'The vote passed decisively': HOA president refuses to step down after being voted out by community, continues to harass neighbors claiming she's still in charge

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Dec 4, 2024 10:00 AM EST

HOAs (Homeowners Associations) are a uniquely frustrating part of American life. They're supposed to maintain order in the neighborhood, but sometimes, they feel more like power-hungry authorities than helpful organizations. From dictating the exact shade of paint you can use on your front door (is it really that serious?) to charging absurd fees for basic community upkeep, they're notorious for overstepping boundaries. And don't even get us started on the ridiculous fines. $50 for leaving your trash can out too long? Please. But the real drama often comes from the people running the HOA. For some, being an HOA president is less about community service and more about being in charge. When someone like that gets too comfortable in their position, well, Good Luck Charlie. 

That's exactly what happened in this neighborhood. The community followed all the rules to vote out a tyrannical HOA president, only for her to refuse to step down. Instead, she's now doubling down, creating chaos, and dragging everyone into her mess. Keep reading to see how this drama unfolded and how the neighborhood is fighting back.

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  • 01
    We voted to remove our board president and now she is refusing to go
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 02
    Our HOA president has been wreaking havoc on our community for years. After enduring endless harassment and targeted enforcement, we followed our bylaws to hold a vote for her removal. The process mirrored one she herself used to remove another board member
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 03
    she didn't like last year. The vote passed decisively with a quarter of our neighborhood (and 74% of all voters) voting to remove her. But now she refuses to step down, and the management agency is backing her up.
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 04
    When we initially requested the board schedule the vote, we were ignored for over 30 days by the entire board. Instead, the president and her husband began harassing residents, demanding that we hand the list of petition signers over to them
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 05
    and making intimidating posts on our neighborhood Facebook group. Those they believed to have signed the petition received retaliatory enforcement and were banned from the community page. After we made our initial request, it was clear that
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 06
    everyone knew about it, yet no vote was ever scheduled and no one ever reached out to us. Our bylaws allow us to schedule the meeting after 30 days, so after enduring this obstructive behavior for over a month, we hired a neutral third party to run the vote for us. Despite all the obstacles, we succeeded.
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 07
    Now the president claims she didn't get a chance to speak, even though she obstructed the process at every turn and refused to speak. She is the "liason" with the management agency and they take only her direction on everything. A majority of the board wants her to go but the
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 08
    management agency will not listen to them and the board members are all quitting in protest. Now they're forcing a second vote, which will of course be managed and counted by the management agency. This change rewards her for all of her
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 09
    obstructive and retaliatory behavior and undermines the integrity of the process. The entire situation feels rigged to reward obstruction and ignore the will of the community. Edit: For those asking, this HOA is in WA state
    via u/Runningislife42
  • 10
    • morg-pyro 3d ago • There comes a point when lawyers need to be hired. You're at that point.
    via u/morg-pyro
  • 11
    ArchaeoJones • 3d ago • Top 1% Commenter She doesn't get a choice in the matter. The vote was held, in accordance with the bylaws. She's gone. The next vote should be ditching the management company.
    via u/ArchaeoJones
  • 12
    Nearly_Pointless • 3d ago I'd bet lunch there is some embezzlement happening that needs to be maintained. Read your bylaws for anything related to auditing the financials.
    via u/Nearly_Pointless
  • 13
    j150052 3d ago • • USA is so weird with their hoa stuff. Setting up little fiefdoms with dictators.
    via u/j150052
  • 14
    N. 3d ago Edited 3d ago • Let the whole board quit. Then there won't be quorum to hold any meetings or get anything done. And every single homeowner should send violation notices of her house to the management company. Then when they fail to act you hire a lawyer on behalf of the HOA. Or
    via u/N.
  • 15
    everyone can sue her individually for harassment. Personally, Id just walk in their front yard and take a sh. Or tell everyone to stop paying dues. The management company cannot send somebody to
    via u/N.
  • 16
    collections without a majority vote from the board members (Atleast at my HOA). If there isn't quorum, then there's no one to approve sending someone to collections. Hold the company financially hostage until there's a new president. Once the new president finally gets in place then pay all your back dues.
    via u/N.
  • 17
    CallNResponse • 3d ago Just a brief comment on something that sticks out to me: the HOA contract with the mgmt company may specifically limit communications to only the HOA President. In my limited experience, this is not strictly enforced. But in this situation, perhaps it is.
    via u/CallNResponse
  • 18
    OP says "... we hired a neutral third party ...". Who paid for it? And would that entity be willing to pay for an attorney? You are (probably) broadly in the right to hold a meeting yourselves if the board doesn't respond within 30 days (it's thing in many states and bylaws). But there are a lot of details in the process.
    via u/CallNResponse
  • 19
    • WagsInBalto 3d ago Off with her head!
    via u/WagsInBalto
  • 20
    mcflame 13. 3d ago Get lawyers and go after the board president and her husband along with the management agency but not the HOA itself. The board president and her husband intimidated a bunch of the homeowners and she found each and every reason to fine the homeowners that wanted
    via u/mcflame
  • 21
    her gone. So that is ab e of power, harassment, intimidation, and selective enforcement. There is definitely enough for her to regret with you. As for the management agency. They are involved because they decided not to use the 3rd party hosted votes and decide to have the votes go through them.
    via u/mcflame
  • 22
    Which is a way for them to manipulate the votes so that she stays in power.
    via u/mcflame
  • 23
    Our HOA president has been wreaking havoc on our community for years.
    via Unsplash (Getty Images)

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