It really comes down to how the EC wants to work with the strata manager. The EC has the final responsibility but could direct things to go this way. I can see merit in that, paper trails and a filter for the subset of owners who can communicate a bit too much.
However, our EC goes the other way. We want to hear what is happening and decide whether to deal with it ourselves or direct the manager to address the issue a particular way.
The EC should be clear on who is boss and who is a service provider. The tail should not wag the dog.