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At 100 stories, Chicago landmark John Hancock Center is America's sixth tallest building home to offices, retailers, restaurants, other services, and about 700 condominiums in its upper floors. Opened in 1969 as rental units, they became condos in 1973 under Sudler Property Management, Inc., its web site saying:
"Over the years we have learned that providing our clients with superior service means re-defining our 'responsibility' as 'the ability to respond,' " among other ways through "efficient daily operations, well-managed capital improvements, accurate accounting records, and effective financial planning."
Omitted was Sudler's dark side through over-assessments, sweetheart deal contracts, lucrative kickback arrangements, and cheated residents through blatant profiteering and rigged elections to assure enough board members go along, don't object, or aren't informed so don't know.
Preferred are a committed hard core, supplemented by uninformed indifferent members, others who rarely attend meetings, many who live part or most of the year away, and overall know little about building activities or how Sudler mismanages them - for its benefit, not residents to be exploited for maximum profit.
The 40 year saga is too long and involved for an article.
As a result, it's simplified, focusing on selected events and important recent ones, but make no mistake. They reflect decades of mismanagement, misrepresentation, manipulation, a lack of ethics, and blatant fraud at the expense of residents, most unaware they've been scammed.
On October 26, 1991, Chicago's Near North News headlined, "Judge halts election at Hancock Center." Judge Monica Doyle issued a restraining order following charges that the election was illegal under a 1991 Illinois law, mandating all candidates be treated equally.
Specifically, "official slates" (including management endorsed ones) are prohibited, and all candidates must run at-large, not one per floor as then Hancock bylaws stipulated. As a result then, and in the 2009 (and perhaps 2010) election(s), legitimate candidates were improperly bumped to exclude ones Sudler designated persona non grata.
On January 19, 2003, former Hancock attorney Mark Pearlstein headlined a Chicago Tribune article, "Validity of board election may be challenged," saying he ran for his building's board, then belatedly discovered election irregularities, including:
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