Marriott Newport Coast Villas - Board of Directors Election Ballot - Request your Vote [MERGED]

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

If you are an owner at Marriott Newport Coast Villas you should have received your election ballots for the board of directors by now. Please vote! I am running as an independent owner because I think it is important that we have more transparency rather than have annual maintenance fee increases routinely rubberstamped. I have owned at Newport Coast for 20 years and actually live less than 2 miles away in the village of Corona del Mar. Therefore I know the resort and surrounding area very well and it is extremely easy for me to just stop by to see what is going on. Thank you for your consideration.

Geert De Veirman (listed second alphabetically among the profiles and on the ballots)

 

[samara64]

Welcome to TUG.

What is the name to vote for.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

Geert De Veirman

I am listed second alphabetically among the candidate profiles and ballots

 

[b2bailey]

Can we vote online?

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

Unfortunately Marriott does not make this election process member friendly in this online age. Only paper ballots were sent out and these must be mailed back by the November 5 deadline. In addition, you also must designate a proxy (most convenient is to assign the association president as suggested) who submits your votes or you need to be present in person yourself at the annual meeting for your votes to actually be counted.

 

[bazzap]

Unfortunately Marriott does not make this election process member friendly in this online age. Only paper ballots were sent out and these must be mailed back by the November 5 deadline. In addition, you also must designate a proxy (most convenient is to assign the association president as suggested) who submits your votes or you need to be present in person yourself at the annual meeting for your votes to actually be counted.

I am surprised. I wonder how many of the MVC resorts have only paper ballots?
We own at 5x MVC resorts and all have had online ballots for as long as I can remember, using the third
party company Morrow Sodali.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

I received a paper ballot. When I could not find anything about voting online, I chatted and was then told to call owner services. After a lengthy explanation of what I was looking for, I was told that for Newport Coast I can only vote by mail or by going to the meeting.

 

[aka Julie]

I received a paper ballot. When I could not find anything about voting online, I chatted and was then told to call owner services. After a lengthy explanation of what I was looking for, I was told that for Newport Coast I can only vote by mail or by going to the meeting.

I think it’s a California thing. I own at Shadowridge in Palm Desert and we get paper ballot also. We can vote online for our Barony Beach in South Carolina.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

The Marriott Newport Coast Villas board of directors has 5 members. On alternate years 2 or 3 are elected to 2-year terms. This year there are three open positions.

Each year the board solicits applications from the owners to run. I have contemplated many times but decided that this year was my time to go for it and I submitted my application. Several weeks later I received a letter stating that the board's nomination committee, which I gather consists of 3 out of the 5 members, had not retained my candidacy for the ballot. However, if I insisted, I would still be able to force my name on the ballot by self-nomination if I let them know by regular mail (online confirmation was not acceptable) that despite the board's rejection running was indeed my intention, in what amounted to a short 5-day window from receipt. Defiantly, I quickly acted and that is why I am on the ballot now and asking for all your owners' support.

2 of the 3 board members whose mandate was ending and thus were up for re-election are in fact running. Not surprisingly, both are Marriott employees!!! I am sure their nomination was supported by the board and they did not have to go the route that I did. Whose interests do you think they represent, the individual owners like you and me, or their employer Marriott Corporation???

My motivation to run is to achieve greater transparency in the expenses rather than seeing MF increases rubberstamped year after year.

I have owned at the resort for 20 years since preconstruction and I actually live practically down the street, less than 2 miles away. I can simply stop by on my daily commute to work and check out firsthand what is going on. I can attend local meetings at no cost at all. Who else of the candidates running this year can do this?

Just as Marriott Newport Coast makes it hard for an independent owner to be on the ballot, it is equally hard for all owners to have their votes counted as they have to be mailed in together with a proxy authorization by November 5, or you need to attend in person at the annual meeting.

If you have any questions, feel free to reply or comment and I will respond.

My name is Geert De Veirman, and I am listed second alphabetically on the election ballot.

Thank you for making it all the way through this message.

 

[b2bailey]

When is the meeting?

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

The annual meeting is on November 12, 2019 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa (not the Newport Coast Villas) starting at 4pm.

 

[MOXJO7282]

I don't usually vote but you made a compelling case so you'll get my 2 votes. I just put the paperwork in the recycle bin but just retrieved it and will mail it in next week before the Nov 5th deadline. We've owned since 2005 as many as 4 weeks, now just 2 plat weeks but we enjoy having these in our portfolio. We've only been to the property twice in all these years of ownership and love the fantastic location, the pools and an excellent gym with steam and sauna. It also has always been a great rental property for us and rents for $1k over maintenance every year without fail so it's something we see owning and using for many years to come. Although MFs have gone up it still remains a very good value in my book for a 2BDRM beach resort in a great location in So Cal.

Good luck.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

Thank you. I fully agree with you that this is a very nice property and a great location. I just want to make sure that our MF money is spent wisely and that there is transparency.

 

[SueDonJ]

I don't own at NCV so I'm not giving an opinion on the OP's qualifications, but I'll say "good luck" and also mention a couple things jumping out at me from this thread:

- Geert, your TUG name is "concerning" for two reasons. First, any User Names with "@" or ".com" or similar tags invite bot activity and other nefarious social media harvesting. Second, the "@Marriott_NCV" tag may invite scrutiny from Marriott corporate because it could be wrongly construed as an official company contact, not a good look under normal circumstances but especially if you're running for a board position. You might not agree but if you do, take a look at the "How Can I Change My TUGBBS Username?" section of this site's Bulletin Board Help section. (If you do change your name, let me know and I'll edit this thread to remove any references to your first Username.)

- Joe, your, "I don't usually vote" is worrisome! I get that it feels like annual voting is effectively useless, especially when the only items on the ballots are BOD positions, but consider at least this - Marriott is legally-mandated to hold Annual Meetings that require participation which satisfies a stipulated quorum. Depending on where the resort is located the governing docs stipulate that in the event a quorum is not reached, Marriott is required to re-schedule the Annual Meeting at least one more time (and possibly a third.) Re-scheduling legally requires a second (and possibly third) mailing of the materials that were printed/sent out for the first, in addition to whatever other costs are incurred for booking the venue as well as the travel costs of any corporate, resort BOD and/or parliamentary officials who are required to attend.

Everybody - over the years there've been reports on TUG of mailings from Marriott begging for proxies to be submitted because there's been a danger of quorums not being met (BeachPlace Towers comes to mind recently) - don't be responsible for incurring additional unnecessary costs that are legally assumed by you and your fellow owners! Take a few minutes and VOTE your proxies!

 

[bazzap]

I am often amazed how relatively few owners actually cast their votes, especially when so many express their views quite strongly about their resort, the Maintenance fees, the facilities, the refurbishments...etc - I believe as low as single figure % at quite a number of resorts.
Hopefully, threads such as this will encourage more owners to vote and have a positive impact.

 

[Norcal5]

As far as I can see at least 4 of the 5 current board members are MVCI employees, and possibly 5, as I can't figure out if Mr. Tobin is one. This is very concerning! JiminNC noted in the MVCI Investor's Call a couple of weeks ago that an increasing percentage of MVCI's revenues comes from management fees, and I think that is going to be their main focus in the future. When maintenance fees go up, management fees go up the same percentage! I doubt any of the MVCI-employee board are trying to keep this number down. If you watch the Hyatt forum you will see that MFs there are rising between 8 and 20 percent for 2020, the first year that Marriott has taken over. Historically increases have been 2-4%. (Note: Reserve fee increases are not included in the 8-20 percent stat.)

We need an independent owner to watch out for owner interests. The two local candidates are Geert DeVeirman and Jeannie Hagedorn, both excellent choices. Local is important here. I spoke with Geert on the phone yesterday and am impressed with his commitment to transparency and keeping a close eye on maintenance fee increases. Please consider joining me in putting your votes behind him. We can't afford to divide our votes, as the cards are completely stacked against us because of the number of weeks in the trust and the small percentage of weeks owners who vote. If you have any friends that are owners at NCV please remind them to vote. I've gathered a total of 528 votes, (24 per week) many from friends and family who own weeks, including several whose ballots were already in the recycle bin when I spoke to them. I hope our fellow TUG members can help get independent owners elected to their property's boards also.

 

[MOXJO7282]

I don't own at NCV so I'm not giving an opinion on the OP's qualifications, but I'll say "good luck" and also mention a couple things jumping out at me from this thread:

- Geert, your TUG name is "concerning" for two reasons. First, any User Names with "@" or ".com" or similar tags invite bot activity and other nefarious social media harvesting. Second, the "@Marriott_NCV" tag may invite scrutiny from Marriott corporate because it could be wrongly construed as an official company contact, not a good look under normal circumstances but especially if you're running for a board position. You might not agree but if you do, take a look at the "How Can I Change My TUGBBS Username?" section of this site's Bulletin Board Help section. (If you do change your name, let me know and I'll edit this thread to remove any references to your first Username.)

- Joe, your, "I don't usually vote" is worrisome! I get that it feels like annual voting is effectively useless, especially when the only items on the ballots are BOD positions, but consider at least this - Marriott is legally-mandated to hold Annual Meetings that require participation which satisfies a stipulated quorum. Depending on where the resort is located the governing docs stipulate that in the event a quorum is not reached, Marriott is required to re-schedule the Annual Meeting at least one more time (and possibly a third.) Re-scheduling legally requires a second (and possibly third) mailing of the materials that were printed/sent out for the first, in addition to whatever other costs are incurred for booking the venue as well as the travel costs of any corporate, resort BOD and/or parliamentary officials who are required to attend.

Everybody - over the years there've been reports on TUG of mailings from Marriott begging for proxies to be submitted because there's been a danger of quorums not being met (BeachPlace Towers comes to mind recently) - don't be responsible for incurring additional unnecessary costs that are legally assumed by you and your fellow owners! Take a few minutes and VOTE your proxies!

Fair point taken.

 

[bazzap]

European and Asian MVC resorts have exclusively independent Board members.
One existing Board member even stood down after a relative became an Marriott employee.

 

[Norcal5]

European and Asian MVC resorts have exclusively independent Board members.

So there must be a law that requires this that we don’t have.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

I don't own at NCV so I'm not giving an opinion on the OP's qualifications, but I'll say "good luck" and also mention a couple things jumping out at me from this thread:

- Geert, your TUG name is "concerning" for two reasons. First, any User Names with "@" or ".com" or similar tags invite bot activity and other nefarious social media harvesting. Second, the "@Marriott_NCV" tag may invite scrutiny from Marriott corporate because it could be wrongly construed as an official company contact, not a good look under normal circumstances but especially if you're running for a board position. You might not agree but if you do, take a look at the "How Can I Change My TUGBBS Username?" section of this site's Bulletin Board Help section. (If you do change your name, let me know and I'll edit this thread to remove any references to your first Username.)

- Joe, your, "I don't usually vote" is worrisome! I get that it feels like annual voting is effectively useless, especially when the only items on the ballots are BOD positions, but consider at least this - Marriott is legally-mandated to hold Annual Meetings that require participation which satisfies a stipulated quorum. Depending on where the resort is located the governing docs stipulate that in the event a quorum is not reached, Marriott is required to re-schedule the Annual Meeting at least one more time (and possibly a third.) Re-scheduling legally requires a second (and possibly third) mailing of the materials that were printed/sent out for the first, in addition to whatever other costs are incurred for booking the venue as well as the travel costs of any corporate, resort BOD and/or parliamentary officials who are required to attend.

Everybody - over the years there've been reports on TUG of mailings from Marriott begging for proxies to be submitted because there's been a danger of quorums not being met (BeachPlace Towers comes to mind recently) - don't be responsible for incurring additional unnecessary costs that are legally assumed by you and your fellow owners! Take a few minutes and VOTE your proxies!

Thank you for the reply. Your points about my member handle are thoughtful and well-taken. I will follow the pointer to make a change.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

As far as I can see at least 4 of the 5 current board members are MVCI employees, and possibly 5, as I can't figure out if Mr. Tobin is one. This is very concerning! JiminNC noted in the MVCI Investor's Call a couple of weeks ago that an increasing percentage of MVCI's revenues comes from management fees, and I think that is going to be their main focus in the future. When maintenance fees go up, management fees go up the same percentage! I doubt any of the MVCI-employee board are trying to keep this number down. If you watch the Hyatt forum you will see that MFs there are rising between 8 and 20 percent for 2020, the first year that Marriott has taken over. Historically increases have been 2-4%. (Note: Reserve fee increases are not included in the 8-20 percent stat.)

We need an independent owner to watch out for owner interests. The two local candidates are Geert DeVeirman and Jeannie Hagedorn, both excellent choices. Local is important here. I spoke with Geert on the phone yesterday and am impressed with his commitment to transparency and keeping a close eye on maintenance fee increases. Please consider joining me in putting your votes behind him. We can't afford to divide our votes, as the cards are completely stacked against us because of the number of weeks in the trust and the small percentage of weeks owners who vote. If you have any friends that are owners at NCV please remind them to vote. I've gathered a total of 528 votes, (24 per week) many from friends and family who own weeks, including several whose ballots were already in the recycle bin when I spoke to them. I hope our fellow TUG members can help get independent owners elected to their property's boards also.

Thank you for the reply. I would like to point out that while there is another candidate local to Orange County, she is still a good half hour away (and much longer with traffic). I am literally 5 minutes and less than 2 miles down the road in the village of Corona del Mar, and pass by the resort almost daily. (By the way, I bought the timeshare first and later on the house.) It will take me no effort nor mileage charges to swing by. I do not know if board members are compensated for their time (I suspect the Marriott employees are) or are strictly volunteers, but I pledge to take not a single penny if I get to serve.

Throughout my career, whether at a large corporation or as an initial leader at a ground-level start-up, I have always been very conscious about expenses. Where ever possible I expect to have 3 independent quotes for any large expense. I treat corporate money as my own. I intend to do exactly the same if I get elected onto the board.

 

[Norcal5]

do we send the Ballot page in, the Limited Proxy page(s) or both?

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Thank you for the reply. I would like to point out that while there is another candidate local to Orange County, she is still a good half hour away (and much longer with traffic). I am literally 5 minutes and less than 2 miles down the road in the village of Corona del Mar, and pass by the resort almost daily. (By the way, I bought the timeshare first and later on the house.) It will take me no effort nor mileage charges to swing by. I do not know if board members are compensated for their time (I suspect the Marriott employees are) or are strictly volunteers, but I pledge to take not a single penny if I get to serve.

Throughout my career, whether at a large corporation or as an initial leader at a ground-level start-up, I have always been very conscious about expenses. Where ever possible I expect to have 3 independent quotes for any large expense. I treat corporate money as my own. I intend to do exactly the same if I get elected onto the board.

Geert; I recognize that you are 5 minutes and 2 miles away, and an owner there for 20 years (and not a Marriott Employee) but what else can you discuss about yourself such as your education background, work background, work experience, etc. ?

Telling all the NCV owners as much as you can about yourself is in your best interest.





.

 

[GDV@Marriott_NCV]

To be honest I am confused by the wording. On the one hand it looks to me that you need to designate a proxy by November 5 to vote as you indicate. On the other hand it says "Please note, however, that votes will be counted if cast in person or otherwise properly received before November 12." I will ask the secretary for clarification and will post here when I hear back, presumably on Monday.

 

[bazzap]

So there must be a law that requires this that we don’t have.

Perhaps not a law, but there is a clear statement in the charter for at least one of our home resorts which says
“The candidates and Committee members may not be employees, or relatives of employees, of affiliates of Marriott....”