Hostility runs deep in Lake Charleston vote

The community's homeowners association also faced an

unsuccessful coup this year, leading to court proceedings.

Article Courtesy of  The Palm Beach Post

By Jane Musgrave
Posted on Wednesday, December 15, 2004

A Boca Raton certified public accountant this week got a taste of what it's like being Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore.

And, accountant Paul Heyn said, it wasn't pretty.

"People were so mad that they thought everyone was trying to influence the outcome of the election," he said. "People were screaming. They'd put their ballots in the box and say things like, 'I know you're going to throw it away anyway.' "

Although the level of hostility was stunning, he said, the police escort he got to take the ballots to a neutral location really got him.

"It was surreal," said Heyn, a partner with Daszkal Bolton LLP.

Unlike LePore, whom some blame for swaying the outcome of the 2000 election of the leader of the free world, Heyn was merely overseeing the election of the board of directors of the Lake Charleston Homeowners Association.

"I can't understand how they could get that worked up over a homeowners association," Heyn said Tuesday.

Had Heyn known the troubled history of the 2,400-home community off Hypoluxo Road, the tenor of Monday night's election might not have caught him off guard.

The raucous election, which concluded at about 11 p.m., was the culmination of a bitter year in which a veritable coup removed the board of directors, who then successfully sued to reclaim their positions.

But although they were successful in court, they weren't so successful at the ballot box.

Desi Larmer, a coup leader, and one of his supporters, Paul Siegel, were elected by wide margins for two open seats. One of the other coup leaders, Don Miller, was already on the volunteer board.

That means Larmer controls the five-member board, effectively silencing the two board members — David Midolo and Jane Early — who survived what a judge ruled was an improper ouster and who have made no secret of their disdain for Larmer.

The bitterness has sparked some bizarre vandalism: Someone tossed feces into the community pool and golf carts have been sabotaged. Fearing it would escalate, Midolo, a county firefighter, installed $5,000 worth of surveillance equipment at his home.

As Larmer's first order of business, he changed the locks on the association's office. He did the same thing in February when he led the unsuccessful insurgence.

The new hardware, he insisted, was needed to make sure no documents could be removed from the office. He said there was no attempt to lock out the board members he has battled.

However, those who have watched Larmer operate question what his election means for the community of nearly 10,000 people.

"It's a very, very sick situation," said former board President Bailey Conaway. After surviving the coup, he sold his home in November and moved to a suburb of Atlanta.

He insisted that his relocation was fueled by the year's crazy hurricane season, not the craziness he experienced on the Lake Charleston board.

Still, he said, he was disheartened that residents either can't see or don't care about the controversy that swirls around the community. Although a record-setting 700 households cast votes, at least 1,700 didn't, he noted.

The disharmony on the board, Conaway said, is fueled by "diseases called bigotry, apathy, jealousy and stupidity."

Larmer claims he has heard such criticism before and dismisses it as unfounded. He said the board has cost residents thousands of dollars unnecessarily, a wrong he intends to right.

Attorney Steven Meyer, who said he expects to be fired as association attorney, said the actions of Larmer and his cohorts cost residents more than $100,000 in attorney fees to fight the illegal ouster of the board. In addition, the price tag of a playground project skyrocketed when Larmer's temporary board canceled contracts that were reinstated later.

Larmer said he is equally convinced that the board had no justification for slapping residents with a $297 assessment for hurricane cleanup and attorney fees. He said he plans to investigate and return money if he discovers the assessment was improper.

His voice cracking with emotion, he talked about people congratulating him after the votes were counted.

"It was a very emotional time for the community and we want to see it healed," he said.