CBWRA finally forced to reply to complaints of electoral misconduct
Six weeks after my complaint to CBWRA about electoral misconduct in the 2023 Chair elections. I finally received an acknowledgment and an (excuse for) a reply – a few paragraphs of meaningless waffle which could be summarised as ‘we didn’t do anything wrong because we have asked each other and we all agree that is the case’. The complaint was ‘reviewed’ by the people who are the subject of the complaint and they were found not guilty:). It seems clear that the misconduct of the 2023 elections will be repeated in 2024 and indeed with some additional manipulations. Here is my response.
—
Dear CBWRA /Katherine Greenaway/Larisa Villar Hauser/Louis Sebastian Kendall
Your first acknowledgment of my complaint of 15.1.24 comes today (28.2.24), 6 weeks after I sent it to you and after you being chased by me, using recorded post and multiple emails (6 approx) none of which you responded to until today. At the same time as you send your 6 week overdue acknowledgement, you are sending your ”response” (see end of this email). Yes that is perfectly professional and normal of course!
Your intention was clearly to ignore the complaint indefinitely but the publicity has become too much for you to do that so you have been dragged into making a token response, which is a few paragraphs of meaningless waffle which does not address any of the points raised in my complaint. You are sending this to me purely so that you can say you have responded to the complaint but it is obvious that it is not a meaningful response to many instances of electoral misconduct which were carried out in the Feb 2023 Chair elections.
These matters of electoral misconduct were not, as you claim, addressed in any previous correspondence nor at any meeting. I certainly raised them at some meetings but you gave no meaningful response because the facts are undeniable. Can you please identify what it is that you said in these meetings that you think constitutes a response?
I am not disappointed by your response (as you suggest) – it was entirely predictable that you would seek to avoid responding – this is what I would expect when there is no respect for truth, democracy or good governance and when there is no meaningful defence against the points I have made.
Since you have not addressed the complaint I made about the 2023 electoral misconduct, nor taken any measures in relation to the people responsible (i.e. yourselves), it seems clear that CBWRA intends to repeat this misconduct in the 2024 elections. The 2024 elections are 2 months late and again you have had to be dragged kicking and screaming to them, by me and other residents.
I note that further games are being played with the 2024 Chair elections – voting will start several days before residents are able to meet the candidates for example and there is no debate but a ‘meet and greet’. Leaseholders who are not paid up members of CBWRA will not be able to vote (unlike any previous election). This will ensure that the very low turnout in 2023 (300 votes approx out of 1151 leaseholders) will be even lower this time around. It seems that CBWRA committee want as few people as possible to vote and to make sure that they have not had a chance to meet opposing candidates until after they have cast their vote and this is addition to all the other electoral misconduct of 2023. Manifestos will not be distributed until voting is open again deliberately minimising the possibility of residents making an informed choice.
It is amazing the lengths you will apparently go to avoid fair and free elections, I can only assume this means you know that you could not win in a fair election due to a complete absence of any meaningful policies or ideas and a total contempt for the views of residents.
I have advised you many times to change course and to behave like a normal organization but it seems you are determined to continue down the Thompson path which has been so disastrous and costly for this development, and has delayed Right to Manage by at least 2 years and has led to considerable sums of residents’ money being wasted.
You were part of a committee that told residents for two years that Right to Manage was not possible and you closed my CBW app account because I pointed out to residents that you were misinforming them and because you are not able to engage in meaningful or intelligent discussion and (for reasons that are not clear to me) simply expect to be obeyed by residents.
Just as I have forced the truth to come out regarding Right to Manage, I and other residents will also force CBWRA to conduct fair and free elections and end the bullying and arbitrary account closure on the CBW app. You could save us all a lot of time and unnecessary conflict by not forcing resudents to drag CBWRA there.
Best Wishes
Mike O’Driscoll
—
From: CBWRA to Mike O’Driscoll
Response to Complainant
28.2.24
Dear Mr. O’Driscoll,
We acknowledge receipt of your email dated 15 January with a letter attached and also, acknowledge receipt of the same letter posted on 29 January.
In accordance with Section 5.11 of the RA’s Constitution, your formal complaint in relation to the material set out in section 3 of your letter concerning the 2023 Chair elections and the role of the Oversight Committee was reviewed by the RA Committee at the Committee Meeting held on 25 February.
Full details of your complaint were shared with all the Committee Members ahead of the meeting and everyone was given an opportunity to provide feedback. The Committee determined that the relevant procedures in place at the time were followed and the Chairs were legitimately appointed. Also, it was noted that this subject matter had been raised and discussed at the 2023 AGM and subsequent SGM and leaseholder meeting. It was unanimously agreed at the Committee Meeting that no further action was needed.
We appreciate this may be disappointing news for you. Of course, like all RA Members, you are welcome to put yourself forward as a candidate for the next RA Chair at the forthcoming elections.
We have addressed most of the other points raised in your letter previously in direct correspondence with yourself and/ or in general correspondence to leaseholders and members. In relation to your remaining queries, a timeline of the 2024 Chair election has now been released and details of the protocol for the CBW app will be issued shortly.
Finally, material about the RTM Company is publicly available at Companies House and details of ongoing developments will be shared with all RTM Company members as things progress.
Kind regards
CWBRA
I’m lost for words, are these people professionals in any sort of career? Unbelievable treatment by clearly a bunch of uneducated people 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think some of them do have jobs #.. but whatever they do it has clearly not prepared them for running a residents’ association, let alone overseeing a £5 million service charge budget. After Right to Manage, if it is successful, these people will be the unelected directors of the Right to Manage company. So regardless of the Chair elections which will be misconducted in the same way as last year, or worse, these people will be in charge. Unelected as Directors, unsackable, Answerable to no one. People who were telling us a short while ago that Right to Manage was impossible and that those supporting it were misleading residents. Really not fit for any position of responsibility in my humble opinion.
LikeLike
Wow I spoke to a resisdent the other day who said they heard that one of the committee members is actually well known police surely this isn’t true?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes one committee member and unelected director of the RTM company has been the subject of 4 complaints to the Police to the best of my knowledge. One still being investigated I understand. This person has in my view (and there is plenty of evidence from the CBW app, meeting recordings etc) has engaged in serious and repeated online bullying over a long period of time.
This person who has been the subject of these multiple complaints to the Police, made many crazy allegations against me and other candidates in the Feb 2023 Chair elections and one candidate took their name off the ballot paper after (alleged) intimidation by this person on the Piazza and at a committee meeting.
This person stated (amongst other bizarre claims) that I was ‘a local loon well known to the Police’, But it turns out that he was describing himself, as I have never been the subject of a police complaint at any time and my only contact with the Police has been in reporting complaints against this person. But no sanction for him from the co-chairs Larisa Villar Hauser and Louis Sebastian Kendall, or the test of the committee. This person, the subject of 4 police complaints, from three residents, was one of the people reviewing my complaint about the conduct of the 2023 chair elections :). Still I can understand why the current Chairs would not take action against him – his behaviour targetted both of their opponents in the 2023 Chair elections and some might say that he had done their dirty work for them.
According to CBWRA’s investigation of themselves, Larisa and Louis did nothing wrong in standing jointly (although that’s clearly against he constitution) and when they invited Chris Garston of Garton Jones to send a survey link to his list of 400 landlords telling them to vote for Larissa Villar Hauser and Louis Sebastian Kendall , while voting was live: this was also apparently fine. I believe up to 400 leaseholders may have only got this invite – not the official one which had both candidate’s manifestos,
The ‘oversight committee’ which performs no oversight (Toby Spoerer, Catherine Thome and Charlie Garton-Jones) also did nothing wrong apparently although it was their role to ensure the proper conduct of the election
Kirt Bains did nothing wrong when he made multiple false allegations during the election that I was responsible for Berkeley Homes derecognising CBWRA
But if people are investigating complaints against themselves then it’s quite unlikely the outcome would be meaningful, So we should not be suprised
CBWRA still unable to give any explanation for closure of my CBW app account
Phoney investigation of a banana republic election IMHO
Looks like it will be an even more banana flavoured election this time – only paid members can vote and voting starts before residents can meet the candidates – and manifestos only circulated when voting opens. Such great efforts to ensure that there is not a fair election it would seem.
I guess it is an admission that they could not win a fair election.
LikeLike
Reading this makes me ashamed to live here. Why do the so called committee keep having to play these games? Do they not have something better to do are they that desperate to stop people criticising them or daring to stand against them at an election. I genuinely fear what they will do after Right to Manage – completely out of control. These people should start by apologising for telling the whole place for 2 years that right to manage was not possible and then just take a hike.
LikeLike