5 / 88
5
S E P T E M B E R , 2 0 1 7
PRESIDENT’S
CORNER
DENISE BECKER, CMCA, AMS, PCAM
CAI-NJ 2017 PRESIDENT | HOMESTEAD MANAGEMENT SERVICES, INC., AAMC
"The LAC works very hard,
mostly under the radar..."
“The problem’s plain to see: Too much technology
Machines to save our lives. Machines dehumanize.”
Dennis DeYoung – “Mr. Roboto”
C
an you believe it is September already?!?! Summer
officially ends for most of our properties with the
closing of the pools and the Labor Day BBQs.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed their summer and the kids are
not groaning too much about going back to school.
I remember school shopping involved going to the local mall
or department store with your parents – or later your friends
(just drop me off here so no one sees you, Mom…) – and
bringing coupons that you may have cut out of the newspaper
for $10 off the pair of fresh sneakers you just had to have or
the hippest jeans that everyone was wearing that year. Your
arms would be loaded with notebooks, pens, pencils, and a
new, snazzy backpack. You would then go to the food court
and have pizza or a pretzel and…wait for it… talk to each
other! Yes, actual conversations where talking and listening
and maybe some laughing was involved (no Instagram or
Snapchat). You would part ways when the mall closed and
when you got home you would pick up the phone (attached
to the wall, no less) and call your grandma and thank her for
the check she sent in the mail so you could buy a cool new
jean jacket or the new Bowie record (wait, what’s that you
say …a record?).
Yes, I know I am being nostalgic, I guess it was because
of all the back to school sales via e-mail I got from every
store out there. You don’t even need to cut coupons any-
more! Just show them the code on your phone! I know I just
set the stage for the overuse of technology, but there are
times when it really does come in handy. For example, how
cool was it that you could help kids get school supplies
by ordering them online from Amazon and having it sent
directly to CAI-NJ?! The response this year was overwhelm-
ing! Great job and thanks to all of those who donated. And
kudos to the staff of CAI-NJ and the CAI-NJ FAST Team!!!
Speaking of technology, the Radburn Bill (which is the
subject of an article later in this issue) was passed and
signed into law on July 13, 2017. One of the many, many
changes that the new law makes is to statutorily authorize
electronic voting in community associations. Subject to
certain restrictions (speak to your association’s counsel first),
this means that homeowners will be able to vote for board
members by filling out an electronic ballot without having
to physically attend that annual meeting. From a manager’s
perspective, the hope is that this will lead to an easier time
establishing quorum for the board elections without having
to wait another month (or months) to reach quorum so that
the election can take place. Many of us have been waiting
a long time for this to be a lawful and viable option. And
while I still feel that you should always attend the annual
meeting to meet the candidates and mingle with your
neighbors, this is one way in which using all this technology
should benefit our associations.
Finally, please check out this month’s edition to learn
about more about the Radburn Bill (and our Legislative
Action Committee’s efforts in getting it passed) as well as
other issues that our LAC is working on for our chapter. The
LAC works very hard, mostly under the radar, so it is nice
to give them the credit and praise for a job well done. I am
sure you will be impressed!
Domo arigato, Peace and Love,
Denise