[AJP]

Thanks for all the advice. I’ve started trying to convince people that the bully would not be suitable as a chairman. Even though it doesn’t give him any power, he would think it does. He’s a real estate salesman with the gift of the gab and some owners think that means he knows about strata. The agency where he works does not do strata management and he knows nothing about it.

He doesn’t follow rules and has already held what he calls EC meetings where he and his two supporters have made decisions without even telling the other three that there is a meeting. I’ve told him he can’t do that and he laughs. He’s very large and very loud and likes to intimidate people.

For 14 years we had a great complex where everyone got on, and then he moved in and everyone is fighting. Our AGMs used to be short, sweet and harmonious, but the last one was like World War III and the SM couldn’t control it.  It’s really stressful and annoying.

[AJP]

Thanks Whale. As we’ve always received the preliminary notice, I was waiting for it to arrive so I could add agenda items. I’m annoyed that I haven’t been able to, whilst our new resident bully has been able to.

We have a small, but divided EC and the person likely to be elected secretary is barely literate, (but a stooge for the bully) so I doubt she’ll be writing anything.

[AJP]

That’s really interesting. I’ve been on the ECs of four different owners corporations over the past 25 years (and three at the present time) and none have ever elected office bearers. We’ve always been told they are not needed because we have a strata manager. The strata managers have always carried out the functions. We have active ECs that vote on various matters (usually a paper vote), but that’s  all.     

It will cause enormous problems electing office bearers where I’m living at the moment as a bully has moved in recently and he will do whatever it takes to get elected chairman, but he’s totally incompetent.

[AJP]

Thanks JimmyT.

We don’t have an address or phone number for three of the owners, and the SM says he cannot give us that information. Is that correct that E/C members cannot be given contact details for OC members?

[AJP]

A motion would be defeated on a tied vote as it has to have a majority vote to be passed.

Isn’t ‘the spouse of an owner’ also an owner? An owner can vote on an item they have put on the agenda.

[AJP]

We have the same problem in our strata complex, except that it is a tenant, not an owner, who continually rings the Strata Manager and so increases costs for the owners. When told not to he just laughs and says he can do what he likes.

[Author]

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