As the past President of an HOA, they DO serve their purposes IF they are run with a gentle and guiding hand. In my experience, and I'm sorry if I offend the older crowd, but the people that were the absolute worst for my HOA were the old people that lived in the town homes. (55+). I don't know what the hell is in their craw, but they were the bane of my leadership. The single family homeowners were easy to deal with. There were times that I'd have to reign in the Architectural Committee. I took Federal Law and crammed it up their butt. If the Honorable Mr. Barfoot looks at the statute passed in 2005, I think that he'll be able to do the same. An association can't pass an ex post facto law or rule when it comes to covenants, conditions, and restrictions.