Joy Vestal                                  Joy Vestal
Fausto Fabbro                            Fausto Fabbro
Bob Marshall                             Bob Marshall
Ruth Dreiss                                Ruth Dreiss
Barbara Cornish                         Barbara Cornish
Pat Sealander                             Pat Sealander
Dom Guarnagia                         Dom Guarnagia
Don Foster*                               Don Foster
Toni Salometo*                        Toni Salometo

Ed Black                                   Ed Black

Look a tad repetitive? Redundant? What are we playing around with here? Why bother taking a vote if it is the same people again and again? I may have missed one or two people but they do not matter at all as they too are in the claque, but even if not, their vote weighs nothing should they be opposed to the rule of the majority - that majority that looks toward David Israel for permission for everything. REDUNDANT? YOU BET!!!!

     As far as the asterisk - Toni resigned, the second committee she has resigned from in recent times, even while remaining as the Chair of the Insurance Committee where her authority was demeaned and dismissed by David Israel when he threw me off the committee because he hates me and so expressed in so many words - government by emotions. Terrific. Leads one to have lots of faith in UCO. Truly - Not!
    We also have members like Roberta Hoffman who never seem to show up so what purposes do they serve other than as a spacekeeper so no other appointments need be made until His Holiness decides it is time, but then again, his circle of die hard supporters seem to be shrinking by the day.

2. Why is Don Foster asterisked? Simple. What exactly is he at this point? Is he a CAM yet? If not, then we are in violation as we are required by law to have  a licensed CAM at all contract negotiations. We do not, if he is not a CAM and neither is an acting CAM acceptable as such. And if he is a CAM by license, which we have not heard and in fact were told yesterday that he is not, but should he be - A CAM DOES NOT VOTE ON COMMITTEES. SIMPLE. So what gives here?

3. Yesterday at the meeting a resident had several questions mostly relating to building some restroom facilities on Duck Island. It would be quite expensive but he did raise an interesting point. Why are we spending thousands of dollars - again - on petanque courts, moving them from Somerset to defunct shuffleboard courts by the pool?  Why, he asked, not in a mean manner but in a concerned manner, are we spending money for courts that a group of residents who are never here for six months of the year yet  are not spending for facilities that would be used year round? I ask, think about it. Are the year round residents to be treated as second class citizens, with facilities being closed EVERY summer as if we would neither mind nor care if they are closed to us and that it doesn't matter anyway? Now do not get me wrong. The facilities on Duck Island would be a quarter of a million dollars, but hey, ever hear of the adage waste not, want not? If we were to save up and not spend on unnecessary items and use some of that money that appears to be left over in the budget from items that came in under budget, then we might be okay but NOT if we spend on repetitive items. Speaking of redundancy!! And by the way, what happens to that under budgeted money that was not spent?

4. Transparency in this UCO is a joke. The above questions asked tell us that the cycling of the same old people again and again on the committees so that the same small group is ruling us here and yes, I mean RULING. Transparency? Uh uh.

5.The Broadband Committee, you know, the one which morphed from the Wi Fi committee that was firmly voted against but which David Israel simply cannot internalize. Yup, that one. Well, even as he waxes poetic about the values of Wi Fi for the elderly, for the seniors, he conveniently leaves out the issues and I am not talking about the cost and the infrastructure that would be required. I am talking about the dangers, even as expressed by the NY Times yesterday in an article which reminds us that "Apps and devices developed to help older adults often reveal a gap in understanding them." It goes on to reveal the issues, some funny, some not so much, but rather sad and/or dangerous. It reveals the errors these devices can lead to as people misinterpret and misunderstand the differences between younger and older people and what is good for one, normal for one, is not necessarily so for the other and the tragedies and waste that can and do result from this not so funny comedy of errors. So next time he rhapsodizes about the benefits - think again.  Realize that there is a reality that he refuses to recognize and in a Village of seniors we had better pay attention to all this or instead of helping our residents we will be harming them indeed. Do not jump into anything again without clear research and teaching to residents. We have ignored that before and look what resulted.

6. The Security company. Well, here we go again and this is not hearsay but an eyewitness account and I was that eye. We were waiting to get into the Village at the Haverhill gate, behind a car which seemed to be unable to get in and why not as there was no sticker on the window! There it sat, there we sat, as the young lady inside, looking ever so spiffy in her new uniform, did not move from the gatehouse. Granted, there was a line of a few cars, but ahem, we, too, were waiting and so was that car. Finally, we waited till all the cars in the other lane were gone and shifted over, she barely glancing at the card Gerry held up as we rolled thru a raised bar and we noticed that the driver of the stuck car was getting out of the car, a big dude. Suddenly we noticed that the gate in front of him was raised and in he drove, nothing checked and off he went seeking his desired goal as we drove alongside for a while, watching him bending his head forward and side to side, obviously looking for signs or directions and guidance as to where to go. Definitely not a resident.Security? I think not. Again. For more money than we paid before. An error? Definitely yes? Will something be done about it? Who the hell knows and perhaps we need to station Ed Black there as he seems to know and guarantee all as the best contract ever - all the time - but what use a "great" contract if it is not fully implemented? Just askin', just sayin'.

     When it comes to voting in March, do not vote for him or his stooges, no matter who they are. They all fall in line for him and enough already of his UCO. Time for a change. Phyllis is waiting.