My view on the Board

As a recent addition to this wonderful building, I am not a passive owner.

When I first discovered there was another series of imminent assessments after I moved in, I was obviously concerned.  I spoke with our manager a number of times to understand the scope of the problems that plagued the building. I looked carefully at the reports, from local Law 11 to the bulkhead, and looked at some of the damage myself; it was obvious that the Board absolutely had to address these serious deficiencies immediately.

Even as a new owner who is just able to afford these assessments on a middle-class salary (plus the end-of-abatement tax shock!) I had to applaud the Board on tackling a series of difficult problems where the only solution is painful. Its never easy to do something so very unpopular.

Although I think this Board has performed admirably under difficult conditions, I think their solutions have been a little short-sighted. They succeeded in raising the funds and advancing an unpopular plan to make the necessary fixes. Where I have not seen any advancement in the last three years is cost-cutting efforts and investments, or in finding new revenue streams that don't impact current services or amenities.

If the current Board had shown initiative with either cost-cutting measures or creative revenue streams, I would not be interested in running. They have done an excellent job in accomplishing critical projects, but I feel they need to do a better job of expense-reduction, adding value to the building and seeing past the next two years. 

I would like to be a complimentary part of that Board. I really want to bring forward-thinking sensibilities to a can-do team. If I seem hard on the Board for not addressing cost-saving and monetizing, its because these solutions seem obvious to me. I like to think that my addition would add a fresh and needed perspective, determined to add long-term value to Shore Towers.

Even if I don't win, I hope this is a conversation that will inspire the Board to take on some of these challenges. If I am elected, I will gladly spearhead the efforts I have proposed. Either way, I hope the building wins.