by Silvia L.
River View Towers shareholders received an anonymous letter in their mailboxes a few days ago. This letter appears to be inspired by the “Field Report” conducted by the Housing and Community Renewal Division (DHCR) and, apparently, also by hearsay. While the letter addresses issues and facts of concern to all shareholders, it includes a copy of a letter sent to Mr. Siddiqui of DHCR by an also anonymous RVT shareholder, containing personal and confidential information that should not have been made public for various legal, ethical, and moral reasons.
What this letter and the field report reveal is the existence of a significant gap between the River View Towers community and the Board of Directors, as well as between the Board of Directors and the management company. There is a clear lack of direct communication between the parties. This is a serious problem, but one with a simpler solution than it seems: open dialogue.
The community and the board members are, first and foremost, shareholders of River View Towers, members of the corporation that makes up our housing cooperative. As shareholders, we should desire the greatest well-being for our cooperative, not individually, but collectively, as the wonderful community we are. Well-being for all: financial well-being, social well-being, physical well-being, aesthetic well-being, healthy well-being, well-being in security—in other words, every kind of well-being possible. To achieve this, we need to be united and engage in constant conversation, not confrontation.
As shareholders of the cooperative and members of the community, we have rights and responsibilities. Our conversation can begin by reviewing these two important aspects. If we believe we deserve these rights, we must be willing to fulfill our responsibilities.
The board members, in addition to their shareholder rights, have additional rights and responsibilities. This should also be part of our conversation.
If we agree, our first conversation will be very educational for everyone. We will learn how to communicate and keep the communication channel active. From there, we can talk about what we need as a community and what we must do to achieve it. The time has come for everyone at River View Towers to assume our responsibilities.
TWO VERY IMPORTANT LINKS
OTHER RELATED LINKS
https://www.uhab.org/resource/shareholder-rights-responsibilities-and-advantages/
Living in a Housing Cooperative – National Association of Housing Cooperatives
RVT Voices 
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