May 10, 2026 | Mark Luis Foster

First off: Happy Mothers’ Day! I no longer am afforded the joy of having my mother on earth, but I know from our regular chapters that we have many mothers coming through our meetings. We hope you have a wonderful day today with your family.

Now, onto HOA matters. We reported on April 28 right here on this blog that the new HOA Ombudsman is no longer in the chair (HERE). Interesting that this much ballyhooed positioned, which was suddenly vacated by Joe LeBlanc, was not covered anywhere in the local media. Maybe reporters should use our blog as a tip line.

Channel 5 (KSTP) filed a report over the weekend, finally catching on.

A spokesperson says the Department of Commerce is currently recruiting for the ombudsperson position and is accepting applications through May 20.

I talked to the Dept. of Commerce late last week and I posted the job description for the position HERE.

Anyway, back to the Channel 5 story. They feature an HOA resident from Waterville, Linda Warren, who evidently was working with Mr. LeBlanc on a dispute.

Warren says she started working with ombudsperson Joe LeBlanc in January, adding he was highly qualified. But months later, that ended. She says she received a letter from the Department of Commerce, saying the ombudsperson she had worked with was no longer with that office, and that finding a substitute might take several months.

Several months indeed. On a visit to the fairly recently launched HOA Ombudsman website, you are treated with this announcement:

Because demand for our services currently exceeds our resources, our response to requests for assistance may be delayed. Requests for informal mediation are not being accepted at this time. Please check for updates and browse the resources available on this website.

In my conversation with the DOC, I told them that we are a willing champion for them on helping to find a qualified candidate and to spread the word on the mission of the HOA Ombudsman Office. It can only help us if we work together.

If you know someone qualified, forward this blog and note the link above for the job description.

You can read and watch the HOA Ombudsman story HERE on Channel 5.