homeowners associations

David Martin (pictured), of Goodyear, Arizona, is facing hundreds of dollars in fines from his HOA after offering free water bottles to neighbors during the scorching desert heat

Ooh, ooh! Bottles of cold water! Somebody call the cops!

I was a reporter, years ago. I covered the suburbs, the developments, the local news that people cared about.

I cannot say that I have ever heard one favorable word about homeowners’ associations.

Why is that? Well, take a look at this story here.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14899771/arizona-homeowner-fined-hoa-water-bottles-hea.html

They want to fine this guy for giving people free bottles of cold water. This is in Arizona, so you know people will be roasting from the heat. The man says he won’t pay the fines–so what comes next? Prison? A firing squad?

My parents lived in one of those gated communities. What a pain in the tuchas! The HOA was nothing but bullies and busybodies who loved to interfere in other people’s lives.

Get this. The homeowners voted 190-20 (!) to remove, depose, kick out, reject, and dump their homeowners’ association, adding all new members. But the current HOA dreamed up a laundry list of “reasons” why the vote didn’t count and they can just stay in power forever.

Folks, be unified, be strong! If you stand together, you can beat these jerks.

You’d get a better shake from Putin…

You may think this item is about cats, but it isn’t. It’s about the way people treat each other.

All right–the homeowners’ associations of “adult communities” are notorious for being arbitrary, officious, unjust little weasels. So if you buy a condo in some place with a name like “Leisure Village,” you ought to expect to have conflicts with these people.

Elizabeth Colaianni, a 58-year-old disabled woman who lives alone–with her two cats which she’s had for years–in a condo in Leisure Village, Ridge, New York (on Long Island) is being hit up for some $11,000 in fees and fines for, they say, having an unpermitted extra cat. She’s convinced the homeowners’ association is out to get her because she installed a ramp on her condo. She needs the ramp to get in and out. ( http://abc7chicago.com/pets/condo-association-charges-woman-hundreds-per-month-for-2nd-cat/1267515/ )

Once upon a time, anyone would be ashamed to be caught persecuting a lonely old lady and trying to take away her cat. But I guess you don’t get to be on the board of a homeowners’ association if they suspect you have a sense of shame.

If you feel indignant about this shameful episode, why don’t you call the Leisure Village treasurer’s office and tell them so? The phone number is 631-744-0473. Please let me know about any, er, interesting response you might get.