WHERE ARE WE?

     Son of a bitch! Yup, that is what I called David Israel yesterday at the Operations committee meeting where he behaved exactly like the term.
At this meeting two desperate officers of an association came in to plead their case, asked for help or guidance from UCO and asked for relief from WPRF. They were in a real pickle, owing tens of thousands of dollar on two abandoned units and these were units that UCO and the so called assets recovery committee with a prominent member called Ed Black - uh huh, the same one we all know and love so well - had turned away because one had a mortgage. Instead of saying we will help with the non mortgage unit and give you advice as to where to go for help on the other unit, they simply sent them away and now are asking for all monies, and should FPM, the court ordered receiver ever find a tenant for these units, there must be a double payment of WPRF funds every month. Yup! You read correctly. Now who in the name of all that's holy will rent or buy a unit that has a tail of tens of thousands of dollars attached to it, more than the unit is worth? No one, obviously and so these officers were asking WPRF and UCO to have compassion, help, and forgive at least some of the debt or work something doable with them. No and NO and NO again and again.
     I spoke up and asked for compassion, for understanding the situation, the desperateness of it, the impossibility of this small association with many elderly elderly in it with not a lot of money and NO is what they heard. We had a similar unit and were able to work things out to our benefit and so I got the number of the lawyer we used and went out with them to give it to them. As I walked out, while I answered a phone from my son and told him to hang on or I would call back, David Israel mutters in loud enough voice, "oh, now she will give them the answer to everything" in as snide and nasty a voice as ever was heard. I turned around and said quietly that there was no need for that to which he mumbled another nasty turn of words and I admit, I lost it and called him a son of a bitch and a hard hearted person with no care or concern for the people. And then walked out to give them the number and calm them down.
     This man is a menace. He is nasty to all and sundry and as cruel a human being as one can find and barely edge into the name of human being. He offers no help, no guidance, has no empathy with others and so this time he was on the receiving end of a name rather than dishing it out as he usually does. And I will confess, it actually felt good after all this time of being polite to him in public and ignoring his nasty statements made in public.
     Other issues were discussed there as well. Did you know that the indoor pool will cost $185,000!!! Another overrun brought to you by WPRF with lots of excuses of course. Another fine example of us fixing up Levy's buildings with our funds and getting nothing out of it except for higher fees for WPRF. And watch, I bet within a couple of years we will be fixing it again as we did a few years ago - and the same with the pool for the guests at the Clubhouse which is already slated for more repairs this summer, Yup. Better believe it.
     And by the way, do not forget that the lift at Hastings, both of them, are out and the second floor is barred to residents. This is an ADA issue and was brought to the attention of ADA enforcement and Legal Aid and finally, this committee voted to force WPRF into using the money set aside for this many moons ago and put in proper lifts and suddenly the cost went from over $100,000 to $27,500. Amazing, is it not. Like Ripley's Believe It or Not isn't it?
     Then, just for fun let us look at the list of members of the Operations committee. Here they are:
David Israel                     Bob Marshall
Joy Vestal                        Barbara Cornish
Fausto Fabbro                  Howard O'Brien
John Hess                         Pat Sealander
Ed Black                          Anita Buchanan 
Ruth Dreiss                      Roberta Hofmann
Toni Salometo                  Ron Massa
Donald Foster                   Dom Guarnagia

Sound familiar? Look familiar as we look back on lists of other committees? That is your UCO - actually, their UCO, for it belongs to these people who are rotated through the various roles and positions in UCO and half never show up but are kept on since David refuses to appoint a diverse selection of people and indeed, warned off someone today by reminding them just who it is exactly who appoints people to this committee -as indeed he does to all committees as he is violating the rules - as usual.
     People, you must get rid of this guy, out to pasture he must go and vote for those who will administer a fair and honest UCO with process and procedure. Vote out any and all who are his puppets, whose names are associated with him. Vote for new people, other people and choose carefully and vote for the presidential candidate that is the best for us - Phyllis Richland, the best out of any and all candidates. The one who represents the people - you.

Total in Israel for October, November:  24 dead, 198 wounded, 82 for shock. From the elderly to the young, Jew and even some Arabs  being killed in these attacks, stabbed, hacked, axed, shot, rammed by cars.