Posted on by Californiacontrarian

How Did Donald, err Ronald, Do?

We own a condominium in a large condo complex, and the number of condo units has increased substantially over the years. We are one of the original twelve members, and now there are a total of twenty-nine members. The condo complex has a Condo Association called the Noteworthy Affiliation of Tenant Owners  and an association president. In the condo complex not all units are the same size. As it so happens, we happen to have the largest unit.

As part of the Condo Association agreement, all of the condo owners have agreed to chip in and pay yearly for security. Each unit has a different value, and the assessment for security is based on the individual value of each unit. Because we have the largest unit, we pay the most for security, and that seems fair to us. However there is a problem. Most of the condo owners are not paying their fair share, and to make matters worse, this underpayment has been going on for many years! Apparently at the last Condo Association meeting in Wales in 2014, the past association president and the 2014 board of NATO directors recognized that the scofflaws were not paying their fair share, and told them that they all must pay what they had agreed upon in the past . . . but gave them ten years (until 2024) to do so! We could not attend the 2014 meeting, and our representative apparently thought that this outrageous agreement was okay (FYI: She has since been fired!) Four years have passed, and at this point only five (us plus four others) of the twenty-nine owners, are actually paying their agreed upon fair share. Four more of the owners are coming close to paying their agreed upon fair share, but the remaining twenty owners are not close.

The 2018 NATO condo association meeting ended yesterday, and our representative, Ronald, reported back to us today.
Here are some snippets from the conversation between Ronald and us:
Ronald: “I told them at the outset that their behavior was neither fair nor acceptable.”
US:   “and . . .?”
Ronald: “I asked them if they realized that we are paying more than our fair share while they are welching on the deal made in 2014?”
US:  “and . . . ?”
Ronald: “I pointed out that we are paying far more on NATO security than anybody else, but they just nodded and looked at the floor.”
US:  “and . . .?”
Ronald: “I emphasized repeatedly that we are subsidizing 72% of the security for  NATO? I reiterated that we realize that 22 out of the 29 members of NATO  have increased their spending on security since that Crimea episode in the adjacent condo complex, but that they are still not paying what they agreed   to pay.”
A long pause then ensued . . .
US: “Well! Honestly, Ronald, we are not completely happy with your performance. You had them, and you went easy on them! We have the upper hand here, and you were way too nice! You let them off the hook, without getting anything in return!
Perhaps before the next NATO meeting, you should read ‘The Art of the Deal’ written by some New York fellow”!

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