Board members are not paid (arguably, they should be); although they do receive free CA memberships. The President/CEO is a full time position and is paid.

And to be clear, while there are elections for board seats, many current board members were seated in uncontested elections or were appointed without an election due to a vacancy.

I would just believe Dick when he says the conflict is about the relationship between the CEO and the board. He’s not lying about that. It’s just a dumb reason to fire someone who is really good at doing the job you hired them to do.

I don’t think that’s a random thought. Several people have suggested it. I agree.

No, I don’t think anyone knows. Months ago, it was speculated that some members of the board already had a replacement in mind (current head of Inner Arbor Trust) but she has denied interest in the position.

Agreed but this isn’t the first time people have paid attention. A couple years ago an organization tried (through deceptive means IMO) to generate increased interest in CA elections - it didn’t work. I’m not sure this issue or there blog articles will make much difference either… but here’s hoping!

It’s a brewery but there are TVs at Black Flag that often have sports on them.

Doesn’t help you now but there is a Bark Social dog bar coming in a couple years.

Bill is great.

Completely agree. Thanks for watching - it’s hard to understand the dysfunction without watching it yourself. And this meeting - setting aside the buzzard decision to avoid talking about the elephant in the room - was relatively smooth compared to others.

I’ll also add that, if there are multiple challengers to an incumbent, please talk with the other challengers and consider bowing out of the race. You don’t want to split the opposition vote.

You should contact your village manager for specifics. But generally speaking, you will be able to pick up a candidates packet from your community center in early March. It will outline some requirements (like getting ten signatures) to submit your candidacy. You will need to submit that packet by around March 20. Then the election will be in April.

The specifics vary from village to village. Again just reach out to the staff at your community center for the specifics for your village.

Maybe but that’s not my interpretation.

She very clearly didn’t “resign.” I believe she is saying “The ‘plan’ the board presented me is a breach of my contract. If you want a president to follow it, find a different president and be prepared for a lawsuit.”

I could be wrong.

The elections are in late April but most (all?) villages have voting online and/or mail-in voting throughout most of April. Candidate applications are made available at the beginning of March and are typically due in mid March. The exact dates for all of this vary from village to village and the villages are pretty good about communicating the details.

Three villages (Owen Brown, Harper's Choice, and Town Center) have two year terms with the CA Reps up for election in even years. Seven CA reps are up for election in 2023:

• ⁠Long Reach • ⁠River Hill • ⁠Oakland Mills • ⁠Kings Contrivance • ⁠Hickory Ridge • ⁠Dorsey Search • ⁠Wilde Lake

Local leaders have also started petitions to recall five of the CA Board members most opposed to Ms. Boyd. So if you live in Oakland Mills, Dorsey, Harper’s, River Hill, or Town Center you can consider contacting your village board and asking them to recall your CA rep.

The board hasn’t said which, itself, is part of the problem. They are supposed to represent and talk with their neighbors not act in secrecy.

Long answer: https://www.themerriweatherpost.org/post/how-poor-judgement-ego-and-miscommunication-have-led-the-ca-board-to-consider-firing-ca-president

TLDR: the board doesn’t understand their role, has tried to micromanage Lakey, and she has pushed back on those attempts.

CA provides a whole bunch of services and amenities to Columbia. Columbia Association offers a vast array of recreational, cultural and community services.
CA maintains nearly 3,600 acres of open space as a permanent asset for residents. Neighborhood amenities include lakes, parks, tot lots, basketball and tennis courts and 95 miles of walking, jogging and biking pathways. Gyms, outdoor pools, after school programs for kids, art center, Columbia archives, etc.

The board has never explained why they are treating her like they are which is a major part of the problem. But its because they don't understand how a volunteer board of directors should properly oversee a professionally run organization and instead have been trying to micromanage her and the rest of the staff - she pushed back on those efforts and they responded negatively.

And consider encouraging your village board to try and recall your CA Rep if you live in Dorsey Search, Oakland Mills, River Hill, Town Center, or Harper's Choice.

And if you live in King's Contrivance, make sure your village board appoints someone who supports Ms. Boyd.

You can attend virtually or in person. To be allowed to speak, you needed to have signed up by 5:00 PM earlier today.

https://www.columbiaassociation.org/about-us/leadership/board-of-directors/resident-speakout/

To be honest though, I have no idea how the board will handle resident's speak out tomorrow. I imagine it will be heated and expect people who didn't sign up in advance will demand to speak anyways.

I don't think there's any magic bullet but there are several small actions that you can take and if enough people do these things, the situation will improve:

• Participate in "Residents Speak Out:" that's the portion near the beginning of each board meeting that residents can use to raise issues they are concerned about. They generally limit speaking time to three minutes. You have to sign up in advance which you can do here: [https://www.columbiaassociation.org/about-us/leadership/board-of-directors/resident-speakout/]
  If you do speak out, you might consider a couple things: Ask them to release "the plan" they referred to in their press release, Ask them to publicly commit to keeping Lakey employed for at least the remainder of her contract, and Ask that they adhere to the Audit Committee's recommendations and hire a mediator (rather than a lawyer) to help resolve their conflict with Lakey
• Make sure your neighbors know about these issues and encourage them to participate in the elections. Seven of the CA Board positions (all except Town Center, Owen Brown, and Harper's Choice) will be on the ballot in April. Candidates will need to submit applications to those positions by mid March.
• Since it seems like there is a Maryland law being violated here, you can also file a complaint with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. I used to think this was overkill but, since it seems like the most recent press release was a deliberate attempt to deceive the public (or at least omit critical information to our understanding), I think it may be warranted now. If you're interested, you can do that here:
  https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/Complaint.aspx

I also think its important to remember that the board are people (flawed like all of us are) who volunteer a lot of their time trying to serve the community. I think it's fair to criticize their performance as a board member but please don't forget they are our neighbors and should be treated neighborly.

TLDR: The CA Board (a majority of them but not all) is deceptively attempting to spin their conflict with the CA President as a responsible thing. In reality, the conflict is driven by petty issues and the fact the board doesn’t understand its own role. The conflict is sucking up CA’s money, time, and resources - all of which would be better spent on providing amenities and services to the people of Columbia.

Everyone should vote in coming elections and tell the CA Board to let Lakey do her job.

I appreciate you saying that!