Troubling trends

The belief was that a court-appointed administration was going to be a temporary unpleasant hardship that would last for a year or two and then the condo corporations would return to democracy.

Role models
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, (519–430 BC) the Roman aristocrat and statesman whose service as consul in 460 BC and dictator in 458 BC and 439 BC made him a model of civic virtue is the ultimate role-model for an administrator.

His immediate resignation of his near-absolute authority with the end of the crises has often been cited as an example of outstanding leadership, service to the greater good, civic virtue, lack of personal ambition and modesty.

Within his lifetime Cincinnatus became a legend to the Romans. Twice granted supreme power, he held onto it for not a day longer than absolutely necessary.

Detroit

Kevyn Orr

On 14 March 2013, Kevyn Orr was acclaimed emergency manager of the City of Detroit. On 16 July 2013, the city filed for bankruptcy. On 10 December 2014, Detroit exited bankruptcy and Kevyn Orr left office.

After being ruled by an emergency manager for less than two years (equivalent to an administrator), Detroit's elected municipal officials regained most of their lost powers.

Condo administration
However, there is now a tendency for condominium corporations to remain in administration for years.

YCC #42 (320-340 Dixon Road) was in administration for six years, YCC #506 (40 Panorama Court) will be in administration for five years come August 2015 and the newly appointed administrator for YCC #365 went to court in early January 2015 to have his 18 month term extended to a full four years.

Why so long?
There are four reasons:
1.
The building's maintenance has been neglected for so long that extremely large amounts of money needs to be raised to pay for the required renovations. This money has to come from the owners; either as large increases in fees, special assessments or by the corporation taking on loans.
2.
The low-income owners cannot afford these increases in costs. This will result in a number of units being sold under power-of-sales with the owners being forced out of their homes. At YCC #42, up to one-third of the owners lost their units.
3.
The necessary repairs can take several years to complete.
4.
The owners, who want a return to democratic self-governance fail to persuade the courts that they have a solid business plan that addresses the corporation's needs and that a new board will have the required support of the majority of owners to maintain the increases in fees and assessments until all the required work is completed.
The courts are concerned that as soon as the administrator leaves, the elected directors will not be able to resist the owners' demands that they roll back the monthly fees and that only an administrator will have the necessary power and grit to continue the high fees  required to complete the repairs and renovations.
The big scare
I think I am seeing a new scare tactic where the administrator, or the board that wishes to have an administrator appointed, claims either:
1.
If the administrator is not appointed or re-appointed, the finance company will not loan the corporation any money (or more money) or it may apply to the courts to appoint a receiver.
2.
If the administrator is not appointed or re-appointed, the insurance company will either cancel the condo corporation's insurance policy or will refuse to renew the corporation's policy.

It is difficult for the owners to repudiate these claims as they are submitted in affidavits and can only be challenged by cross examination; a cost most owners can not afford.

Yet at least some of these claims are questionable because a couple of the affidavits I have seen were written by the condo corporation's lawyer and sent to the finance company to be signed and a couple of these claims didn't seem credible.

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