The EC is entitled to ask for the unit roll. Are there more than you and the two others on the EC? If so, I suggest you sound out the others for the following course of action: Say to the rest of the EC: ‘Managing the OC is a big job and a big responsibility. There may be advantages in doing that but there may be disadvantages as well. What if we have a willing and competent EC now but we might not in a few years? Would the owners more generally think it is in their interests to leave it to a few owners? They might save some money, an interested EC might do a better job but then a disinterested manager might do a better job, especially since the EC can direct the manager to do things in any case. Owners might regard the manager as worth the fee for some belt and braces protection in case some future EC was not as good as the current one. I propose that we should write to owners to let them know that this is a matter the EC is thinking about and we would be interested to gauge owner sentiment on the topic before developing the idea further. I think we could spell out in general terms in the letter what we think the advantages and disadvantages might be.’ Depending on your relationship with the strata manager, the EC could simply direct the manager to mail your letter to all owners. The manager is obliged to act on the instruction if it is a resolution of an EC meeting. Of course that would reveal to the manager that you are thinking about dumping him/her. You could say ‘That might cause him/her to pull up their socks which might be a good thing if we think there is a reasonable case for suggesting we are not getting good service. This might in itself justify this course of action. By the time of a later general meeting we might be able to report that we have decided to keep going it alone on our agenda but on the back burner for now because the manager seems to have been so much more attentive lately.’
What about trying that with your EC?