Dictator, Bully or Hypocrite? Has Ethics Become a Weapon in Power Ranch?
Stonewalling, Word-Policing, and a Chilling Effect
What’s happening inside the Power Ranch Board isn’t just questionable — it’s starting to look like a calculated power grab. President Ken Starks, once loudly opposed to the Board’s Code of Ethics over fears it could be abused, now appears to be doing exactly that: using it to suppress dissent, stifle transparency, and consolidate control.
In recent weeks, board members have attempted to raise critical issues — only to be stonewalled. In one documented instance, multiple board member requested a revisit of Oversii, our security enforcement company. The request was denied.
These aren’t isolated incidents. Other members have been told that simply describing delays as “denials” could constitute a violation of the Board’s December 9th Ethics Policy — a warning issued behind closed doors. The message? Speak carefully. Or else.
Let’s call this what it is: not governance — intimidation.
Why It Matters
The President’s role isn’t to control the conversation. It’s to facilitate it. When elected board members are being warned not to describe their experience too honestly, or are denied the right to place items on the agenda — that’s not just unprofessional. It’s a violation of both the spirit and structure of fair governance.
Under the PRCA Board Code of Ethics, directors are expected to act “in good faith” and in the best interests of the Association. And under A.R.S. § 33-1804, HOA members — including board members — have the right to fully participate in board meetings and decision-making. Weaponizing the Ethics Policy to police language or suppress opposing views defeats the purpose of ethical governance. Worse — it suggests that the policy was never about integrity, but about control.
And the irony couldn’t be thicker: this is the same President who once refused to sign the very Code he’s now using to police others — because, in his own words, it gave the President too much power.
He was right… when power is held in the wrong hands. — And now, he’s proving it.
The Bigger Problem
This isn’t just about agenda items. It’s about a dangerous precedent.
Agenda items are being blocked with vague, undocumented excuses
Board members are warned not to describe delays as denials
Ethical standards are being twisted into tools of suppression
Dissent is not just discouraged — it’s disciplined
If this becomes the standard, future Presidents can silence critics with the same tactics, creating a board that functions only through fear and silence — not collaboration or accountability.
So Who’s Accountable?
If the board’s internal dynamics are being dictated by fear, not fairness, Power Ranch has a leadership crisis on its hands. This isn’t a procedural dispute — it’s a breakdown of trust. When a President begins using policies to silence peers instead of serve residents, the community is no longer being led. It’s being ruled.
This is not transparency.
This is not collaboration.
And this is not how a board representing 14,000+ residents is meant to function.
This is power unchecked — and unless it’s addressed, it will only grow bolder.
