Have you voted yet?  No, not for president, but for your CAI leaders.  CAI is conducting our annual election for our Member Representation Groups and there are just 2 days left.  Voting closes Tuesday August 26th at midnight Pacific Time.

So if you haven't cast your ballot yet please go to our Elections page and follow the instructions to cast your vote.  You will need your member ID and password to enter the secure voting site.

As an added bonus, all members casting their votes will be eligible to win a $50 or $100 gift card.  Eight winners will be selected randomly from among the votes cast.

McCain - Obama is still 3 months away, but CAI members are already choosing their leaders and representatives for 2009.  Our annual elections for members of our three Member Representation Groups is now open and will run until Tuesday August 26th at 11:59 pm PDT. 

Every CAI member has the right to vote for their representation on one of the three MRG's.  MRG members address a wide variety of policy issues, select representatives to CAI's Board of Trustees, and help us configure our member services and benefits to ensure that you get the greatest value for your membership dollar.  The three MRG's include:

> Community Association Volunteers Committee, representing board members, community volunteers and homeowners

> Association of Professional Community Managers Board, representing community managers

> Business Partners Council, representing CAI's wide range of professionals serving the association industry

To vote you will need your CAI member number and password.  Just visit our election page and click on the secure link to access the voting site and cast your ballot.  You will be directed to the appropriate election based on your member classification with CAI. 

Questions/problems with the election site should be directed to governance@caionline.org

The election is being administered by Votenet Solutions, an independent third-party to protect the integrity of the election, and ensure that it is valid and secure.

An interesting op-ed piece from several economists in the Washington Post today regarding housing prices nationally.

Turmoil in the housing market has led to fears that home prices will drop precipitously, particularly if foreclosures force large numbers of homes onto the market in the coming year. Recently, these fears have driven financial stocks down and led to the government rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the projected losses have been wildly exaggerated. Most Americans have not experienced any significant decline in the value of their homes -- nor are they likely to.....

The full article can be viewed here.

CAI's Association of Professional Community Managers has recently introduced a new member benefit for manager members!  The CommunityManagers Network is a new listserv available to all CAI manager members. Any CAI manager member is eligible for membership regardless of experience level or position. This tool is designed to provide peer to peer networking and idea sharing for professional community managers nation-wide. 

This networking group is a great tool for learning...no question or comment is considered "too simple".  We are made up of experienced managers and new managers.  Those of you with experience know the value of getting answers from those with more experience when you first entered the community association field. Therefore, ask your questions and provide your expertise regardless of how simple - knowing that someone on the network will benefit from it.  As for the tougher questions, it’s a great opportunity for managers to discuss potential solutions.

More than 100 managers have already signed up!  And we are getting new requests everyday!  We have the potential of growing the CommunityManagers Network to more than 8,000 CAI members.

To subscribe, send an email to communitymanagers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Authorization is required. Please include your name, CAI member number, and your company or association name in the body of the email when you sign up. The moderator will send you a confirmation.  If you want to receive fewer messages you can visit your Yahoo profile and edit the section on how you receive messages.

Be sure to share this opportunity with colleagues who are also CAI members.

Today, the law requiring certification of professional community association managers and the licensing of management companies officially becomes law in Virgina. This legislation will provide homeowners with the assurance that their community association manager has a minimum set of qualifications needed to handle the complex and challenging task of community management.

 

Also critical is the fact that by statute, persons holding a CAI or NBC-CAM certification will be considered to have met the individual certification requirements and companies holding an AAMC will have met the qualifications for corporate licensure. In adopting the CAI/NBC-CAM family of certifications and designations the legislature has deferred to the experts on management, including the many CAI volunteers who’ve worked to develop these programs over the years.

 

This threshold will have more of an immediate impact on the Commonwealth government than it will on managers in Virginia. As of today, Virginia will be able to officially begin the implementation process that will include appointing a Common Interest Community Board to draft the regulations necessary to implement this law. As they work through this process we will be able to convey more information to you on when the required provisional licenses will be available and how to apply for one.

In the mean time, we have established an information page where you can learn more about the law and its impact on your association or business. In addition, the Virginia Department of Professional Regulation has published this FAQ on the new law (which also addresses other issues beyond manager licensing including the new Ombudsman and risk management in communities).

 

 

Have you been looking for a way to become more involved with CAI on the national level? Now is your opportunity.

 

In August, elections will be held to fill open seats on CAI’s three Membership Representation Groups (MRGs):

 

Association for Professional Community Managers (APCM) Board

Business Partners Council

Community Association Volunteers Committee

 

MRGs represent and communicate with their class(es) of members to ensure CAI is meeting its members’ needs. Each MRG is tasked with giving input on policy matters to the CAI Board of Trustees; electing members to the Board of Trustees, and making recommendations on best practices, education curriculums, and designations.  MRGs meet in person every year at CAI’s national conference and at a retreat with the Board of Trustees, as well as via conference call throughout the year.

 

Self-nominations for open MRG positions will be accepted online through July 16. For additional information, visit CAI’s website.

 

This is an excellent opportunity for dedicated volunteer leaders to help shape the future of the Membership Representation Groups and the future of CAI.

Want a chance to win some great prizes and help CAI grow at the same time?  Join the Every One Counts membership recruitment campaign and you could win a all-expense vacation package, a 32-inch flat screen TV, an XM or Sirius radio with one year of service or $500 in gas. 

Each new member you help bring to CAI gets you another chance for these great prizes and helps us become an even stronger organization.  All it takes is one phone call, one email, or one conversation. 

CNN: Ed McMahon's home facing foreclosure

Well thought out licensing of professional community association mangers serves to provide vital consumer protections to homeowners, foster good governance and raise the standards of professionalism across the industry.

When such efforts are based on industry-created certifications (CMCA) and or designations (AMS, LSM, PCAM and AAMC) they provide assurance that professional managers have the needed skills to take on the difficult task of community association management. Having such regulations based on industry-developed national designations also enables companies and managers to operate in or move to different states without having to undertake differing educational and licensing requirements. 

For years, CAI’s member advocates have been working toward that goal. 2008 has been a landmark year in advancing our agenda on manager licensing. Virginia has recently passed a comprehensive licensing bill where manager certification and company licensure are linked with CAI-developed designations. Currently similar bills are pending in Illinois, Rhode Island and North Carolina and initial licensing efforts are underway in South Carolina.

CAI is pleased to announce that our Issues Advancement Fund (IAF), after a successful online auction this Spring, is issuing two grants in support of these important efforts. This week, the IAF Committee will be sending seed grants to the Illinois Legislative Action Committee and the Rhode Island Legislative Action Committee in support of their Licensing Efforts. This money will be used in conjunction with locally raised funds to support the efforts to pass these bills in the current legislative cycle. The efforts of these LACs, as well as that of our more than 300 advocacy volunteers across the country, are a critical means by which we shape the future of our industry.  We are proud to support their efforts..

The Arizona Legislature, like many other state legislatures this year, is in the process of considering a number of bills that would further regulate and restrict the community association industry.  CAI's Arizona Legislative Action Committee (LAC) is working with legislators and their staffs, as do all of our 28 state LAC's, to make sure that CAI members voices are heard. 

It is rare though, to have an independent think tank enter the fray and express an opinion on HOA related legislation.  But that is just what the Goldwater Institutes Center for Constitutional Government has done.  Thought some of you would find this interesting.

Regulating HOAs Violates Freedom of Contract

Nick Dranias

Goldwater Institute Daily EmailMay 22, 2008

Photos from our 57th National Conference and Exposition in Orlando have been posted to the web site.  Enjoy

Last month Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has signed HB-516 establishing a mandatory community manager licensing requirement for managers and management companies doing business in the Commonwealth.  The law goes into effect on July 1, 2008 with some of the initial deadlines occuring by the end of 2008.  Although the specific regulations and requirements have not yet been written and approved, we do know that individuals holding the AMS or PCAM designations from CAI or the CMCA certification from NBC-CAM, along with management companies holding the AAMC accreditation, will meet the requirements for licensing in Virginia.

In addition, we are closely tracking very similar licensing initiatives in Illinois, North Carolina, and South Carolina at this time.  CAI is committed to providing all of our members with the necessary training and support to meet the requirements of the new licensing requirements in Virgina (and any other state) simply, efficiently, and cost-effectively. 

We have developed a new Manager Licensing page on our web site to provide information on manager certification and licensing requirements and initiatives from across the country, including in Alaska, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, and Virginia. Check back regularly as new information and details are added as they become available.

Conference in Orlando was great and I am already getting calls from folks starting to plan for next years annual conference in New Orleans.  So here are some dates to remember for future CAI national events and activities.  Click through on the highlighted events to get more information from the web site:

2008 EVENTS

APCM Workshop for Managers - Career and Professional Development: (Baltimore, MD) June 12, 2008 

21st Annual CEO-MC Retreat: (Salt Lake City, UT) June 19-21, 2008

Large Scale Community Managers Workshop: (Sunriver, OR) September 10-14, 2008

Professional Manager Development Program Courses: Take place throughout the year and across the country (Schedule)

2009 EVENTS (for those who like to plan ahead)

30th Annual Law Seminar (Palm Springs, CA) January 29-31, 2009

CAI's 58th Annual Conference and Exposition (New Orleans, LA) April 22-25, 2009 (NOTE: For those of you of a musical persuasion, the weekend of April 25-26 is the opening weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, commonly known as JazzFest.  You may want to plan on staying a couple of extra days for a once in a lifetime musical experience)

22nd Annual CEO-MC Retreat (La Jolla/Torrey Pines, CA) June 25-27, 2009

Large Scale Community Managers Workshop (Sandestin, FL) September 9-12, 2009

 

 

 

Well, another CAI National Conference is in the books and it was an incredibly successful one.  Our visit to Orlando brought opportunities to learn and share, meet new friends and reconnect with old friends, have some fun, and use the Magic of Community to re-energize ourselves and our careers.  Those who were there know what I am talking about.  If you weren't there, you should have been.  Just ask someone who attended about all the things you missed, including:

* 1,100+ attendees

* 130+ exhibitors and sponsors

* 34 chapter and individual awards

* 24 educational sessions and workshops

* 6 receptions and cocktail parties

* 2 fascinating general sessions

* 1 fabulous awards dinner and dance

And that's just the high points of the official program.  There was also Disney, golf, and lots of other diversions.

It's not to early to begin planning for next years conference in New Orleans, LA.  You can help us bring community to NOLA from April 22nd through 25th 2009.

Today is Earth Day 2008 and an appropriate time to remember that we all have an important obligation to manage our resources wisely and leave the world a little bit better than we found it.  And communities across the country are already living "green" in many ways.

CAI is pleased to announce a new program to help community associations of all types and sizes make their communities a little more green.  Community Green is a new website dedicated to providing associations and their residents with resources, tools, and examples of how they can conserve energy, reduce their environmental footprint, and maybe even save money at the same time.

In the spirit of the environmental movement's credo "Think Globally - Act Locally", Community Green is designed to give community associations the tools they need to identify opportunities to be more environmentally active, build consensus within the community around particular initiatives, and achieve practical, measurable results.  Results that have a positive impact and still reflect the unique nature of community association living.

And we want to hear more about what you are doing in your own community.  Tell us how your association has made a positive environmental difference.  Share your story on the Community Green website or click on the comment link below so that others can learn from your experiences.

The on-line auction to benefit CAI's Issues Advancement Fund is in full swing and only has 3 more days to run.  You can review the various auction items and place your bids at our auction site.  Funds are made available to our Legislative Action Committees to support key advocacy initiatives year-round.

Whether it is a quick get away to Mexico, some unique artwork, or more Disney secrets than you ever wanted to know, there is something in the auction for everyone.

Special thanks also go to our auction sponsors...

...and all the individual contributors of auction items.