Initial notices were mailed to Unit Owners the week of April 23rd:
April 23, 2021
Dear Unit Owner,
The 2021 Annual Meeting of the Unit Owners of the Park Tower Condominium Association is scheduled for Monday, June 14th, at 7:30pm in the Party Room at 5415 N. Sheridan Road. This year an election will be held to fill three (3) positions for two (2) year terms on the Board of Directors. Your current Board Members are:
Terms Expiring June 2021
Catherine Kestler
Michael Parrie
Jean Shamo
Terms Expiring June 2022
Sheldon Atovsky
Monique Fouant
Unit Owner volunteers willing to contribute their time and efforts to the Association as a member of the Board of Directors are encouraged to become a nominee. You need only be a Unit Owner of record and complete the enclosed “Candidate Application” to participate. Candidates are asked to submit a 1 page resume, and agree to the “Board Election Rules” on pages 2 and 3 of this notice.
Declarations of candidacy must be submitted on the official Candidate Application Form no later than 5:00PM, Friday, May 14, 2021, to the Park Tower Management Office. After confirmation of ownership status by the Association’s legal counsel, these owners will be formally recognized as candidates of record.
Forms received by the May 14th deadline will be distributed to Unit Owners via US Mail along with the formal Annual Meeting Notice, Agenda and a Proxy form with the candidates of record listed. These candidates will be invited to speak with owners at Meet the Candidate Night, scheduled for Wednesday June 9th at 7pm. Check Park Tower bulletin boards and the online calendar at www.ptcondo.com/calendar for details and any scheduling changes.
Candidate Forms received after the May 14th, 5pm deadline will be reviewed and confirmed by counsel for ownership status, and available for Unit Owners at the Annual Meeting on Monday June 14th. Nominations for additional candidates can be called for from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
All PTCA Owners are encouraged to participate in the election process and attend at the Annual Meeting either in person or by proxy. Please contact the Management Office if you have any questions at 773-769-3250 or via e-mail at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com. Also, visit the website at www.ptcondo.com for the latest PTCA news, updates, notices and announcements, including the latest election details.
Sincerely,
Timothy Patricio
General Manager
Park Tower Condominium Association
In addition to the matters described herein, the Illinois Condominium Property Act (765 ILCS 605/), as well as Articles “II” through “V” of the Condominium Association Bylaws, contain additional provisions relating to condominium association annual meetings, board elections, and voting rights. More information, including an “Election Rules and Procedures” packet is available online and from the Management Office.
ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTION PROCESS
Each year in June, an annual meeting of owners will be scheduled, at which time the election for vacancies on the board will be held. Only one owner per unit may serve on the board at any one time.
All eligible members who desire to be a candidate must be given an equal opportunity to run. Prospective candidates have three ways to obtain the nomination. First, owners have the opportunity to submit a self-nomination via the Candidate Information form distributed by the association. If submitted to the Management Office by the deadline, the owner’s name will appear on the proxy form mailed to all residents before the election and the annual meeting ballot. Second, a self-nomination via the Candidate Information form received after the deadline and before the annual meeting may be submitted; however, the candidate’s name will not appear on the proxy form or annual meeting ballot. And third, nomination submissions after the deadline may be accepted from the floor at the annual meeting.
DISSEMINATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
Candidates shall be allowed to promote their candidacy for election and distribute campaign materials to unit owners by U.S. Postal Service and during “Meet the Candidate” events organized by the association. For a fee, a list of unit owner addresses will be made available to unit owners by request for the purpose of distributing candidate information and campaign materials.
The following actions by candidates and supporters are strictly prohibited:
candidate’s election while on any common elements or other association property, including but not limited to the building’s residential hallways and doorways, Lobby, Health Club, Laundry Room, Garage, elevators, stairs and common areas within the mall.
The association will participate in and promote the election process in ways that include the following:
It is prohibited for campaign literature or communications to represent or imply any direct or indirect connection with, or approval of the association, the board or the managing agent, other than to indicate service on the association’s board and/or committees. It is suggested that all campaign materials (including materials distributed by U.S. Postal Service) clearly identify their author or source.
Campaign related complaints shall be submitted in writing to the Management Office, to be forwarded to the Board of Directors to decide upon an action to be taken. Candidates found in violation may be fined or disqualified from the election. If the board determines the violation warrants disqualification, the violator will withdraw from the election and all votes for that candidate whether by proxy form or ballot will not be recognized. Disqualification will only be considered for serious or repeated violations of the rules which disenfranchise other candidates, such as, but not limited to, altering proxies, making door to door solicitations, collecting proxies or distributing campaign materials in the common areas after being warned by the Association not to.
VOTING
Only one vote per unit is allowed, and the number of votes is based on the number of vacant board positions. Owners may either vote in person at the annual meeting or by proxy. The owner may designate an alternate person or “proxy” to cast vote(s) by indicating the individual’s name on the proxy form. A proxy may be revoked by written notice to the board, signed by the unit owner(s). A proxy form or ballot post-dating any other proxy form, signed by the unit owner, can also invalidate a pre-dated proxy form. The association will be bound by the designation made in the most recent and unrevoked proxy form or ballot, and has no responsibility to reconcile disputes between owners and alternates.
Elections for board members shall be conducted by secret ballot. The ballot shall be marked only with the percentage of ownership interest for the unit and the vote itself. The board shall maintain an accurate master registration list of all unit owners and their percentage of ownership in the association. Each ballot will have a code referencing the particular unit on the registration list for verification purposes by the election tabulators (auditing firm hired by the board).
The election tabulators shall be responsible for distributing ballots to the unit owners or their proxy holders at the annual meeting. A ballot shall be issued following verification that the person requesting a ballot is a unit owner or the proxy holder of a unit owner. Owners voting in person and proxy holders shall present picture identification at the time they request a ballot. If unit owners voting by proxy do not designate an individual as proxy holder, a non-running board member shall be considered the proxy holder and shall exercise the vote as specified on the proxy form.
The master registration list shall be kept at each election and marked when a ballot is issued for a unit. The list shall also be marked to indicate whether the ballot for a unit was given to the unit owner, to the proxy holder, or to the non-voting board member.
Voting will be conducted exclusively by means of the secret ballot or by proxy. Ballots will only be available at the annual meeting, and shall be completed and submitted in person at the annual meeting. Ballots or proxies received after the close of voting will not be counted.
Ballots and redacted proxies may be examined only after the election tabulator has certified the results of the election, and after receipt of a written request for review of documentation, consistent with any rules or procedures in place at the time of the election. Proxies may be examined only after the unit owner name, unit number and signature has been redacted. In order to expedite the counting of the votes, the election tabulator will not respond to inquiries from candidates or candidate representatives until after the counting of all of the votes have been completed. Detailed information is available in the Election Rules and Procedures packet online and from the Management Office.
For a copy of this notice and attached forms, Click Here