CBWRA – still no answers Chair Election procedure and why there are no elections for Directors of the Right to Manage Company

My email to CBWRA today on the Chair Election procedures. I am sure that I will get a prompt, professional and meaningful reply. 🙂

24th March 2024

Dear CBWRA, 

Larisa Villar Hauser, Louis Sebastian Kendall, (Co Chairs)
Katherine Greenaway  (Secretary)  

Toby Spoerer, Catherine Thome , Charlie Garton-Jones (the supposed  ‘oversight committee’ responsible for the conduct of the elections)  

I note no reply to my email of 18th March re chair elections asking why candidates’ manifestos  will not be circulated until  voting opens, why residents cannot meet candidates until half way through the voting period, and why you are unable to confirm the date of meeting between residents and candidates or whether the meeting (if it happens) will allow online participation from residents. No answer either on why voting has been restricted only to those whose are paid up members of CBWRA and the likely impact of that on turnout and no explanation of why my CBW app account is closed.

It seems that everything is being done to discourage meaningful participation in the election, and to ensure that of those people who do vote, as many as possible do so before they have seen either the candidates or the manifestos. 

No rationale has been given for the lack of elections in relation to directors of the Right to Manage company who continue to be appointed on a  crony basis. 

It seems clear that you wish to continue the pattern of apparent electoral misconduct of previous elections as laid out in my video (below).  This behaviour is an abuse of power and a betrayal of residents’ trust in my view.

Best Wishes

Mike O’Driscoll 

***

CBWRA proposed timetable for 2024 Chair elections:

Call for manifestos – 19 March (more than 2 months later than the due date)

·       Deadline for applications – 2 April

·       Voting opens – 2 April   (i.e. voting opens the same day as manifestos are released)

·       Meet and greet – 6 April (tentative)  (the only event where residents can meet candidates and ask questions happens at least  4 day after voting opens – there is no commitment to allow online participation and last year the recording was mysteriously lost)

·       Voting closes – 12 April, 9pm

·       Result announced – 15 April

·       Chair takeover (if a new Chair is appointed) – 1 May