The HOA Board Quarterly Fall 2013 Issue #7 | Page 14

Dear mary: Ask a mediator
by Mary Delmage

Ask A Mediator: Dear Mary
Dear Mary, I am a relatively new board member
and our association has been plagued with a
couple of difficult, on-going disputes. I’ve noticed
that our president and other board members don’t
seem to put much faith in the IDR or ADR process.
Although participation in these processes is
mandatory, they have gone into the sessions with
an inflexible attitude. As one of them said in a
recent meeting, “We know that we’ll win in court,
so we don’t really need to make any concessions
in mediation.” This bothers me, but I’m not sure
how to explain the advantage of using mediation
sessions more effectively. Can you give me some
good arguments for adopting a more flexible
approach? Willing to be Flexible
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