Dear Editor:
It is with great interest that I have read the Letter to the editor dated March 4,2021 regarding the Lake Parsippany Property Owners Association 138 Days in Office.
Let it be clear that the new board members mainly ran on a platform that would give all property owners in the tract known as Lake Parsippany the right to vote and run for office in the association.
The previous Board adopted a member fee which denied the basic right to vote. It was a charade that stated you can pay your basic member fee of $115.00 if you waivered your right to vote or you paid $315.00 and kept the right to vote.
New Jersey State Statutes under PREDFDA guarantee your rights to vote as long as you pay your basic assessment fee and are a member in good standing.
Tract owners recognize they have an obligation of easement assessment to the body of water known as Lake Parsippany which is linked to their deed. The tract owners also recognize that the Morris County Court ruled that Lake Parsippany was a common interest community and therefore must adhere to and comply with all applicable laws.
Including N.J.S.A 45:22A-45.1. The right for tract members in good standing to vote is established in the Election Law of N.J.S.A 45:22A-23r. The New Jersey Legislature found “that because of the significant influence community associations have over the lives of their residents and because community associations are creatures of the State law, it is unfair and runs contrary to American democratic values for these communities to be governed by trustees who are not elected in a fair and open matter”.
The writer of the LPPOA 138 Days letter failed to recognize that the new Board members realize that they have a responsibility to represent all 2,204 property owners and not just the few who do not believe that voting rights are an inherent right of any democratic society.
The new Board members of 7 are a minority on the LPPOA board of 17 and do not have the majority voting block needed to bring true reforms to Lake Parsippany.
Reforms that are equitable to all the 2,204 tract owners.
Bylaw changes and resolutions would be adopted in a manner that would serve all property owners and not just the few who hold on to the belief that all must pay for their recreational pleasures.
We are a community of diverse people with varying incomes. Many cannot afford the luxury of sitting on a beach, socializing at a clubhouse, sailing a boat, or participating in a fishing contest.
They should not have to pay for someone else’s recreational wants or desires. The reform members of the Board are people who care deeply about the people who live here. They are looking to put forward an equitable solution to this common interest community’s financial obligations. They are stop every step of the way by the vanguard of 10, whose only desire is to see these new board members fail. Some of the majority consider themselves as caring. Well, caring people do not demand excessive fees from a neighbor or put liens on neighbor’s property, simply because their neighbor could not afford the LPPOA assessment fees. I think these Board members should look up the word caring and community to understand what the principals behind a caring community truly are.
People are more important than things. Your Neighbors’ Live Matters. Think of that the next time you are soaking up the sun on the Beach.
Mary Purzycki
Lake Parsippany
