Sorry, Frank, I just don't buy your premise. I joined (and led) my board because I thought I could make a difference to the co-op, and had the time to devote to turning it around. No kickbacks, no corruption -- just a seemingly unending list of stuff that needed to get done.

Frank;

Many of us serve on the board with no self interest. In fact, on my board I work hard to ensure that I am not seen, as President as gettting any preferential treatment from ANYONE.

There are some of us who do it because we honestly care.

I am not saying that we, sometimes, don't screw up. We do. But never will ill intent.

You may be an exception. I and five others wanted to run on the Board to make a difference, but the current Board is sooooooooo corrupt, that they extort signatures, have the super involved in collecting their proxies which is unorthodox. They threaten Shareholders, don't do repairs that are legally their responsibility. Two management companies quit due to their behavior towards shareholders and the fact that they wanted them to participate in their illegal management tactics. I sued the building for six figures due to the their illicit act of trying to defraud me out of my apartment, they got in touch with my bank where I have my mortgage and lied to them that I was in default of payment, when I was not, I proved to the bank that I made payments directly into the bank and had receipts, they negligently released the funds which the coop never returned to the bank and started an illegal foreclosure. Took four years to resolve, but I won. They didn't learn their lesson and are trying to put me in default again of doing reparis to my apartment which was their responsibily since 2004. Another lawsuit will commence if they continue to harrass me. So don't tell me about ethics there is non in our building.

You are one hundred percent correct Frank. We have a President that goes door to door quietly and threatens the oppositions supporters. She promises to do repairs for them that have not been done for years, she sends the super around to do the repairs and sign a paper telling the Shareholder that it for the work completed, but it is a proxie for the corrupt president. He is involved because he is protecting his job. This super does illegal renovations all around the building the Board pays out of the building his supplies and workers when he needs help. Before anyone does any renovations, the President tells them that Sergi the Super is the only one that can do the renovations, and they must sign their proxie come election. When you talk about corrupt, our building is the worst in history. Our reserve is almost nill, we have no money in the operating account come the end of the month, bills are deliquent, and assessments are coming every six months and she blames shareholders that take the building to court for their repairs to be done or sue the building. How these people don't go to jail is beyond me.

Unfortunately I have to agree - our board- most of whom have been there for almost 10 years and the worst one for over 20 years have destroyed our buildings - they definitely do not have a fiduciary duty to serve the shareholders and the corporation - everything is double the price and then must be repaired again at our cost and money keeps disappearing - management company, falsified financials, lawyers who agree with board members against the interest of the shareholders and of course no reserves - Running for the board which a few of us have tried to do many times does not work as these persons get their people down who don't know or care and they vote them back in again - We also have the problem that we are not allowed proxies and we have a massive amount of illegal renters - so who is there to vote for change
and who is there to go to to correct these situations - My feeling is that if all the persons from the coops/condos could get together and voice these problems then something could get done - but you need a large group from as many coops/condos as possible

Stephanie makes a perfect case for the critical need for an ombudsman. It is financially impossible for most middle-class people to take a board to court when board elections are outright crooked or simply rigged in an existing board's favor.

I am with you all the way, maybe we can get many supporters to get together with us and form a group, enough to make a difference. I am elated that you are coming forward. I have been trying for years to open the eyes of our politicians. They know what is happening to us, but government intervention does not exist in private Corporations so they say. The Attorney General whom signed and approved our offering plan now looks the other way with blind eyes and deaf ears. Maybe we could group with signs around the Mayor's office to be heard, even maybe catch the media's attention.

I would be honored to walk with you - but that is what is needed - many many shareholders and owners in public view announcing these problems to the media - They are usually hidden through law suits and not made public but the situation is endemic and becoming worse because no one agency will do anything abut it - however with enough people speaking publicly then maybe something would be done - We have nothing to lose by trying

Congratulations for realizing that we can get together and we will have a voice. A fairly new organization has been formed, the Alliance for Condo and Coop Owners, ACCO, and we have already begun to make our voices heard. There have been forums hosted by elected officials and attorneys, with more planned after the holidays. There is important legislation in the City Council and Senate and Assembly that will impact our ownership and we are working hard to get our needs recognized. Please go to our website and learn how you can join and support getting the necessary help for the problems that plague so many of us. We all remember learning in school "in unity there is strength". Well, join us in the unification of owners: www.condocoopowners.org.

Try this email:www.condocoopowners.org, maybe they will help us form a rally so that we may be heard. We must make a difference, coop and condos are legal behaviors to be illegal, corrupt and theifs. This is a crime without punishment nor laws. This reminds me of the wild wild west where crimes can go on without law and order.

This is a disgrace that this is able to go on in 2011, without laws, proper investigations. In our building the Board President approved a section 8, if the shareholder signed a proxie for her. This section 8 recipient lives with her boyfriend in the apartment, she works for a hospital and he no one knows what he does do or doesn't do for a living. The owner of the apartment claims she is renting (to her boyfriend), he claims he does not make enough income to sublet, so they are living together and collecting rent on section 8, defrauding the City. This current Board is so corrupt, they are taking cash out of the laundry room, which they raised the washers and dryers. They are running an illegal construction company with the super, all cash defrauding the IRS, no taxes are being paid, the Super ownes three homes on our building tax free income. The list goes on and on. Let's get help, let our voices be heard.

Perhaps you are going to the wrong governmental agency. Why not try the DA's office.

I went to the DA, they said they can't do anything. I almost had my apartment defrauded by the Board, they went to my bank where I have my mortgage and lied to them that I had not paid my maintenace in over nine months, they clamed that I also owed bogus bills that were put on my maintenance statement, they claimed I owed legal and late fees. They told my bank that if they did not pay these charges, they will forclose on my apartment, I submitted all documents to the bank that I was not in arrears that my payments went directly to their bank because the Board and management refused my monthly payments. But, the bank went ahead and paid these charges, therefore the Board and management Arco/Wentworth aka Marvin Gold now known as Cooper Square/Wentworth aka Marvin Gold defrauded my bank out of funds, when all was settled the building had to pay not only the seven thousand dollars they took and never returned but it cost the building 20,000 instead with all banks fees included over the four years of litergation. I went to the DA and they did nothing, they said sue the building.

Unfortunately quite a few years ago I spent a lot of time at the Queen's DA office - they laughed alot told me to move - The problems according to law actually are the Attorney Generals' domain but when I contacted them with massive financial information I did receive return calls and they agreed that management company, board members, accountant were stealing millions from our little coop but they said they would not do anything - so that again leaves us with what to do and how to do it. As I have said many times if we had a large vocal group together then if you could get the media involved something could be done - A few individuals as you and myself do not get anywhere

I think if we keep calling the media and explain our problems maybe we will be heard. Lets call all the Newspapers and get their Real Estate section email, tell them about the DA, Attorney General and all the community leaders how they they are blind and deaf to our problems. I have contacted the Mayor's office through their website and told them of our problem, if we keep writing maybe somebody will listen.

With all due respect, DD, the media is not the place to get action. As I and others have stated several times there is legislation in both the Senate and Assembly addressing this issue. Senator Liz Krueger has introduced the bill. The place to go to make your voice heard is in the office of your Senator and Assemblyperson. They need to get behind the bill so that there is protection. I personally have appointments with a Senator and Assemblyperson to push for passage. I am also meeting with several council members to try to get their assistance. This is way past the media, it needs to be pushed person to person. As has been stated several times, the Alliance of condo and coop owners ACCO is working toward this goal. Join us. Remember the old saying, in unity there is stregth.

I disagree with Ms. Stromfeld, the media will call attention to this legislation – boards are already telling owners that it will cost too much and there will be too much government interference. Most owners are not knowledgeable and not everyone has experienced firsthand corruption. I emailed Ms. Kreuger to see if she was interested in my story – her office has not replied. I suggest you contact all the media outlets you can and don’t listen to board and management company members on this site who have other agendas.

I agree there is a place for this in the media, however, the bill is in the
Senate and if we don't let our elected officials know how we the apartment owners feel, then, you are right, board members just might prevail. But, most of all we have to come together to get this bill passed. What would you have the media do? A story on board corruption? It will have a life of a couple of days. Get the bill passed and we will have somewhere to go in order to get the support and help we need. I am a sharehold, not a current board member and know first hand the workings of many boards. Just by shear numbers, there are more of us than board members so we can certainly have more influence if we come together. Get your neighbors together on an email campaign. Make an appointment as a group to meet with Senators and Assemblymen, write letters to local

Sorry, i hit send before my response was complete. This is it in its' entirety

I agree there is a place for this in the media, however, the bill is in the
Senate and if we don't let our elected officials know how we the apartment owners feel, then, you are right, board members just might prevail. But, most of all we have to come together to get this bill passed. What would you have the media do? A story on board corruption? It will have a life of a couple of days. Get the bill passed and we will have somewhere to go in order to get the support and help we need. I am a shareholder, and a former board member and know first hand the workings of many boards. Obviously there are more of us than board members so we can certainly have more influence if we come together. Get your neighbors together on an email campaign. Make an appointment as a group to meet with Senators and Assemblymen, write letters to local newspapers giving not only the problem, but the solution as well. WORK TO GET THE BILL PASSED. Don't worry about board members defeating the bill, we need to use our collective effort to make it happen.

I tried to get the media interested in this many years ago - even those reporters that wrote about some of the same coop problems - didn't work unfortunately

Sorry to disagree but also for many many years I went to my State Senator and Assemblyman and wrote to all the Senators, etc in Albany to vote for this bill - nothing happened As I said this bill has been before the houses for I believe 10 years - There is another party and group who go and have gone every few months to Albany for many years to lobby for this bill and yet it has not been passed - why? It is not a difficult concept - I read a while ago that Dade county has a condo bill because they understand that board members, etc can steal - why not New York

You asked the rhetorical question....why....didn't the bill pass? I don't know, why do you feel it didn't pass in NY and yet there is one in Dade County. Interesting that it is only in one county and not the entire state of Florida. If one takes a defeatist attitude, one will be defeated. Just because it didn't pass doesn't mean it can't. Perhaps owners are now more aware of what boards are capable of doing. I don't know, but I do know that if there is a bill and I believe in it, I will fight for it.

I never said that I did not believe in the bill,I definiely do, all I am saying is that if we had the media's attention then maybe they could exert influence on the legislature and that could help pass the bill. As I said I belong to the condocoopowners/association and if all these people who complain and have these problems would come forward and voice them together than maybe someone would take notice. I know alot of people in coops with these problems but they will not do anything, that is the key.

Have you considered trying to set up a public forum with your councilperson, Assemblyman and/or Senator which was done quite successfully a few weeks ago. There is another one set for the middle of this month, also in Queens. That would be an excellent opportunity to get the media involved by inviting them to attend the event and report on it. Our local elected officials are usually agreeable to do this type of forum for their local constituency. Contact ACCO or Senator Liz Krueger's office for help. Good Luck

I actually joined the organization but have not followed up on what they are doing - too many problems in my coop - President who hires illegal contractors for asbestos removal and our lawyer defends him - changes in management etc and no one knows anything except it should not have happened - and of course that is when most of our money disappears - but I understand that money is being transferred by ATM - in our savings account - no one understands the value of a paper trail - of course that is why nothing can be checked - Hopefully if enough of us could get together something could be done

I have the same problem, but I did send copies of our monthly financials around the building describing how our money is being mishandled and disappearing. There are too many friends and relatives living in the building that are promised special treatment, being that they are uneducated and corrupt themselves they don't care who is paying for these favors. they can't smell the coffee that they too are paying for their own favors as well as the rest of us. They keep voting them in even though we keep getting assessments. The only conclusion is when they attack you personally and refuse to give you what you are entitled to you must sue them for breach of their fiduciary duty, and report the attorney when they aid and abet their misconduct to the disaplinary Committee. That is the only way hurt them in their pocket.