Some residents of a northeast Denver neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief after their HOA president was ordered to step down from his position due his conviction in an unrelated fraud case.
T.J. Stone, who had served as president of the Green Valley Ranch HOA since June 2006, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and four years probation by an Arapahoe County judge on Sept. 10. Stone was found guilty of drawing disability benefits while working for another company, a form of double dipping.
While the fraud charges were not related to his duties as HOA president, as a condition of the sentence, Stone was ordered to step down from his position.
He began serving his jail term Sept. 18.
"It's just a godsend," said Theresa Chacon, a longtime Green Valley Ranch resident. "To me, T.J. Stone is no better than Bernie Madoff."
Chacon and others have been calling for Stone's resignation since July, when the Green Valley Ranch HOA board slapped homeowners with a $174 assessment fee to help fund services through the remainder of the year. Stone claimed the fee was needed because much of the budget had already been spent to cover legal fees connected to a lawsuit the HOA filed against the Green Valley Ranch Metropolitan District.
That lawsuit claimed the Metropolitan District hadn't performed adequate covenant enforcement under the terms of a recently passed ballot measure, 5A, which was designed to help save money by combining resources between the HOA and Metro District. The legal battle continued until the partnership between the HOA and Metro District was eventually dissolved.
Stone has maintained that the lawsuits were necessary. He wrote in the HOA's July newsletter, "In anticipation that the Metro District would not fund the HOA after mediation, the Board of Directors approved a special assessment at a special board meeting held April 8, 2009."
Homeowners say they were blindsided by the fee and many called for Stone's resignation at a July 22 board meeting. Despite the public pressure, Stone vowed to remain president and many on the board supported him.
Roger Rohrer, who was elected to the HOA board in June, has been critical of how the homeowner's association has handled the budget. He said Stone has spent nearly $250,000 on legal fees in the past 18 months, which he feels is a waste of money at the expense of the homeowners in the neighborhood.
He hopes for a fresh start now that Stone is gone.
"I'm just hoping for a new tact, a new direction, one that includes more honesty," Rohrer said.
Many are already calling for a special election to fill three empty seats on the board. HOA vice-president Gary Haley said the board will seek and appoint their own candidates for the time being.
Stone could not be reached for comment for this story.