Conduct Of Elections For Squatters Run Body Corporate

Bearing in mind that the Squatters Run Association is for the benefit of ALL owners of lots within the Squatters Run Complex, like me, you may find the following facts disturbing.

Because of the number of owners interested in standing for council exceeded the normal 7 councillors (as required in the Association constitution), 9 councillors were elected at the 2008 AGM.

At the 2012 AGM only 6 councillors were elected. There was no further call for a seventh.

When in 2013 one of those 6 councillors resigned, due to concern with the ethics of how the remaining council members were planning to use a very large sum of money from the Sinking Fund, there was no call for further interested parties to take up that or the other vacant position on council.

At the 2013 AGM, when more than 7 people were interested in standing for Council, only 7 were allowed in.

When I raised the precedent of having more than 7 members of council in 2008, the newly elected council refused to respect the previous precedent.

It seems to me that the core group will accept whatever number of councillors that best suits there own needs at the time - whether it be 9 or 7 or 6 or 5.

At the 2013 AGM some owners were voting for their own spouses (where the Squatters Run Association constitution allowed). You may well ask how can it be that owners can vote for their family members.

I own 3 apartments in my own name and under the constitution I am entitled to 1 vote. KT own a lot more of Squatters Run but are also only entitled to 1 vote.

The Dunstones on the other hand have 3 apartments under differing names and as a consequence the Dunstone family members have 3 votes. Vincent Sweeney has the Reception office in his name and his spouse Joanne has their apartment in her name giving them 2 votes and both now sit on the council.

I have been told that because Squatters Run is an Association it does not fall under the standard Strata laws of NSW.

The newsletter to owners from council that followed the 2013 AGM claimed the elections led to:

"The new Council provides a much greater scope for input from representatives of rented properties, thereby providing a better balance between the interests of owner occupied and rental properties."

In my eyes it was nothing but the stacking of the council in order to keep other interested parties from being part of the decision making process.

The next AGM is only a month away - stay tuned.