How Can I Contact My HOA Board Members Directly?

Hi Sharon, Thank you for attending last night's Zoom meeting with Maryland State Delegate Gabriel Acevero & Quail Valley HOA residents, and thanks for the excellent question.
–Steve Lapham, 24-year resident of Quail Valley; not a member of the QV HOA Board of Directors; not a lawyer.

QUESTION: How do we communicate directly with our HOA board members and not through the property management email or website? Other than waiting to speak at the once-a-month Community Meeting, is there a way to reach them? Is there a list with the email of each board member? I might have a complaint about property management behavior that I'd like to share directly with the board members.

SHORT ANSWER: No, there is no such email roster. But I've attached a list of the current HOA board members and their street addresses. (NOTE 1) Street addresses are public information. You may send a letter to each of them with a USPS stamp on the envelope, or place an unstamped letter in their storm door or on their stoop. (Do not ever place an unstamped letter in a USPS Mailbox. That's illegal).
The HOA could do much better. It would be easy enough for each board member to establish an email address like this,
LastName-HOAboard@gmail.com,
which would serve as their "basket" for receiving community members' comments directly.

LONG ANSWER:
When you search online for contact info – how to reach county, state, or federal elected officials – you find it quickly enough. But not for the elected board members of an HOA. This is a basic dysfunction of HOAs. It is "Exhibit A" for lack of transparency and accountability in HOAs all over the United States.
Exhibit B for lack of HOA accountability: What if I want to ask my HOA board to hire a different property management company, one that is not also a debt-collection company? Shall I send my complaints via the property management's email address? That would be dangerous, stupid, and absurd. I might receive a S.L.A.P.P.

What do we need to create a responsive HOA board? You are asking for a direct channel of email communication (resident-to-board-member). That would be a great first step. We will get very basic constituent / member services like that when all residents step up their efforts in several ways - - -

We need to read about board candidates and show up to vote for the reformers. We need for each of us, homeowners and renters alike, to show up at each monthly board-community meeting and speak freely and without fear about our experiences and what we need from our association to which we pay a dues of $104 each month. We need a Spanish-language translator for that meeting. We need regular in-person community meetings, at least every other month (not just Zoom meetings). Research indicates that in-person requests are 34 times more likely to succeed than those made via email. (Note 2)

Finally, we need residents to volunteer to help run this community, to serve on committees, and yes, to run as candidates for the QV HOA board of directors. That is how things get better.

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Note 1: There's no attachment to this blog. In whatever community you live, you can ask your HOA board members for their addresses.

Note 2: "5 Advantages to Having In-Person Meetings."

Note 3: "Sharon" is a pseudonym.

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