12/22 Court Hearing - Full Summary

**UPDATE - 12/29 COURT HEARING CONTINUED TO 1/8/2015**
***UPDATE - 12/22 TRANSCRIPT NOW AVAILABLE***
 
We hope everyone had a Happy Holiday, and we appreciate your patience in waiting for this more thorough summary of the court hearing on 12/22.  Click HERE to view the court transcript from 12/22.  Please do also note that as this blog is being posted (12/29), additional developments are taking place in court that may fill in some additional details that were not finalized on 12/22.  **UPDATE - CONTINUED TO 1/8/2015**

First, a brief background of what has occurred in the last few weeks:
(If you want to skip the background, scroll down to the headline 'So What Happened in Court?)

December 9th, 2014, Judge Garcia finally heard arguments from both sides over the question of elections for Cedar Run.  The Sher group's only defense or excuse for not holding elections in over two years was a controversial Bylaw document that they created in December of 2012 to replace Cedar Run's original Bylaws from 1972.  In nutshell, the Judge refused to acknowledge these bogus Bylaws as a binding governing document, and he expressed real concerns over the validity of a board that has operated under them for two years without elections.

Click HERE and HERE for two blog posts about that specific hearing or HERE for a transcript of the proceedings from 12/9.

At a brief hearing on December 17th, the Judge had asked both sides to work out an agreement over how to make up for the two consecutive election cycles that were skipped and how to govern Cedar Run until a proper election is held.  In the interim, the HOC (aka 'Master Board') was forbidden from making any payments to board members or their families, from making announcements or mailings to homeowners, or from entering any contracts.  No agreement was reached about how to handle the election and governance of Cedar Run, so both sides then had to argue their respective cases in front of Judge Garcia on December 22nd.

Using this blog, we had strongly encouraged homeowners to attend this December 22nd hearing to hear what Judge Garcia had to say. In response to this, the Sher group posted the following signs at the entrance/exit of Cedar Run and at the clubhouse.

Notice that the sign written in Spanish has a great deal more content than the sign written in English.  The Spanish sign translates to "HISPANICS, The future of Cedar Run is at risk! We need your support on Monday 22nd at 7:30am. We will reunite at the club house to go to court. It's very important that you accompany us! Your house could be at risk or even have a high and excessive payment."

In addition to posting these signs (which violated the court order that forbids announcements of any kind), the Sher group also spent the weekend making phone calls exclusively to Hispanic homeowners and urged them to either accompany them in court or head to to the clubhouse and sign a petition.  As reported by concerned Hispanic homeowners who received these calls, they were told that "ALMA is suing the [Cedar Run] Master Board, and you might lose your home if you don't sign a petition or show up in court" (Many things wrong with this claim, one being that ALMA has nothing to do with the lawsuit in question).  Other homeowners reported that they were told that the court transcript of the December 9th hearing that was posted on this blog was a FAKE.........Dirty politics and manipulation at their worst!

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So, What happened in Court?

Here are some highlights, followed by longer explanations on each point:

1. Contrary to the Sher group's signage, the future of Cedar Run was not decided on December 22nd, 2014, but it will be decided by the homeowners in May of 2015 (pending an official order confirming the election time-frame).
2. There will be a receiver appointed to manage Cedar Run (pending an official order).  The receiver's authority is likely to be finalized at the 12/29 hearing. **UPDATE - CONTINUED TO 1/8/2015**
3. Full financial audits/reviews will be conducted of the past three fiscal years, and results will be made available to all Cedar Run homeowners.
4. Temporary order restricting payments and forbidding announcements extended until election (possibly expanded).
5. The Judge stated quite clearly that nobody will lose their home as a result of the court's decisions on this case.
6. Caryn Shaw unsuccessfully tried to SILENCE THIS BLOG.  Judge would not agree.

1. Future of Cedar Run
The primary reason that the courts had to get involved is the fact that there has been no annual election for the Cedar Run Homeowners' Corporation (aka HOC, aka 'Master Board') for two consecutive election cycles.  The only elected (not appointed) director on the HOC board that is currently serving an unexpired term is Barbara Shaw.  Effectively, the entire board (except for one director) could have been turned over by a vote from Cedar Run homeowners by now.  We were deprived of that opportunity.

So here we are at the end of the year, awaiting a final order for an election.  If an 'immediate' election via a 'Special Meeting of the Members' were to be held, it likely wouldn't happen until sometime in mid to late February----proper notice, planning, nominations, arranging for auditors to supervise, etc.  Three months later (in May), the HOC (per the real bylaws) must then conduct an annual election, which should probably also be supervised to the same extent as the Special Meeting.

For these reasons (although it's not etched in stone yet), all parties seem to have agreed to a May election that will cover the ENTIRE HOC board of Directors.

2.  Receivership
Since it is quite clear that the bogus bylaws that the Sher/Shaw HOC board have followed for two years (which differ greatly from the real bylaws, serve the interests of Sher and his closest supporters, and contradict state law) are illegal, there are serious concerns about whether or not the current HOC board can be trusted to operate any longer.  That said, pending the judge's final order, a receiver will be appointed to manage Cedar Run.

The only question that leaves is......what authority (if any) should the current HOC have, in light of the above concerns?  This item is probably the central point of the court hearing today (12/29). **UPDATE - CONTINUED TO 1/8/2015**

3.  Financial Audits
With the legitimacy of the board questionable at best, concerns have also arisen regarding their handling of homeowner funds.  Co-mingling HOC funds with phase funds, back-door payments to employees/homeowners who don't want to report their income, board members forgiven on their assessment payments, delinquent owners allowed to 'work off' their assessment debt, shoddy bookkeeping, improper reporting of taxable vs. non-taxable revenue, fraud risks associated with the direct handling of assessment payments.......this list can go on forever, but these are just a few concerns that could be uncovered by a thorough audit.

Keep in mind that while Robert Sher was extremely critical of the previous HOC board for performing a annual  'Compilation Report' (a less rigorous financial review)  in lieu of a full audit, Sher's board has done NOTHING in terms of having a certified, independent party review the financial records and write up its findings.

4.  Order Restricting Board Activity
While the details of this order will be inextricably linked to above issues (i.e. receivership), The Judge made it fairly clear on 12/22 that the current board will not be allowed to represent itself as speaking on behalf of the association.  That means no more propaganda mailings or notices posted on garage doors that claim to be from the HOC, 'Master board', 'Oversight Committee'.  Pending a final order, it will likely be the receiver who will have exclusive authority to speak for the HOC.  What is clear (again pending a final order) is that Robert Sher and Jack Shaw will no longer be paid with Cedar Run homeowner funds!!

5.  Nobody Losing Their Home
In recognizing that there were many Cedar Run homeowners in the courtroom, Judge Garcia actually allowed a brief Q & A to clear up any confusion that homeowners may have about the court proceedings.  One homeowner asked the judge to directly address the assertion by the Sher group that our properties could be 'at risk' (presumably lost) as a result of the court's decision.  The Judge stated that the issue being decided will NOT result in anyone's home being taken from them.
(see transcript page 29, line 20 through page 30, line 9 AND Page 31, line 12-18)

6.  Caryn Shaw's Objection to This Blog
In response to comments made by opposing counsel about the Sher group's spread of misinformation (like signs telling Spanish speakers that their home is at risk), Ms. Shaw accused the authors of this blog of also spreading misinformation.  She accused us of misrepresenting the Judge Garcia's orders.  She was referring specifically to our blog post from 12/9, where we announced his decision regarding the election.

Caryn Shaw argued that we incorrectly stated that Judge Garcia had ordered an election when he hadn't.  She was partly right on this account:  Our initial blog post did state that an election had been ordered.  However, within a few hours time, we had corrected it to say that the Judge had thrown out the HOC's motion to dismiss them from an election order.  The Judge responded to Caryn's complaint by saying that although he hadn't ordered an election at that point, he had made it clear that he will order one as soon as other details are finalized.

Caryn also contended that we inaccurately stated that a T.R.O. (Temporary Restraining Order) was in place.  While we did initially say this (again corrected within hours), there was 'Stand Still' order in place, which although technically not a T.R.O., basically had the same effect as one.  The Judge dismissed this as a matter of semantics/jargon

In fact, the judge was much more concerned with the misinformation and scare tactics practiced by the Sher/Shaw group (such as telling unit owners that their homes are it risk) than he was about any of Caryn Shaw's objections to the blog content.

(see transcript page 30, line 14 through page 31, line 11 for the full conversation)

Judge Garcia alluded to blogs like this one as an avenue for people to exercise free speech and he noted that they are "encouraged, because they provide more information." (see transcript page 17, line 10 through page 18, line 10)

Closing Remark.....
We'll conclude this long-winded summary with one more response to something Caryn Shaw said in court.  After apologizing for a few of her misstatements and reminding the judge that she is a new attorney, Caryn wanted to make a point of saying that her and her family truly care about the people of Cedar Run. We'll leave that one for the homeowners to decide, but we'd like to point to the example she gave to support that statement.

Caryn Shaw stated that her sister, Anne Shaw, had worked for NO FEE (aka FREE) when she represented the Sher group in the summer of 2012 during their hostile takeover of the Cedar Run Board.  Caryn claimed that her sister's motivation was to help the unit owners of Cedar Run, and that's why she worked for no fee. (see transcript page 34, line 2-9)

Now take a look at the following check images for 'Legal Services from May through September [of 2012]' totaling $33,255.81.

NO FEE, YOU SAY???

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Please stay tuned for details on the 12/29 hearing.  **UPDATE - CONTINUED TO 1/8/2015** We'd love to hear from you with any questions or feedback.

restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

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Court Hearing Today

Apologies for the delay in updating the blog. It was an active day in court today.

A more complete summary will be posted in the next day or two, but here is the short version:

While no orders were actually entered, the conversation between the judge and the attorneys did spell out a few things that will likely pan out in the next week or so.

Again, to be clear, nothing was ordered by Judge Garcia today, but the attorneys for both sides will be negotiating the conditions upon which Cedar Run will be governed until the election, which will most likely occur in May of 2015.

The May election date is not etched in stone, but it appears to be agreed upon pending the resolution of other items. What is also fairly clear at this point is that there will be a receiver assigned to take a certain amount of responsibility/authority from the board and/or Oversight Committee.  How much authority has yet to be determined, and will likely be debated by the attorneys and presented to the court at the next appearance.

We will conclude this summary by saying that we are glad to hear that this very blog was mentioned at the court hearing today, and we are proud of the notoriety. We would like to thank Ms. Caryn Shaw for giving us the feedback that proves that this blog HAS made a difference in refuting the misinformation being spread by the Sher/Shaw group.

Stay tuned!

Cedar Run Homeowners Strongly Encouraged to Witness Court Hearing

The next court date regarding elections and the disposition of Cedar Run leading up to those elections will be Monday, December 22nd at 10:30 AM.  If you've ever thought about heading downtown to witness the court proceedings in person, THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT!

The courthouse is located at:
Daley Center
50 W. Washington, Rm. 2601
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 603-5415

We believe that the judge could make an important ruling that will outline the details of the election and how Cedar Run will be operated until such an election.  A great showing of concerned homeowners would send a message to the court and everyone in the courtroom that Cedar Run homeowners care about their community. It will help underscore the need for the court to act swiftly in restoring the rule of law in Cedar Run.



There is no better way of truly understanding Cedar Run's legal crisis than to WITNESS IT FIRSTHAND  and be the FIRST TO KNOW how the judge rules.

So grab your Cedar Run knapsack, and head on down to the Daley Center on Monday!

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In the meantime.........

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Cedar Run Legal Update - Next court date: 12/22/14

***UPDATE to 12/16 blog entry below***

We have now obtained a copy of the court transcript from December 9th, 2014, when the court denied the Sher group's attempt to avoid an election.

The official court transcript can be found HERE:

The Central Theme - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BYLAWS

Caryn Shaw, youngest of the Shaw sisters who only recently passed the bar exam, is now appearing in court to represent the Sher group.  Anne Shaw is either too busy campaigning to become a Chicago Alderman, or she doesn't have much faith in the Sher group's case.

Basically, Caryn tried to argue that Sher and the Master Board have the right (under state law) to completely repeal Cedar Run's Bylaws and subsequently replace them with the bogus Bylaws written in 2012.......all without following the amendment procedures in the REAL Bylaws.  A majority of the proceedings involve Judge Garcia explaining to her that it cannot be done and that her logic is (at best) completely off-base.

At one point (page 9, line 9), Judge Garcia even refers to one of Caryn Shaw's arguments as "demeaning".

On page 17, line 11, Judge Garcia states that the Sher group's motion to dismiss the case to compel an election  "......is absolutely, unequivocally denied."

Judge Garcia also indicated that he was quite disturbed by the fact the the Sher group has been functioning for so long, on a bogus set of bylaws, with no elections. 

What's Next?
Motions for a T.R.O. (Temporary Restraining Order) have been filed that will probably look to restrict the board's (and Sher's) power since they have CLEARLY operated ILLEGALLY.  They will likely try and specify how the election should be announced & handled.

The next hearing date on these motions is December 17th.  We will post something on the blog as soon as we have new information.

**********UPDATE**********

12/18/14 - The next hearing date will be Monday, December 22nd at 10:30 AM.  If you've ever thought about heading downtown to witness the court proceedings in person, THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT!

The courthouse is located at:
Daley Center
50 W. Washington, Rm. 2601
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 603-5415

We believe that the judge will make an important ruling that will outline the details of the election and how Cedar Run will be managed until such an election.  A great showing of concerned homeowners would send a message to the court and everyone in the courtroom that Cedar Run homeowners care about their community. It will help underscore the need for the court to act swiftly in restoring the rule of law in Cedar Run.

So grab your Cedar Run knapsack, and head on down to the Daley Center on Monday!

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HERE is a link to the court docket.

Please call, text, or email with any questions or comments.

restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

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In the meantime.........

Please subscribe to this blog

Do so by entering your email address and clicking the "Submit" button on the upper right-hand portion of this web page (where it says 'Follow By Email').  You will be notified any time a new blog entry is posted.

• You WILL NOT receive any Spam email for subscribing, 
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The Verdict is.....ELECTION--> YES!!

On December 9, 2014, Judge Rodolfo Garcia of the Cook County Circuit Court Has DENIED THE SHER GROUP'S ATTEMPT TO AVOID AN ELECTION!

The judge also refused to recognize the  bogus bylaws that Robert Sher has been using to justify his actions.

WE HATE TO SAY WE TOLD YOU SO BUT......
All smugness aside, we the Cedar Run Concerned Homeowners who have brought you this blog have stated all along that Cedar Run was due an Annual Meeting (election) in 2013 and 2014.  We have stated that Robert Sher's excuse for not conducting these meetings has NO LEGAL BASIS WHATSOEVER.

We have also given a multitude of reasons why the bylaws Sher created in December of 2012 were (and still are) illegal --  Sher never followed procedures to amend the real bylaws; He never recorded the his new document with the county; Most of it contradicts state law; It was developed & implemented in secret; and the list goes on....

These two issues were finally presented in a court of law, and the verdict confirms what we've been saying for almost two years!! That Robert Sher is NOT running a Legal and Proper organization!

Details of the Ruling
We are still waiting to hear more details such as:

1. Exactly how many director positions will be up for vote
2. How the election will be noticed and supervised to ensure fairness/accuracy
3. When the election is likely to take place

We will update this section as details roll in, so please check back.

What we do know is this:

• Cedar Run's original bylaws from 1972 are still the true (and only) bylaws for Cedar Run
• These bylaws clearly state that an annual meeting must be conducted in May of each year to elect/re-elect four directors.
• Since there were no annual meetings in 2013 and 2014, Cedar Run must call a special meeting (election) to fill any director seats that would have been available in both of these two skipped elections (possibly more due to past resignations).

 What To Expect from Robert Sher:

• Expect him to read this blog and do something to try and make our predictions appear wrong.
• Thanks for reading, Robert! Don't forget to subscribe!
• Expect him to continue denying that an election is required, citing the same excuse about 'Dissolution of the Corporation'.
• The courts have never accepted this excuse, as we knew they wouldn't.
• Expect him to continue saying that the very lawsuit that about the election is part of a conspiracy, funded with your money, to try and take over Cedar Run and 'steal' all of the money that he has 'saved you'.
• Short answer, it's NOT!  It's a counterclaim to his efforts to sue the old board.  NO HOMEOWNER MONEY used to fund it.
• Expect him to call another one of his 'Homeowner Meetings', where he will give us another fancy Power Point presentation and try and twist the facts to suit his narrative.
• No matter what he says, the court does not support his position on the bylaws and election.
• Expect more and more Clubhouse parties, car registrations, ice cream socials, grand opening celebrations, etc......anything to give Sher and his disciples more face-time with homeowners, and expect to be solicited for signatures or proxies at these types of events.
• YOUR money once again being used to solicit YOUR political support. 
• Expect even more aggressive attempts by Sher to smear, intimidate, and discredit anyone who opposes him.  He has already tried to name names and incite hatred, falsely accuse people of being racists, and describe them as criminals and conspirators of evil.
• Their only crimes were their public opposition to Sher's policies that are now proven to be ILLEGAL in the eyes of the court.

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In closing,  this ruling may have taken months longer than what we'd all hoped for.  But this is still a Landmark ruling that could have a major impact on Cedar Run.  Cedar Run homeowners will finally have their chance to decide how they feel about their community under the rule of Robert Sher.  WE DESERVE OUR RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION!

If you haven't done so, please don't forget to visit our ACTION page.  Feel free to leave a comment, voicemail,  text, or email with any questions or concerns.

restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

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Please subscribe to this blog

Do so by entering your email address and clicking the "Submit" button on the upper right-hand portion of this web page (where it says 'Follow By Email').  You will be notified any time a new blog entry is posted, and you will NOT receive any Spam email for subscribing, and the authors of the blog will not be given your name or contact info.

Cedar Run Legal Update

Decision on Elections Expected Soon

The next court date on the matter of elections for Cedar Run will take place on December 9, 2014.  This has been in the courts since June of 2014, with multiple continuances and procedural games (by Sher) to delay a decision.

We have good reason to believe that the judge will issue a ruling on December 9th, and that there will be no more continuances or delays.  Please be advised that the civil courts have let us down in the past, so we make no guarantees.  That said, we are quite sure that when the judge does finally issue a ruling, it will be to order an election.

Why are we so sure how the judge rule?  It's simple:

Argument for elections
The argument for elections is that Cedar Run's governing documents clearly call for an annual meeting and election every year, in May.  The last one was in May of 2012, and Sher just decided to skip 2013 and 2014 to alleviate any possibility losing control of the Cedar Run board (and risk losing his paycheck).  To correct this, there must be a special meeting, where two election cycles worth of director positions (at least 7 or 8) will be filled by a vote from Cedar Run homeowners.

Argument against elections
Sher's argument against the need for elections in 2013 & 2014 is that since the former board had failed to properly register the master association with the secretary of state.....that the governing documents are completely invalid.  So Sher created new bylaws that also require an annual meeting in May. But he doesn't need to follow them either because he gets a three year grace period on elections from the time he "reinstated the corporation".  According to Robert Sher, the next election isn't until August (not May?) of 2015.

Which sounds valid to you??
We have found there to be ZERO LEGAL BASIS for Sher's argument.  Whether or not Cedar Run Homeowners Corp. was properly registered with the Secretary State is completely irrelevant.  The original governing documents have always been in effect.  The Bylaws Sher created and now proudly displays on his website are NOT legally binding.  Lastly, there are absolutely no laws that guarantee a three year hiatus on annual elections when a non-profit corporation is founded or reinstated.

What NOT to Expect After the Judge's Ruling
Don't expect an election to be announced promptly.  The ruling is simply the first step in forcing the elections.  If you'll recall back in January of 2013, Sher had been ordering homeowners to pay their phase dues to the Master Board, and he had proclaimed publicly that he intended to prevent the payment of what he considered to be illegal bank loans.  By mid January, Judge Hall issued an order, demanding that Sher immediately send out a letter to all homeowners to instruct them to pay their phase dues to their phase association contrary to what he had told them previously.  This letter didn't arrive until late February because Sher did everything possible to delay it.....requiring the banks' attorneys to file multiple motions to hold him in contempt of court.  The civil court system has very little power to enforce its orders.

Despite all, we are getting very close to FINALLY having an opportunity to let homeowners decide about the future of Cedar Run, rather than having Robert Sher impose his will upon our community.

In the meantime, please don't forget to visit our ACTION page.  Feel free to leave a comment, voicemail,  text, or email with any questions or concerns.

restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

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Please subscribe to this blog

Do so by entering your email address and clicking the "Submit" button on the upper right-hand portion of this web page (where it says 'Follow By Email').  You will be notified any time a new blog entry is posted, and you will NOT receive any Spam email for subscribing, and the authors of the blog will not be given your name or contact info.

More Deceiptful Practices

In previous blog post dated 4/28/2014, we informed Cedar Run homeowners about Robert Sher's business practices and reputation in the apartment leasing business, under the 'My Place Apartments' moniker.  (Feel free to read that post HERE).  We showed you how Sher's takeover and management of Cedar Run align perfectly with his deceptive, predatory advertising & business practices.

After a few google searches and some amateur detective work, we've learned of the Sher/Shaw family's new strategy.....try and ditch the old reputation, and appear as something new.

• They've ditched the 'My Place Apartments' name and they're sticking with 'Shaw Real Estate Group Inc.'
• They've got a new, fancy website, which makes no mention of the old name and tries to spin their business in a more positive light (unlike the old website which slammed any review site that would dare post a negative review of their business)
• They ditched their previous Chicago office location on Lincoln Ave for a new one on Diversey Pkwy.....Actually they were EVICTED from their Lincoln Ave location (Click HERE to view the court records from the lawsuit that had them ousted).
• They now have a new Yelp listing (because of their 'new' name and location). They've already posted fake, glowing reviews from fake user profiles on this Yelp page. (all have been flagged and removed as of the writing of this blog....nice try, Barb)
• All of their bogus Craigslist Ads no longer mention the old business name, nor do they mention Robert Sher's name.

Why do this?  Because of one of the exact reasons mentioned in our previous post. If you google search for 'My Place Apartments SCAM', you'll get an abundance of results that warn people to stay away.  Most, if not all, of those reviews will have Robert Sher's name attached to them.  New website, new phone number, new address, no mention of the agent's (Sher's) name.....all the previous red flags may go unnoticed.

Interesting Tidbit
The most interesting fact (for those of us in Cedar Run) about this attempt to renew their reputation is the 'Condo Management' section of their website.  Click HERE and have a read.

For comparison, click HERE to see their old website's 'Property Management' section.

• Notice how they mention an abundance of services they provide, none of which we've seen in Cedar Run?
• Notice how they refer to themselves as 'Leaders' in the industry.  [Seriously.....leaders??]
• Notice the comment about a 'proven track record of customer satisfaction.'  [Really???]
• Notice how they're more than happy to also be your realtor if you decide to sell? [Can you say ' conflict of interest'?]
• Notice how they've gone from 'decades of experience' (per the old website) to five years of experience per the new website? [For the record, both Jack Shaw and Robert Sher got their Community Association Manager licenses in Oct. 2012 and Nov. 2012, respectively......how is that even five years???]

Why be concerned?
Because we, the Cedar Run Homeowners, paid for their licenses! (see check images below) We paid for multiple renewals as well.  Sher even admitted that we paid for his license, but claimed it was strictly to give him the credential required to manage Cedar Run.  Now Sher/Shaw are aggressively marketing themselves to other associations as licensed, experienced property managers. 

When Sher was soliciting votes to take over Cedar Run, he swore he had NO financial interest
 in managing Cedar Run.  Does anyone believe him???

Not only is the Sher/Shaw family on the Cedar Run Payroll for at least $60K/year, but they are using their (Cedar Run sponsored) credentials to solicit more business.  Good deal for them - bad deal for us.

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What Now?
As we wait patiently for the court system to finally deliver us an election, we urge you to think about the services you've received from Sher over the past two years:

• Have you ever seen a tree being trimmed?
• How are the street repairs holding up? (take a drive down Spruce or Locust)
• If you've had the unfortunate experience of having a sewer line backup, who did you call to fix it? (Outside sewer lines are a Master Board responsibility)
• How many times have you been required to register your car for parking privileges? (we count about five)
• How many different parking/towing/booting policies have been rolled out in the past two years, only to be scrapped and completely changed soon thereafter?  (we count about seven)
• Have you ever been able to get documents (governing docs, disclosures, paid assessment letters, etc.) from the Sher group when trying to sell or refinance?
• Are we truly 'self managed' even though we pay Sher/Shaw a hefty fee to manage our property??

Are all of the above (and the countless other examples we've cited on the past) signs of a well-managed association?  We think NOT!

Don't Give Up Hope
Though little has happened over the past few months, Cedar Run homeowners WILL have an opportunity to express their satisfaction/dissatisfaction of Sher through an election.  Next Court date is November 5th. We will provide an update as soon as we hear anything.  Hopefully something decisive will happen; hopefully not another continuance or more procedural games.

In the meantime, please don't forget to visit our ACTION page.  Feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.

restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

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Please subscribe to this blog

Do so by entering your email address and clicking the "Submit" button on the upper right-hand portion of this web page (where it says 'Follow By Email').  You will be notified any time a new blog entry is posted, and you will NOT receive any Spam email for subscribing.

Sher's July & August 2014 'Newsletters'

Three days after receiving Mr. Sher's August 2014 'Newsletter', Cedar Run homeowners received another mailing from Sher, labeled as the July 2014 'Newsletter'.  We won't even try to understand this one.....but this is just another sign of what a classy operation Sher is running.

The tone of desperation in these letters should give you a good idea of how confident Robert Sher is in his performance as a property manager.  He knows that an election is inevitable despite his insistence to the contrary. He also knows that there is a very real threat of him losing such an election, thanks to the mobilization of Concerned Homeowners.

While we realize most of you are fed up with the back & forth accusations, rebuttals, arguments for and against x, y, or z policy......There are many outlandish statements in these mailings that we cannot leave without a reply.

In the coming days, we will post a fully reply to the lies and accusations contained in Sher's two mailings.  But for now we will leave you with a few points to ponder after reading the letters.

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NEWSLETTERS??? NOT QUITE.....

1. These mailings are not 'Newsletters', as they contain no actual news (aside from a small portion of the parking information in the August mailing).
2. The mailings are actually best described as CAMPAIGN ADS supporting Robert Sher.  Moreover, they are NEGATIVE ATTACK ADS, attempting to defame and demonize anyone who has or does openly oppose Robert Sher in any way.
3. These mailings are printed on high quality, full-color glossy paper....professionally printed, bound, and mailed to all 408 homeowners by an out-of-state vendor.
4. We estimate the combined cost of these two 'newsletters' as anywhere from $3000-$5000, all paid from Cedar Run homeowners' funds.
5. Like it or not, by simply paying assessments, all 408 Cedar Run homeowners are essentially contributing members of a Robert Sher SuperPAC.

How does that feel??

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Credibility

We've touched on this before, but we will reiterate this same point.  When reading through Sher's attacks, accusations, insinuations, conspiracy theories, and empty promises....look back at his past performance, and then decide if he is a credible source of information.

Consider his motives for maintaining (and attempting to expand) his power over Cedar Run. Cedar Run is a BUSINESS VENTURE and INCOME SOURCE for the Sher/Shaw family....and a significant one at that.  We will touch on this in greater detail in our full response.  But for now, feel free to look at at all the checks written to Sher from 8/2012 through 6/2013 by clicking HERE.  Or, take a look at lines 12, 13, & 16 of Sher's own budget mailing by clicking HERE.

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If you're as fed up as we are with all the conflict that has plagued Cedar Run over the past two years, then please join us in removing the primary cause and instigator of this very conflict.  Please visit our How to Take Action page by clicking HERE, and help us put an end to this nonsense.  Together, we can truly Restore Cedar Run!

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restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

Another Outrageous (and expensive!) Newsletter

By now, Cedar Run homeowners should have received another glossy, color-printed, professionally bound newsletter from our friend, Robert Sher. It probably cost a few thousand dollars to print and mail this newsletter.  We hope you enjoy reading it.....

It contains the usual self-aggrandizing propaganda and lies about key facts that led Cedar Run into its ongoing crisis.

Please stay tuned for our response to each topic.

Thanks for reading.

Property Taxes

To all Cedar Run Homeowners:

By now, you should have received your second tax bill for your 2013 property taxes.  Most likely, you'll notice something about this bill.....it's very low!!  We've had homeowners report bills as much as anywhere from $200-$300, and some even got a bill for $0!!

If your second installment tax bill looks like any of the above, this is likely because your Phase Association appealed your property taxes on your behalf.

Your phase board retained a law firm specializing in tax appeals (Worsek & Vihon, LLP).  They appealed to both the County Assessor and the Cook County Board of Review to maximize your savings.

Wondering how much they saved you?

Your first installment for 2013 was for 55% of your total tax bill.  So your second installment should have been about 82% of that amount.

Example using typical numbers:
John Q. Homeowner received the following  tax bills:
1st installment:  $950
2nd installment: $270

Without the appeal, Mr. Homeowner should have received a second installment bill for $777.27.  Therefore, he saved $507.21, thanks to this tax appeal.

Now, how does that compare to the $120 per year that Robert Sher boasts about saving you??

Questions?
Comments?
restoreCR@gmail.com
(224) 544-9058

Tell us how  what your tax bill looked like!

Recap of 6/26 "Annual Meeting"

For those unable to attend the meeting, this is what you missed....

NOT AN ANNUAL MEETING
As we had previously stated, this meeting was not a true Annual Meeting of the Members (which would have been an election).  It was just another one of Sher's typical propaganda-filled power point presentations with a Q&A at the end.  The only difference is that copies of the budget letter were handed out. We actually gave Sher way too much credit when we predicted that he might call an official meeting to order and conduct some board business in the presence of homeowners.  We predicted that this 'Annual Meeting' would actually be October of 2013's Budget Meeting.  It wasn't even that.....we stand corrected.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD
Sher continued to boast about what an excellent job he has done, continued to blame every problem on his predecessors, and concocted more conspiracy theories about his predecessors and his current opposition.

RACIAL ACCUSATIONS
Sher continues to try and divide the community along racial lines.  He reiterated his claim that anyone who opposes or disagrees with him is doing so out of racism toward his "Minority Board". Not only that, but he seems to be obsessed with the notion that his predecessors and his current opposition are part of a German group, with a white supremacist agenda.  Seriously folks, we're not making this up.  Several slides of Sher's presentation had the word GERMAN in all caps.  Why the emphasis on the word 'German'??  Probably to insinuate that anyone opposing Sher has some sort of Neo-Nazi affiliation, which would explain their racism.  This accusation is quite disgusting.

Important Observations

THE ROBERT SHER SHOW
At this meeting and the last one in March of this year, Sher did all the talking, with Daniel DeLeon translating Sher's rhetoric for the Spanish-speaking homeowners.  Prior to the March meeting, the Sher group enlisted board members to do most or all of the speaking (exclusively in Spanish), with Sher periodically interjecting when he saw fit.  By having board members deliver the presentation, Sher hoped to give the illusion the Cedar Run was governed by a Board of Directors, and that Sher serves at the pleasure of this board.

The mask is now off.  We've contended that the board serves and reports to Robert Sher, not the other way around.  We stand by our statement that all letters, slideshows, and announcements are the words of Sher, rubber stamped as being from "The Master Board".  With Sher doing ALL THE TALKING for two straight meetings, it should be blatantly obvious who is running the show.

DISSENT
For the first time EVER, we actually saw two directors on Sher's board stand up and state their opposition to some of Sher's rhetoric.  More specifically, they stated that they oppose Robert Sher's use of RACE as a central theme in his message to homeowners.  We applaud these directors for speaking up and (publicly) opposing the racial division that Sher keeps pressing. 

But this further underscores one of our main concerns about Sher's unchecked power.  Despite the dissent from two of his directors, Sher continued to push forward with the same message about race and German-led conspiracies.  Again, who has the real control over the board's actions, words, and decisions??  The answer to that is self-evident - Robert Sher!

Major Flip-Flop
Sher is now preaching that Master Board funds be used to pay down our phases' construction loans.  Does anyone notice the 180 degree turn that Sher has taken from his previous stance on the loans??  Not even six months ago, Sher was still claiming that the loans were illegal.  He continued to stand by his assertion that he could make the loans go away and even get back a large portion of what was already paid toward these loans.  Now he's talking about paying them down??

Dear Robert, where was this plan two years ago?!?!?  Where was this plan before the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on lawsuits with the banks??  The irony is truly amazing.

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We will post more information with a further analysis of the Sher's "Annual Meeting" as time permits.  Please contact us if you'd like a DVD copy of the meeting video.

restoreCR@gmail.com
(224) 544-9058

Please subscribe to this blog

Do so by entering your email address and clicking the "Submit" button on the upper right-hand portion of this web page.  You will be notified any time a new blog entry is posted, and you will NOT receive any Spam email for subscribing

Please help us take action

If you've had enough of Robert Sher, please CLICK HERE for instructions on how you can help vote him out.  It was homeowners that brought him to power, and it's homeowners that can remove him from power.

Enough is Enough!!!

Thank you for visiting our blog and thank you for your continued support.  Despite Robert Sher's vehement denial, we are getting closer and closer to the election that will let us, the homeowners, determine the future of Cedar Run.  Don't let Sher fool you......this election WILL HAPPEN SOON, long before August of 2015.

Tired of all the bickering back and forth?
We are too!!  We're tired the same baseless accusations and falsehoods that Sher continues to spew.  We'd gladly reply to each and every one of them, but truthfully, homeowners are simply tired of reading point after point, counterpoint after counterpoint.  For those disgusted with the process and not sure who to believe, this Blog's for you!!!

Credibility
It all boils down to this.  Who is a more credible source of information?  Robert Sher or the seemingly anonymous authors of this blog?  We feel that history should thoroughly answer this question.

In the summer of 2012, Robert Sher literally promised homeowners a 50% reduction in the assessment with no loss of services.  He promised that he would make our construction loans go away.  He promised transparency and checks & balances.  He insisted that he had no interest in managing Cedar Run and that he was merely serving as a volunteer to 'save the community'. These are only a few of the grandiose promises or claims made by Sher.

How many of the above turned out to be true????  That's right...NONE!!!

Here we are two years later, paying more for our total assessment and getting less (See our 2013 blog entry on insurance).  The grounds look like a weed farm. We've endured two winters of short-staffed, poorly equipped snow removal service.  We're on our forth parking program and our third round of being forced to register our cars - in just two years (last time was only about six months ago).  No pool for a whole summer, still no pool one month after Memorial Day.

We are trapped in endless lawsuits (see our previous blog entry on this topic).  The construction loans have certainly not gone away.  In fact, they've grown as a result of all the lawsuits.  Sher has now flip-flopped on the loan topic, now talking about plans of paying them down instead of fighting them (where were those plans two years ago??).  Sher continues to cut off our collective nose to spite our face.....continuously & unjustly shifting costs and responsibilities to the phase associations.

Motivation
With Sher and Shaw being on the payroll for two years now, they've certainly become quite comfortable with the supplemental income that they enjoy as members of the "oversight committee".  Now that their positions are being challenged and their livelihood is at stake, they will use any means necessary to preserve the income they now enjoy.  It's no wonder that things have gotten so ugly and that Sher is desperately trying to scare homeowners from supporting his opposition.  Sher's motivation is purely out of self-interest, and that speaks volumes about his credibility.

Uncovering the Truth
We, the authors and contributors to this blog have shown you Sher's true colors, and we've backed up everything with facts and solid evidence.

• We showed you the check images that undeniably proved that Sher was being paid from day one and how he used our money to finance his campaign.  Sher took legal action (and lost) against anyone he suspected of helping us obtain these subpoenaed check images.
• We've shown you check images to prove that the Master Board has been subsidizing phases 5 & 10 to give the illusion that their assessments are lower.
• We showed you the bogus bylaws that Sher tried to pass off in order to secure his employment and justify his dictator-like powers (which he never showed to a single homeowner, let alone let them vote on its adoption).
• We've been transparent about what we intend to do with your signed petition and/or proxy, and we've made our plans very clear.  And NO, Alma is NOT part of these plans.
• We've reported/relayed any pertinent information submitted to us by homeowners to keep everyone in the know.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Does a well-run association need to send out mailings to constantly tell you what a great job it's doing?  Shouldn't the results be self-evident?
• Does strong leadership mean constantly "passing the buck" and blaming your predecessors, even two years later?
• Should a "self managed" association pay $30,000+ more in direct management costs than a professionally manage one?
• Is it in Cedar Run's best interest to defy the Village of Wheeling's ordinances, constantly rack up fines & violations, and agitate village officials?
• Does a good leader make impulsive legal decisions (like picking a fight with the banks) without first investigating the consequences?
• Should a board of Directors delegate virtually all of its authority to four members of one family (R. Sher, B. Shaw, A. Shaw, J. Shaw), who only represent one of Cedar Run's 408 condo units??
• Does an honest leader conceal the fact that he is being paid for over a year, then try to sue/depose/punish those that exposed the truth?

The answers to the above questions are key to helping you decide whether you stand for or against Robert Sher's regime.  Remember - credibility is key!  The election will be upon us before we know it, and it's important to decide how you plan to exercise your right to vote as a homeowner.

It's time to turn the page and move on from the angry tirades, temper tantrums, and fictional conspiracy theories that Sher sends us with every newsletter, notice or announcement.

We encourage all homeowners, whether offsite investor-owner or owner-occupant, to unite together for the common cause of delivering a responsible, inclusive, volunteer-based board of directors.  Please visit our "How to Take Action" page for details and on how you can help our cause for the greater good of Cedar Run's future.

Let's End This Madness Together!!

Let's Restore Cedar Run!!

Questions and comments are always welcome!!
email: restoreCR@gmail.com
Voicemail or text: (224) 544-9058

PS - We will be at the so-called "Annual Meeting" on Thursday 6/26/2014.  Come on out and chat with other Concerned Homeowners about 30-45 min before the meeting starts.  Proxies and petitions will be on-hand.
 

Sher's "Annual Meeting" and Budget

By now, Cedar Run homeowners should have received Robert Sher's most recent mailings: One to announce the postponement of what he is calling an Annual Meeting, the other purporting to be a fiscal budget and financial statement.

Both of these mailings are filled with the usual self-promotion, blaming everything on his predecessors or those who dare to disagree with him or question his decisions.  The meeting notice is especially disturbing to read, as it's akin to watching a small child throw a temper tantrum.  The budget & financials are preceded by five pages of the same temper tantrum, mixed with self-aggrandizing rhetoric and empty, baseless accusations.  Is Robert Sher even capable of sending out a single notice that has actual, objective information???  Apparently not......

For now we will spare you a long-winded rebuttal to each one of Sher's statements (each one more ridiculous than the last).  If you are tired of all the bickering, we assure you , we're tired of to too.

The primary focus of this blog entry is the budget and financial information contained in these mailings.  We saw some interesting things that homeowners should take note of.

See the budget letter HERE.
See the meeting date notice HERE.

"Transparency"
First off, Sher claims to be sharing this information with you as part of his pledge to give you transparency.  This is simply not true; he was FORCED to do this.  He hasn't given us a budget for two straight fiscal years, and the legitimacy of Sher's board has finally come up in court because of this (and many other issues).

Not convinced?  Then take notice of a phrase on page 4 of the letter, section entitled, "THE CORPORATION AND THE STATE OF IT'S FINANCIAL FUTURE".  Notice how Sher refers to the Budget Statement as containing "future expected income and spending".  Now look at the dates on the budget statement, and you'll notice the budget covers dates from "Nov 1, 2013 to Oct 1, 2014".  Future???  WE ARE ALREADY MORE THAN HALFWAY THROUGH THIS FISCAL YEAR!!

By law, this budget information should have been in our hands BEFORE the beginning of the fiscal year.  If this were done properly, we would have gotten proposed budgets mailed to us in early October 2013, which would have included a date/time/location of the board meeting (open for homeowners to attend) where the board would vote on approving of the budget.  How many open board meetings has Sher conducted??  ZERO!!  This budget was likely drawn up no more than one month ago.

"Annual Meeting"
We went over this in greater detail in our previous blog entry.  An Annual Meeting of the Members IS AN ELECTION!  This is NOT an Annual Meeting; this is October 2013's Budget Meeting being held in June of 2014.  Sher is being pressed in court on why he hasn't conducted a true Annual Meeting (election) in two years.  He figures that by branding this as an Annual Meeting, he can show up in court on July 2nd and make the issue go away.  Don't bet on it!!

"Mgmnt Staff"
Check out Line #16 of the financial statement.  $52,409.80 paid to Sher and Jack Shaw for FY 2013, $60,000 slated for FY 2014.  Like we've stated all along and had to prove with the check images (thanks to Sher's lack of TRANSPARENCY), those two are still being handsomely paid for their part-time work, and their pay rates keep rising.  Now look up at line #4 and notice that we are paying $25,000/year for "Office Assistants".  So according to the latest figures for FY 2014, we are paying $85,000/year to be "Self-managed"???  (not including the $7K in office supplies we must now purchase for management purposes) Whether you loved or hated Alma, do understand that their management fees were just shy of $52,000/year....period.

Legal Expenses
Line 12 - $65,0000/year  (and another $50K contingency set aside just in case). We don't need to tell you where this money is going.  That's right, Anne Shaw.......err, uhh, make that the Law Firm of Shaw and Associates.  You get the picture.  Sound like a lot of money??  Well it's pocket change compared to the growing legal bill for all the lawsuits spurred by Sher.  Most of this bill is being tacked onto the construction loan principle and amortized with interest.  See our blog entry entitled, "The Hidden Costs of Robert Sher's Decisions" for further details.

Clubhouse Renovation
Line 34 - $200,000?!?  Do we really need to spend that much on "improving" the clubhouse?  Does the clubhouse not already serve its purpose as a meeting location and party venue?  Aren't there more important maintenance items to focus on?  You be the judge.

Insurance Expense
Line 11 - $98,710.29 for FY 2013, reduced to $17,000 for FY 2014.  How did Sher drastically reduce this cost?  Pure Genius?? NOT!!  He reduced it by dropping the bundled policy that also covered your building insurance.  Now, instead of a bundled, discounted single policy,  your phase associations must now pay for higher cost, individual policies to cover the buildings.  This is the primary reason that phase dues had such a sharp increase for FY 2014.  Did Sher pass this $81,000+ savings onto you by reducing your monthly assessments??  Of course NOT!  This should have translated into about a $17/mo assessment reduction.

Are these financial figures accurate?
We have no way of knowing.  Should you take Robert Sher's word for it, or should you be skeptical? Were numbers doctored?  Figures altered?  Is there a second set of books?  Unless/until we see a report from a CPA or  Certified Fraud Examiner who performed a complete financial audit, compiled everything on an accrual basis, and reconciled bank records with Sher's accounting records, we will take these figures with a grain of salt.

Sher was very critical of his predecessors for opting to have their financials reviewed in something called a "Compilation Report", rather than a full audit.  He vowed to ensure that the new board would have their books fully audited every year.  Here we are two years later, without an audit, review, or compilation report.  Only now Sher claims to be considering having an audit.  We will see if anything tangible comes out of it.

What doesn't add up
Sher claimed that Zink/Alma left him with zero dollars in the bank, and over $100,000 in unpaid debt in August of 2012.  On line 44, he shows a surplus of $96,283.74 for FY 2013.  Then he shows a deficit of $213,200 for FY 2014, claiming that the deficit is balanced/offset by the previous years' savings???

If Sher was left with nothing in the bank after taking over in August of 2012, banked a surplus of $96,283.74 from November 2012 through October of 2013, where is he getting the $213,200 of "savings" from the previous years???  It just doesn't add up.  How much money did Sher really inherit from the previous board?  Probably not -$100K.  This also makes Sher's claim (or constant reminder) of having $450,000 in the bank look questionable.  And if the $450K claim is true, and he sticks to his budget, a majority of this money is already earmarked to be spent.  More than half of it will go into the clubhouse alone ($200K + $30K contingency).

Does this look right to you??
If not, please visit our How to Take Action page.  If you're tired of having your association run by a group led by someone who consistently passes the buck, blames everything on his predecessors (even two years later), threatens anyone who dares to disagree with him, publishes an "enemies list" once or twice a month, ignores the law and our bylaws........all while drawing a salary from your assessment dollars, then we ask you to consider signing our proxy.

Are you disgusted by Sher's performance but not convinced that there is a viable alternative?  Then we encourage you to read our article entitled "If not Sher, then Who???", where we discourage homeowners from taking an "Anybody But Sher" stance.

It's time to put an end to the bickering, finger-pointing, and angry tirades.  It's time to bring responsible, critical-thinking adults into the mix so we can finally Restore Cedar Run.

Questions, comments?
restoreCR@gmail.com
(224) 544-9058

The Desperate Actions of a Desperate Man

Despite stating in his most recent newsletter that he will be holding his typical "Homeowners' [aka propaganda] meeting" on June 18th, Our friend, Robert Sher has now posted notices on our garage doors that the meeting is now scheduled this Wednesday, Jun 11th.  He is also now calling this an Annual Meeting.

****UPDATE****MEETING MOVED TO JUNE 26TH****SEE BELOW****

First off, he can call it anything he wants, but it is NOT an annual meeting.  An Annual Meeting of the Members IS AN ELECTION.  You'll see from the agenda of this meeting that it says nothing about an election.  The agenda claims to be focused on budgeting, although it looks more like Sher's typical propaganda.....boasting about accomplishments, making excuses, finger-pointing, etc, etc, etc.

Why is Sher calling this an Annual Meeting?
It's actually quite simple.  Very soon Sher will likely be ordered by a judge to conduct a true annual meeting.  Sher's board has not conducted a single Annual Meeting since taking power nearly two years ago, and the judge has given them until July 2nd come up with a plan to correct this.  Between 2013's and 2014's Annual Meetings, most of the positions on the HOC board should have been up for re-election.  Obviously Sher's livelihood would be at risk if the board were turned over.

By cramming this sudden meeting down our throats and re-branding it as an Annual Meeting, this is just a half-hearted legal tactic.  Expect Sher and Anne Shaw to show up in court on July 2nd and claim to the judge that they already conducted an Annual Meeting and then request that the case be dismissed.  They may even file a Motion to Dismiss a week or two before the court date, which could explain why they want the meeting conducted earlier.

IT WON'T WORK......Here's Why:

1. An Annual Meeting is an Election, not a budget meeting.  Budget meetings should be in October, just before the start of the Fiscal Year on November 1st.  (FYI, we haven't seen one of those either)
2. Inadequate Notice.  A properly called Annual Meeting would have notices going out anywhere at least 15 days in advance.  It would also include nomination forms for anyone wishing to run for a position on the board and provide sufficient time for homeowners to send in the nomination forms.  Remember, it's an ELECTION. **UPDATE, SEE BELOW**
3. Improperly Delivered Notice.  Tacking notices on garage doors is not an acceptable means of delivering official meeting notices.  Postal mail is the proper way.  Courts have ruled consistently this way.  What if an owner lives off-site?  **UPDATE, SEE BELOW**

Bottom line is that Sher is getting very desperate, and he is willing to try every possible shady tactic  to avoid the inevitable election and maintain the steady flow of income he now enjoys. You've seen the check images.  You get the idea.

What to expect at this meeting??
Don't expect an election; that's for sure.  Expect the same power point presentation, spinning the same non-sense as always.  Since the agenda mentions budgets, might we actually see one?  Might we actually see the board conducting its business in the presence of homeowners?  Both of the above are doubtful, but if we see either of them, it will be pure theater.

What to watch out for at this meeting:
Beware of sign-in sheets.  If Sher plans to fudge some paperwork in order to make this meeting look like a real Annual Meeting, he will probably require homeowners to sign in.   The sign-in sheet would be used to show that he has established quorum, which is the minimum number of homeowners who must be present for a proper Annual Meeting.  Again, Quorum won't mean anything in  court because of the above three reasons. But if we can keep the sign-ins at 40 or less, it will make Sher look like an even bigger fool in front of the judge.  Bottom line:  Don't sign in!!

So come to the meeting Wednesday, and come early.  Cedar Run Concerned Homeowner volunteers will be there with clip boards, petitions & proxies that will count toward a REAL election, one we get one.  As always, we will be recording video of the meeting.

Questions, comments?
restoreCR@gmail.com
(224) 544-9058

Don't forget to visit our 'HOW TO TAKE ACTION' page, and our proxy!!

****UPDATE****DATE CHANGE****

So apparently Sher has suddenly changed the date of this meeting to June 26th, at least according to the sign posted at Cedar Run's entrance.  As of the morning of 6/10/14, the sign said that the Annual Meeting will be on 6/11/14.  By late afternoon, the new date of 6/26 was posted. So in just a few days, the meeting date has changed from 6/18 to 6/11 (re-branded as an Annual Meeting) to now 6/26 (still branded as an Annual Meeting).  Two date changes in three days....sounds like Sher's running a real smooth operation...NOT!!

Why this latest move?  We can only speculate.  Was he advised or scolded by Anne Shaw for for such a pompous idea?  Or perhaps he read this blog and learned that he hadn't called a proper meeting for the 11th.

Dear Robert.........YOU'RE WELCOME!!

In all seriousness, we must wait until notice is delivered.  It should be done by postal mail, and it should be postmarked by 6/11 at the latest.  Assuming that's the case, we'll see if the mailing speaks of a proper annual meeting (i.e. election).....highly doubtful, but still a possibility. 

Please check back to this blog, as new information will be posted when available.

Recent Propaganda Letter from Robert Sher

Ohh, how history repeats itself.....

Once again, Mr. Sher has barraged Cedar Run homeowners with self-promoting propaganda, where he boasts about what a wonderful job he has done and blames everyone else for any and all problems. This time, Sher delivered his message in hi-resolution color, on fancy, glossy paper, professionally printed, bound, folded & mailed to all 408 homeowners....what a great use of homeowner money! :)
(Apparently he didn't hire a proofreader because the grammar and spelling are atrocious!)

In the coming days, we will post a full rebuttal to the abundance of misinformation contained in this letter.  But here a a few quick points we'd like to reiterate:

1. Despite this letter claiming to be from the 'Master Board' and referring to Robert Sher as someone who serves/advises the board, ROBERT SHER WROTE THIS LETTER!!  He is the sole author, and it is unlikely that the board members had any influence on its content.  Sher is the one running the show, and the board basically answers to him.  For safe measures, he has his wife on the board as President, with the intention of shutting down any dissent.  Just ask any of the former board members who resigned in utter disgust.
2. There WILL BE AN ELECTION SOON, despite Sher's insistence that his board has a three year 'honeymoon' from its obligation to have annual meetings (aka annual elections).  It will be decided by a Cook County Chancery judge on July 2nd, 2014.  The Judge has already indicated that the HOC must have ANNUAL meetings.  This court appearance is Sher's opportunity to inform the judge of what he plans to do about the fact that there were no annual meetings for both 2013 and 2014.  Sher will probably urge Anne Shaw to argue that elections are not necessary, but  don't expect the Judge to be receptive to this argument.  https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/Finddock.asp?DocketKey=CABC0CH0CBFCD0CH
3. If Sher is so confident in what a great job he has done for the community, then why is he so terrified of holding elections?!?  Why is he afraid to let the homeowners decide their own fate and express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with his performance?  If Sher is doing such a great job, shouldn't the results speak for themselves?  Why the need to constantly boast about it??
4. Sher continues to point fingers at the Phase Associations.  Why are the phases in such bad shape?
• Delinquencies - Robert Sher convinced and coerced homeowners into blowing off their phase payments.
• Legal Fees - Robert Sher dragged all the phases into court because of the above and because he gerrymandered with the loans.
• Insurance - Robert Sher dropped the bundled policy that was covered by your Master Board payment and shifted all insurance expenses to the Phase associations. (without appropriately lowering the master HOA dues)
• Maintenance - Robert Sher refuses to cover and plumbing repairs that are outside the buildings, for which the Master Board is responsible.
5. Sher cites the 'thousands of hours' of hours of work he has done to for the benefit of Cedar Run.  Notice how he dances around the fact that he was (and still is) PAID FOR EVERY BIT of those thousands of hours.  Jack Shaw is also handsomely paid for his services, and we have no reason to believe he has done any actual work on behalf of Cedar Run.  Their motives are quite clear.
   
   
   
   Remember these???
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   They are still getting these.....and they get bigger every year!!!

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For now, we'll leave you with something that we've borrowed from MasterCard ads.

Assessment reduction Robert Sher promised us to gain our vote:
~$150 (50% of what we paid in 2012)

Assessment reduction we actually got from him:
$10

Average increase in Phase Assessment when Sher cut our insurance:
$25


Seeing the look on Robert Sher's face when the judge orders him to conduct an election:
PRICELESS!!!!!

More to come, stay tuned!!

We'll provide a full point-by-point response to this 'newsletter' in the next few days.  For now, we encourage you to read on down the page to our other recent blog entries, which already address a lot  of Sher's misinformation.

Questions, comments?
restoreCR@gmail.com
(224) 544-9058