Sunday, September 30, 2012

FVCSA Election: We've Got Questions

It's election time in Princeton Landing and some members of the Board will be running again. You may remember that one of the promises these same candidates made in previous elections was that there would be more "transparency" and better communication about Association business. Residents were going to be better informed than they had been in the past. This "transparency" has turned out to be more opaque than expected, raising questions we'd like to ask the candidates. Here's the first one.

Why has the Association done such a poor job of informing residents about the break-ins or attempted break-ins that have taken place in Princeton Landing in the last year? The most recent attempted break-in occurred early last Monday morning. Princeton Landing News found out about it on Wednesday afternoon from a resident in Parcel 1, where the attempted burglary occurred. That resident sent us the link to the story on NJ.com and we posted it here immediately. On Thursday we posted an update with links to several police blotters.

The only word residents received all week from the Association was an email that management sent on Friday announcing an upcoming presentation—three weeks from now—by the Plainsboro Police about "Neighborhood Watch Programs." Management's email suggests that the meeting was prompted by "recent attempted break-ins"—note the plural—in our community. But no information was provided about how, when or where these "break-ins" occurred. Residents were left to rely on local news sources or the rumor mill.

We think residents should have been alerted right away—with details—so they would know they should take precautions and report any further attempts to the police. Poor communication is not something the Board can blame on the management staff. It is not something that can be blamed on the previous Board. It is the current Board's responsibility. So what happened to "transparency" and better communication?

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