In what may be the most egregious case of a community association board run amok this century, the March 7 episode of Fox-TV's "The X-Files" featured a Tibetan monster conjured up by an association president that kills residents for the slightest rule infraction. The 42 million Americans who live in a community association are safe from the fictional creature of "Arcadia," but may need guidance in effectively participating in community association governance, according to the Community Associations Institute.

"Most planned communities offer a positive living experience—a neighborhood with a strong sense of community and a high degree of resident participation," said Barbara Byrd Keenan CAE, president of CAI. "But we know that some community associations need help developing effective and harmonious governance principles."

Luckily, the truth is out there. CAI provides the tools homeowners need to competently and fairly develop and enforce rules, including the 1998 award-winning best-seller Be Reasonable! How Community Associations Can Enforce Rules Without Antagonizing Residents, Going to Court or Starting World War III. For more information on CAI's nearly 100 publications or membership, call CAI at 703/548-8600 or visit the Institute's web site.

The Community Associations Institute is a nonprofit association created in 1973 to educate and represent the nation's 205,000 community associations—condominium associations, homeowner associations and cooperatives. CAI members include homeowners, associations and related professionals and service providers.