Thursday, July 23, 2009

RESPONSE TO THE SHAPKIN ARTICLE FROM THE ACCUSED

Hi All,

I am shocked and offended by the article in the August UCO Reporter, which attacks the opinion and Nationality of one of our Association Presidents; for the simple reason that she disagrees with him. I am aghast at the lack of edtorial integrity of the UCO Reporter in not giving the "accused" the opportunity to respond, prior to publishing; and then, publishing the two articles side by side in the same Edition. Sue Cohen has sent me the following response and requested that I publish it on the BLOG; herewith said response:

Dave Israel
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May I add, to those of Dave Israel's, my sincerest apologies to my fellow countrymen for being the cause of the recent Anti British outburst published in the current edition of the UCO Reporter.
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It seems an enormous pity that the only way most of Century Village became aware of the numerous achievements made by the self appointed 'Golf Course Committee' ( Pro Active Committee for Century Village) was through a hissy fit against the British, thrown by Committee Chairman. Phil Shapkin.
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This is particularly regrettable since one of its self appointed committee members actually lives in the building singled out for his attack - Southampton B.
Perhaps if Mr Shapkin, who has now shown himself an able communicator, had used as much time and effort to keep his neighboring buildings informed about the Golf Course their residents and UCO reporter readers would have been spared his lengthy history lesson concerning my ancestry.
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Only one member of this committee – the conscientious Dave Israel, has publicly answered questions in an attempt to update information on the not insignificant events surrounding the Golf Course. Mr Shapkin, meanwhile, has maintained silence, secrecy and his personal brand of democracy – locking the doors to his meetings and through whatever means attacking anyone he perceives to have crossed him.
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I do not bully my fellow residents, nor do I believe that I , or anyone else for that matter necessarily 'knows what's best for them', and, as a consequence - an event Mr Shapkin took great exception too, I wrote to all our residents asking their opinions, following the closure of the golf course.
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Now, several weeks later, Mr. Shapkin, has responded by sharing his personal thoughts on my alleged transgression, through a letter to Southampton B residents. With equal moral blindness UCO published an 'edited' version of this letter in the August UCO Reporter.
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The situation all buildings surrounding the Golf Course now face is far from black and white and I make no apologies, for attempting to explain to Southampton B unit owners, the options, possible outcomes and implications. They are genuinely decent people who have a right to know, what's happening on their doorstep. After all, what are we all expected to do - look for a white flag flying over the golf course?
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If , as Mr. Shapkin would have us believe this is a battle we just can't lose, wouldn't it have been wise to inform the troops before they left for 'Jolly Old England' or our other summer absentee board members left for Jolly Old Virginia and Jolly Old New York ?
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Thankfully, the residents of Southampton B are not as bigoted as Mr. Shapkin and don't appear to have a problem with my Nationality. Nor do they seem to find anything sinister in the use of my and their mother tongue – the English used by most reasonably educated people.
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I wonder if Mr. Shapkin has any idea, or for that matter cares , how many people either British or with British ancestry he has offended with his pen ? I doubt it. I doubt too with his, diplomatic skills so transparent anyone in their right mind should expect him to negotiate anything more than a flight of stairs.
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Sue Cohen
President Southampton B Condominium Association.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shapkin is an old fool, long past his time to have anything to say about CV.

capt john said...
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capt john said...
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Al Sharpeton said...

We cannot welcome those to come and then try and act as though any culture will not be respected or treated inferior. Don’t make me come down there to squash the racism of P Shapkin.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Shapkin should THINK before he opens his mouth!!His mouth must be as closed minded as his meetings..

BARBARA

Anonymous said...

Phil Shapkin has done more for this village than any of you. He has the same right to express HIS POINT OF VIEW as you claim for yourselves.

Mag said...

sure PS has the right to air his views but for the Reporter to foist that long winded raving upon his is inexcusable ---what was the point of those countless words? As Dave said, offensive!

Anonymous said...

We were close to a deal on the golf course under the previous UCO administration and Shapkin stuck his nose in and screwed up it for everyone at CV. He is too old and out of touch to do anything related to CV business anymore.

BettieL said...

As one of "British" extraction,
I too am offended...Having just read his diatribe in the current
Reporter, once more confirms the
bias of the "Editorial Committee"
Mr. Shapkin needs to recognize the
Golf Course Issue, AFFECTS THE ENTIRE VILLAGE, and as such, MUST
BE HANDLED THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS..He can become PART OF THE
PROCESS,or NOT..THE CHOICE IS HIS!

Anonymous said...

The owners of the golf course are the Waldmans. The golf course is none of any of your's business.

If you want to bitch, bitch at the person who screwed you...

And in my opinion, that person would be....LEVY !

Anonymous said...

PHIL SHAPKIN IS MUCH WORSE THAN AN OLD FOOL. HE IS A SMALL MINDED EMBARRASSMENT WHO'S TIME HAS COME TO "FADE AWAY".

Ed Black said...

I find it troubling that the UCO Reporter has, once again, set aside their "editorial responsibilities" and permitted this personal attack on an opinion that differs from the writers.

The writer of any article is, like everyone else, able to speak their minds, however I had heard that the "personal attacks" were to end in the Reporter. Did the editor forget his responsibilities?

Where does the UCO Administration stand on this resumption of attacking views that differ from the writer’s views?

I must add my opinion that this article should never been published, and suggest that the liable in this article may well prove more expensive to all of us than just the insurance deductible.

I hope that some safeguards will now be forthcoming to eliminate such “bashing” and require opinions to just compare the issues, as is always a welcome response.

Valuable time and effort was wasted on such an article and has accomplished nothing of value to keep the ground an operating Golf Course!

We must stand together with respect for all, and recognize some may never agree with our view. It doesn’t make them our enemy!

Anonymous said...

Phil Shapkin is UCO's Ombudsman.

Definition of Ombudsman - Official responsible for impartially investigating citizens' complaints against a public authority or institution and trying to bring about a fair settlement.

Perfect man for the job?

Anonymous said...

Let's forget the article and get back to the fact of the open fence around the golf course. What are we going to do about it? Everybody is forgetting the real problem and getting caught up with hurting people's feelings.

Anonymous said...

WHAT PAGE IS THE SHAPKIN COLUMN

ON? WUD LIKE TO READ IT ONLINE.

Anonymous said...

yew caint find page 3, UCO Riporter august try harder

McDude said...

Not everybody is hip on the fact that "Tory," the name of a colonial political party, is nowadays considered like the N-word in UK countries outside of the US. Far as I know, Tory is Aaron Spelling's daughter. Maybe this could be a learning moment for all of us at CV.

Mag said...

ms. spelling's first name is Tori! what did you think of mr. l/stein's letter to waldman?

Not a Tory said...

Mag re letter-
It’s a bit short aint it, where is the wish for positive relationships, and ‘Please note the misbegotten ProActive committee which has been arsing around since 2005 does not represent 98% of Century Village’