Becca J. G. Godwin News Herald/Connection
An
uptick of bad behavior by some Tellico Village homeowners was
addressed at the top of a board meeting on Aug. 21.
Property Owners Association Chief Executive Officer Chet Pillsbury prefaced his comments by saying the subject was somewhat difficult and touchy. He mentioned two occasions in which employees have been both physically and verbally abused by homeowners in recent weeks.
“I am not talking about telling somebody they're doing their job wrong," Pillsbury said. "I'm talking about somebody spending 15 minutes using incredibly profane language and taking every personal attack they possibly can on an employee.
“And another person also went after one of our managers at a restaurant and was hitting him with the menu and telling him he needed to do his blankety blank blank job.”
The incident at the restaurant was captured on camera and went on for about 15 minutes, Pillsbury said. In responding to an attendee’s question about whether the authorities were called, Pillsbury said the manager chose not to bring in the police — but Pillsbury clarified he personally would have called them regardless if the person had been using their fist to hit the manager.
For anyone who believes they have permission to abuse and treat employees badly, regardless of the situation, Pillsbury warned that he has the responsibility to impose consequences for that kind of behavior. He has taken away the two offenders’ rights to all amenities for 30 days, and if the behavior continues, they'll be banned.
“As the leader of the employees we have here, I cannot allow for them to be treated in such a manner at all,” Pillsbury said. “It's one thing to tell somebody they're doing it wrong. It's another thing to spend an awful lot of time just standing there cussing them.
"It is completely inappropriate and it will not be tolerated.”
Pillsbury said he brought it up during the meeting so he could present anyone listening with a simple ask.
“This is not us. This is not who we are. This is not the community that we are,” he said. “Please treat each other with respect.”
The behavior extends beyond a couple of bad actors berating employees. There’s also a hate mail problem in the Village.
According to a notice that has been running in the Tell-E-Gram newsletter for weeks: “There have been recent instances where political differences have led to unkind actions, such as leaving inappropriate notes in mailboxes.”
During Wednesday's board meeting, resident Rick Dramm said he’s one of those who has been a victim of hate mail. Regardless of whether a resident has personally received hate mail, Pillsbury indicated that the problem indirectly affects all homeowners.
That’s because it’s now impacting the committees that serve the POA, the nonprofit corporation that fulfills the functions of a city government in the Village. Pillsbury spoke to the problem in general without mentioning any specific committees.
“We've had both committee members and individuals within the community receive all kinds of hate mail to the point where some of our committee members have just resigned from the committee because they're like, you know, ‘I'm retired. I don't need to put up with this,’” Pillsbury said.
“And they're right. They don't, and they shouldn't have to.”
COMMITTEE MEMBERS RESIGN
Three members of the volunteer-run Governmental Affairs Committee — Margaret Carroll, Scott Black, and Susan Kirk — have resigned since July 25. No one reached for comment mentioned hate mail as their reason for resigning.
The committee is tasked with researching the workings of governmental and quasi-governmental organizations that impact life in Tellico Village, promoting community activism and acting as an advocate for residents. It also organizes and moderates candidate forums, which have seen some tense moments with unfriendly outbursts from the audience as of late.
The resignations mean the nonpartisan committee is short-handed going into the presidential election in November, yet some say the timing was right to step down. That was so for Carroll, who was scheduled to serve as the committee’s chair until 2026.
“We concluded in our meeting (on Aug. 13) that … all of our hard work is done with all of the forums and the legislative updates and stuff, so we were ready to take a breath as a committee,” Carroll said. “So it was a time when I could (step down) without being totally disruptive.”
Regarding her decision to leave, Carroll cited personal reasons that bar her from meeting the intensive time commitment the position requires.
“This committee has one heck of a load on it, especially this year with … three elections scheduled in a short time, and we have been meeting ourselves coming and going,” she said. “Believe me, nobody does this without a lot of forethought because we have been very dedicated to this committee and we're very proud, frankly, of what we've done.”
The remaining committee members include Mike Poulsen — who is taking over as chair from vice chair Steve Packwood — Joe Bettencourt and Greg Ready. The board liaison is John Arguelles.
The big thing left to do before the November election, Carroll said, is to continue the get-out-the-vote effort. She added that Poulsen is a “sterling individual” who is well up to speed on that front.
Kirk didn’t know Carroll was planning to resign when she decided to step down, a decision that was also influenced by most of the major work for this year being completed. Kirk had been scheduled to serve on the committee until 2025.
Black, who was scheduled to serve as the committee’s secretary until 2025 before his resignation became effective July 25, didn't respond to a call for comment.
In Kirk’s Aug. 13 resignation letter, she wrote that it became necessary to resign “due to unexpected pressing circumstances” that demand her attention and commitment. She expressed pride that the committee is recognized and respected within and outside Tellico Village.
“We are seen as the ‘go-to’ committee for questions and answers regarding what is happening with issues affecting the Village," she wrote. "We also built bridges that did not exist with the elected officials on county, state and federal levels with both counties — to the extent that when members walk into a room the elected officials know our names and who we are.
“We improved voter turnout from registered voters in both counties of the Village with voter education through candidate forums and holding elected officials accountable through legislative forums.”
Members resigning before their three-year term is up has been a common occurrence during Kirk's six years on the committee.
“It can be a commitment at our age when things change — your spouse's health, your health, something else comes up family-wise,” she said in a phone interview with The Connection.
However, she doesn’t perceive people changing in and out on committees as a bad thing.
“After some time, other people need to step forward and find out what it's like to be on these committees — to do the work, to participate, and have their perspective involved.”