Are your condo association politics like ours?

My condo association is managed by a sole property manager who also happens to be a unit owner. In my opinion this is a conflict of interest for our community association; however, there is no rule in our condo documents that prohibits a unit owner from being the property manager. Over the years this manager has demonstrated incompetence and has participated in some highly unethical behavior . For example, when the condo board majority had discussed terminating the manager’s contract at a meeting, the manager retaliated by spearheading a recall campaign to recall those board members who were trying to terminate his contract. When a rogue condo board member created an internet blog defaming her fellow board members, the property manager posted comments on the blog’s discussion board agreeing with the half-truths and innuendos that were posted by the rogue board member. And I should mention that his posts were done during office hours and that the blog was about those same board members who were trying to terminate the management contract! In two weeks our condo association will hold elections for the 2010 board of directors and guess who submitted an intent to run form – you guessed it our property manager/unit owner! Yes, he wants to be a unit owner, paid manager, and board member. This definitely screams unethical to me and I would imagine that the code of ethics for a CAM would strongly urge against this.

But the story gets better -- In order to ensure the property manager not only gets elected but gets a condo board that loves him, he has been providing community members with a “voting guide” which tells community members what candidates he wants them to vote for. And you guessed it -- those candidates on his guide are all buddies with the manager. Word from one community member is that when the property manager provided him with the voting guide, the manager told the community member verbatim “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”.

Does anyone have any advice on what concerned unit owners can do about this situation? Any feedback would be appreciated.