The petitions were not legally binding and I knew that. Later I learned that had I gotten 200 unit owners it would have meant something, I don't know what. Forced the board to reconsider the issue I think, but that is what I have accomplished anyway. When I was pressing my petition into reluctant hands I only asked for residents and did not distinguish between owners and renters. Well I didn't want to ask people a lot of questions. Renters are kind of second-class citizens in the condo. I know it makes a certain bit of sense because renters don't have the same stake in the building as owners, but sometimes when I hear the board members talk about renters there is a certain curl of the tongue that I find unpleasant.
Anyway it takes a bit of mettle to approach people coming home from a hard day of work seeking the solace of home sweet home and thrust a petition for what many will consider a petty matter into their work weary faces. I was a little proud of myself for that. Ego is a factor in all this.
Okay over two evenings I got 110 signatures, renters and owners alike, I estimate I approached about 140 people and the 30 who didn't sign were split between those who wanted whites only or in some disturbing cases no lights at all, and those who just didn't give a shit at all. What stirred my heart a bit was those who didn't have lights themselves, and who didn't care what the towers looked like at Christmas, but felt doggone it, people ought to have a right to have whatever kind of lights they wanted.
I scanned my petitions and added them to maybe a little too florid letter pressing my case and sent them to an email that is supposed to go to all board members. I say supposed to because at least one board member told me he never got it. Well it doesn't go to each individual's email but to their board email. Like I take my watercolor class at Truman college and because of that I have a Truman email somewhere that they would use to communicate with me, but I don't know how to find it, and I wouldn't bother if I knew because who needs another password. I think that is the case with that board email. I had hoped that I would've gotten some response from the board members about that but I got none.
But it was officially on the agenda for the next board ,meeting and when I went there every board member had a printed copy of my petition and my letter in front of them. It was here that I first learned for sure (I had heard rumors about it previously) that the board had been divided when they voted on the issue, so I had allies who were on my side. Well not on my side personally, but on my side of the issue. I didn't know from looking at them which members were on my side of the issue and it wasn't clear from their questions who they were. Again it is like arguing with a bunch of strangers who all know each other.
I pressed my case, hard enough to make my case but not so hard as to piss people off. When I get fired up my tongue gets loosened, and if pushed hard enough I go to insults, but I checked myself before that happened, and I guess I did alright. In the end the board voted to reconsider the case and to take an official survey (they have the tools to do that). When I heard they were going to take the survey I felt that I was on the road to victory and breathed a sigh of relief.
I know Beagles is in favor of poring over the legal papers, but I am not, for reasons I have given previously I believe the power is in the people who make the rules and it is there that I focus my efforts.
Beagles's idea of a hundred people showing up at the board meeting is pure fantasy. I don't think I have ever seen more than ten, and usually it is about five people at the board meeting. I knew that I could get a hundred or more to sign my petition, but to actually show up at the meeting is a bridge way too far.
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