Editor,
We urge all residents of Temple Hills to vote “no” on the new Temple Hills Community Association bylaws. Ron Chilcote has been the president of THCA for 40 years.
Prior to the December “meeting”, we submitted a motion to amend the bylaws to include democratic voting procedures and other changes that would reform THCA into an open association that welcomes all points of view. Chilcote refused. At the meeting, 19 unidentified people voted to elect a 23-member board. The ballot says there are 14 board members… Did nine resign just three months after their election?
Article 2.3 of the existing bylaws states “Each member shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members”. Members are defined as residents of Temple Hills. Dues are voluntary. Now Chilcote has unilaterally and unlawfully re-written the election rules. He states “… only dues paying members are entitled to vote”. The existing bylaws are not posted on his website. Why?
The ballot states, “75 votes are required to constitute a forum”. Since 10% is required, Chilcote must think there are 750 dues paying members. His financial report infers there are less 194 dues paying members. In fact, there are about 1,000 persons living in Temple Hills. A quorum of at least 100 people must be present to conduct an election. This means that the December election of the “board” with only 25 strangers voting is voided. Chilcote and his “board” are not authorized to act on behalf of THCA. Having attended annual meetings since 2003, I have never seen a quorum present or accounted for.
To add more insult to our community, and in violation of the bylaws, Chilcote declares that there will be only one vote per “residence”. Chilcote allows less than six weeks for us to debate the pros and cons of this “election”. He has named one person, “the inspector”, to interpret all these conflicting and unlawful rules and declare the results.
The proposed bylaws permit dues to be used to buy liability insurance for Chilcote and other un-named officers. If insurance cannot be purchased, the association will indemnify them for wrong doing. No such provisions are in the current bylaws.
I find it hard to believe that the good people of Temple Hills want this kind of “community association” speaking for us at City Hall.
We urge all residents of Temple Hills to mail in their ballot and vote “No”. Please include a note in your ballot declaring you are member and demand a notice from the “Inspector” if your vote is thrown out.
We hope this “protest vote” will result in a new community association that is run openly, welcomes all members, provides a forum for all points of view, avoids taking partisan political positions, and serves to unite our community.
If anyone needs a ballot or more fact based information on THCA please email us at [email protected]. A list of Temple Hills residents who have read and endorsed this editorial is also available.
Doug Cortez and Phillip LeBlanc, Laguna Beach
Please note there is one typo in our letter. Chilcote announced the election on April 15 and the ballots are due May 1. So only 2 weeks were allowed to debate or discuss this important proposal. Not the 6 weeks stated in my letter.
Obviously, Chilcote did not want the people of Temple Hills to hear the other side of the story. This type of behavior has been a pattern for many years. Please send in your NO protest vote today to PO Box 4913 LB CA 92652. Since time is short you can also send an email stating your NO vote to [email protected]
Also my statement that the existing bylaws do not appear on the THCA website was true when my letter was submitted last week for the print edition. However, in the past day or two they have suddenly appeared without explanation.(without amendments). Posting these 2 days before the members are being ask to vote on abolishing them adds more insult to injury.