The section requesting information about financial relationships with board members had been left blank.
I looked up.
"Was it ever completed?"
The attorney shook her head.
"Not in the records provided so far."
The new president took a breath.
"Public business filings indicate that the vendor's principal manager is the former president's brother."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then she added, "The relationship wasn't identified in the board materials we've reviewed."
I leaned back.
The picture was becoming clearer.
The former president had helped create a sanitation enforcement program.
The program generated expensive cleanup work.
The preferred contractor was controlled by her brother.
And the association's own records failed to show a clear disclosure of that connection.
None of it excused the garbage in my pool.
But it offered a possible explanation for why she had been so determined to manufacture an emergency there.
The independent attorney asked whether I would be willing to provide the original footage and pool service documentation through the formal review process.
I agreed.
I also supplied the invoices showing the condition of the pool before the incident, the report from the independent professional, and the estimates for returning the pool to safe use.
The attorney reviewed everything.
Then she looked toward me.
"Have you repaired or removed anything since the police documentation?"
I explained that a qualified pool service had handled the necessary cleanup and preserved its observations.
She nodded.
"Good."
I asked whether the association would cover the costs caused by the former president's conduct.
The attorney answered carefully.
"That's a legal question that depends on authority, responsibility, insurance, and the findings. The board is reviewing it."
I appreciated the honesty.
She didn't promise money she couldn't guarantee.
And she didn't pretend that the former president's actions automatically made every homeowner responsible for paying through their association dues.
The situation needed proper handling.
Then the new president said something that surprised me.
"I want to apologize."
I looked toward her.
"For what?"
"For how long the board allowed these complaints to continue."
I shook my head.
"You weren't president then."
She nodded.
"But I was a resident. I saw people getting discouraged from asking questions."
I considered that.
She continued.
"I kept thinking the financial problems would eventually become obvious enough for someone else to address."
I looked toward the files.
"Well, they became obvious."
She gave a tired smile.
"Unfortunately."
Then she looked directly at me.
"I didn't expect to catch the former president throwing garbage into your pool on my first day."