Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel

By Lisa J. Huriash   

Published November 24, 2014

       
Residents wanting to overthrow part of the board of their homeowners association will have to wait a bit longer to get their chance.

Circuit Judge Dale Ross said no — but set a recall vote on Jan. 15. There are 256 homes in the neighborhood and at least 129 (more than half) need to vote for the recall. Each household is allowed one vote.

The judge also ordered Wednesday that the group of residents pay for a court-ordered observer to preserve the integrity of the election.

"We are facing a future of more games and evasive actions as we have for the past year and a half by opposition, but we will not give up," said resident Sandra Kloszewski who is leading the charge.

The residents' lawsuit accuses William and Linda Villela and Earl and Arlene Ostrander of not following protocols. They also claim the couples haven't had a board meeting in months to prevent a recall from happening.

The other six members of the board aren't targets of the removal attempt.

HOA president William Villela said he felt the ruling was fair and said there was "not a chance" he'd be voted out of his seat. He said it was a vocal minority of residents who were unhappy.

Still, he said he took the judge's words to heart. "He said the community must be treated decently, that pertains to me," he admitted. "I might have said stuff out of line. I have to make sure I am more gentle with these people and I will."

Peter Wallis, the attorney for the residents, said they aren't giving up and will campaign aggressively.

"I think the residents are so fired up about the abuses that they see this board engaging in that they will not just fade away," he said.