Page 12 - CooperatorNews New Jersey Spring 2021

12 COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY —SPRING 2021 NJ.COOPERATORNEWS.COM BOARD OPERATIONS While residents generally like the idea this is; board and resident meetings are on a committee, we have to think about of community that living in a condomin- ium or co-op provides (that’s why many those meetings could (and should) be munity garden in the rear of our building. opt for this type of ownership), few are as run in a quick, efficient way and be done We don’t have a gardener. Admittedly, it’s excited about the idea of serving on their within an hour or so, they very often run hard to get people to manage and main- community’s governing board, or on any longer—sometimes much longer. Most tain the garden on a long-term commit- of the various committees their board residents work long hours and aren’t es- may set up to oversee special projects. As pecially keen to add multiple additional for a day. So, we ask for volunteers on a important as long-term supervision of hours to the end of their day. Addition- many specific aspects of community life ally, board members who agree to serve as that people will feel they have the time.” may be, it’s often very difficult to find vol- unteers willing to do their part. Among ample—often have to allocate additional 96-unit townhouse-style complex of con- the factors that influence volunteering for time during their otherwise busy days for dominiums in suburban Boston. She has board service are the time commitment conversations with management agents lived there for nearly 30 years and has (real or perceived), discomfort with po- tentially being the focus of resident anger between neighbors to the date of the next some of them as treasurer. She agrees that and antipathy, and plain old apathy. On the other hand, for those who authorization for something major, it may ment to board or committee service for overcome those obstacles and hesitations, require immediate attention. That can’t most owners. “They don’t want to make board service can provide a feeling of ac- complishment, a level of prestige within the community, and a way to have a per- sonal hand in maintaining the security He has served on the board of his building They’re concerned that they will not be and safety of what is likely their biggest for several years and says that “the major able to keep up with their board service financial investment. The Value of Time Board service is completely volun- tary, and the most common reason both size building, though, people are invested. a little now, since we meet via Zoom. co-op shareholders and condominium Many of them are willing to make a time There’s also a hesitation on the part of owners cite for not volunteering is lack investment. Sometimes, whether we are people with children, which is under- of time. It’s not hard to understand why talking about full board service or serving standable, but in the end, it cuts down on generally held in the evening, and while how to present it. We have a private com- an officer—president or treasurer, for ex- about everything from ongoing conflicts served on the board for 26 of those years, virtual social event. If the manager needs time constraints are the biggest impedi- wait for one meeting once a month. Ray is a board member of a mid-sized “We are a mixed-age community. Most cooperative building in upper Manhattan. people work—even our older residents. challenge to board service is the percep- tion of how much time board members where they travel, which can interfere must give to service on a board. In a mid- ment, but easy to get people to participate day basis. We try to assign things in ways Roberta is a long-time resident of a a commitment they can’t keep,” she says. commitment. Many residents have jobs with board meetings. That’s changing the number of people who can volunteer.” Enticing Residents to Serve Ray points out that one effective way to change residents’ view of serving their community is to get them involved with a committee first. It’s a good way of getting their feet wet for board service. “We have gotten people to step through commit- tee work,” Ray says. “We identify them, ask them to serve on a committee, then pursue them for board service afterward. This requires outreach. No one says, ‘I want to run for board,’ but they do say, ‘I want to do something ’—so we suggest they do a committee first, then we reach out about board service.” The next hurdle is getting those who do volunteer to serve to step up again as officers of the corporation or associa- tion. “We need to define the board chair role better,” says Ray. “We need to find a way to make that role more manageable. Good outreach and communication are very important. At our last shareholders meeting, which was on Zoom and well attended, we asked for committee volun- teers and three new people volunteered.” According to Roberta, “We’ve had enough people volunteer over the years to keep the board full without begging peo- ple to serve—but it’s difficult to get board members to agree to serve as officers. We’ve had just two presidents in 20 years. I’ve served several times with breaks as treasurer. Board members are concerned about a number of things if they become officers. Besides more time required, they are worried about potential liability— which they don’t have, because we have insurance for that—and also that they will be the subject of anger from residents who don’t agree with their decisions.” Term Limits As is the case in any elected position in a democratic setting, the question of how long any one individual should serve is a consideration. Two presidents in 20 years could be considered problematic from numerous perspectives. Should co-ops and condos have term limits for board service? Should board service be compul- sory for all residents to provide a ready pool of available new blood for the board? “There should be term limits, because you want new blood—that’s my personal Overcoming Apathy Getting Residents Interested in Board Service BY COOPER SMITH continued on page 19