We learned that the previous AOAO Board of Directors at their last meeting on February 25, 2010 (in Executive Session) decided to replace our current management agent, Hawaii First, with a company called Hawaiian Properties.
An owner, Robert Humphreys, wrote a letter to the Board on March 23, 2010 questioning this switch and detailing related concerns, such as alleged conflicts of interest of a Board Director, Dass Ramadass (Dass Ramadass is a Board Director, even though he does not own property at the Ilikai, but is an employee of Hawaiian Properties). For your information, Robert Humphreys is a seasoned attorney, still in active practice, incl. serving as an arbitrator and advising state agencies and national and local organizations. He also was a U.S. Army officer and aviator.
I, too, sent a letter on February 18, 2010, to the then Board, i.e. the previous Board that made the decision to switch to Hawaiian Properties, and the AOAO legal counsel, Milton Motooka, to list related concerns. In my opinion, switching to Hawaiian Properties as the management company could trigger a whole web of conflicts of interests, with the Tokioka Family at the center of it, through an elaborate proxy collection scheme and now the management contract paid for with AOAO funds. I am perplexed how this is allowed and the direction the governance and management of the AOAO is taking. Note that in my letter I explicitly asked to advise me at their earliest convenience if I had any factual misunderstandings or ungrounded concerns.
I did not receive a response from the Board or Milton Motooka. Robert Humphreys did not receive a response either, but was told, upon his inquiry, that the current Board chose not to revisit this decision by the previous Board. One can easily speculate why.
Please also note that there are other management companies in town, such as Certified Management and Hawaiiana. They are highly reputable companies.
Motooka, Terre Revere, Hawaiiana Managment. Wake up everyone.
These people are all evil theives. these guys work together to screw any and all condo owners. Check your local hawaii court docot and see how many laws suits the guys are in. Hawaiiana Rep Ralph Ales Says hawaiiana is untouchable, above the law he stated. Ralph says with guys like Tery revere as there attorney and hawaiiana’s deep pockets and political power all you poor homeowners and condo owners have no chance. Bring in hawaiiana and KISS your assets goodbye.
P.S check out canterbury place. several lawsuits,fraud is putting it lightly. There now getting sued by Mr Stark for 2 millon dollers for FRAUD. go to hawaii court and look up the cases.
Terry revere even talked the insurance company for canterbury to hire hime to defend the lawsuit against canterbury place. This attory is screwing everyone including the insurance company’s
Check it out before you bring in the GANG OF EVIL PEOPLE TO YOUR CONDO.
Hawaiina managment is the WORST choice ever. complete Fraud from top to bottom of hawaiiana. Do your homework, ask around they are crooks to the deepest core.
THE BOARD: A tyranny or democracy; ruler of the association or for the association?
Choosing an association agent agent behind closed doors denies owners input to request needed qualities of their agent. Owners must respond to their agents correspondence in a way not generally felt by the board.
Our past agents, Hawaiiana and Hawaii First, have widely distributed poorly written directive letters. The quality of which shows a disconcern to proof read or edit information a school child would do. They have been unclear, late, with scattered unsuported thoughts, or boastful self comments. Most outstanding, was a Christmas special assessment the agent was aware of many months before.
There is an apparent lack of incentive to perform having attained a contract. To resolve the cycle of negligence, agent letters should be pre- issued to our office secretary for review.
The Ilikai AOAO Board has for some time lacked fiduciary respect for the AOAO owners at large. They behave like a private Good Old Boys Club (GOBC) serving their own interests and often operate in a capricious manner to serve their own ends. An example would be when this Board paid the legal fees for a group of owners that operated independently, without Board approval, in a failed lawsuit against Anekona. After this group lost their lawsuit (the judge tossed it out for lack of merit), the AOAO Board voted to pay their legal fees because enough of those who sued were members of the Board and they had the votes approve payment to themselves. This is capricius behavior and does not serve the best interests of the AOAO members at large. Because so many AOAO owners do not live in Hawaii and often don’t pay much attention to whats going on, the GOBC has been able to get away with behavior that is often capricious and could be seriously challenged by enforcing the governing documents. But, who will enforce them? Certainly not the GOBC. They seem to keep loading the Board with their candidates, through their proxy process which AOAO members continue to sign and send in without giving much thought in hopes they are doing the right thing. We need someone like Olga on the Board and hopefully more owners will cast their votes her way at next election.
I am glad that the new owners have two positions on the Board and will hopefully be able to focus on the behavior of the GOBC and challenge their capricious behavior. We’ll never have an owner succeed at the Ilikia if the GOBC pushes their own agenda without regard for hotel owners. I can only hope that the relationship between the AOAO and the hotel owners develops into a positive one for all concerned.
As far as the Board hiring Hawaiian Properties, it may or may not be in the best interest of the AOAO memebers. However the process used to hire them is just another closed door deal by the GOBC in an effort to control the Board by having more control over the proxy/voting process. Again, it appears they abuse the process they use to attain their own ends in a capricous manner. I have written various members of the Board and generally never get a response.
It is not surprising that this Board has never responded to Robert Humphrys or Olga. If Mr. Humphreys is an attorney, perhaps he can review our governing documents and point out where capricious activity is not allowed, starting with the Hawaiian Properties decision and then the payment of legal fees. I agree that the GOBC are simply lining up their votes to continue controlling the Board for their own purposes. This group seems to take lessons from Washington regarding transparency.
The governing documents provide rules so that the AOAO Board is supposed to work for AOAO owners, not themselves.
We owe a thanks to Olga and Robert for bringing the actions of our board to light. The process and selection of our association agent should take place in open session as was done with security service.
I believe the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs would agree. They make public information that, ‘It is our responsibilty to oversee our boards to assure compliance with the law.’
Board members who are affiliated with Hawaii Marina Vacations/Hawaiian Properties or dependent on them for services, should refrain from voting. This is against direct conflict of interest rules governing board actions.
Other unpleasant outcomes of the relationship would be influience by extortion. The board member may be forced to please the service provider/employer.
Many owners have faith in the new board. It is not to late for them to resend the decision and proceed with the obligation of transparency.