HOA Board From Hell: Arizona Neighborhood Threatens To Fine Resident For Critical Social Media Posts
By Ashe Schow
Perhaps the most critical portrays of a Homeowners Association (HOA) came from the 2006 animated film “Over the Hedge,” in which the president of the HOA, Gladys (voiced by Allison Janney) rules with an iron fist over her neighborhood. Our first introduction to the character involves her chastising a resident for not trimming their lawn in accordance with HOA rules, saying, “The homeowner’s charter, which you signed, says the grass is supposed to be two inches, and according to my measuring stick, yours is two-point-five.”
The movie was made before social media took over our lives. Facebook was relegated to college campuses and Twitter was a year away from really taking off. Now, social media has been caught in the crossfires of an Arizona HOA seeking to punish residents for their First Amendment rights.
Ashley Nardecchia is the administrator of a private Facebook group called “Residents at VVL,” a reference to the Val Vista Lakes community in Gilbert, AZ. She told ABC15 that the Facebook page is “about bringing that community together,” and the outlet reported that it’s mostly filled with people posting about events, lost pets, and safety updates. Last year, however, the page became a place for residents to criticize members of the housing board during the elections.
“It was disagreements about how certain members of the board run the board, where they’re spending our money, things of that nature,” Nardecchia told the outlet.
After the elections were held, ABC15 reported, the board “proposed a social media policy restricting opinions about the board on Facebook.” Obviously, the members of the Facebook page disagreed with the policy proposal.