Dear Neighbor:
For what our Board loves to describe as a “high-end” community, the continuing lack of information and unparalleled incompetence from the Board is now indescribable.
Here are some updates:
- Look at the email John Knauss sent to Susan, and the completely IRRELEVANT, BULLSHIT, AND APATHETIC reply from the PR Queen:
From: Susan Lapetina <lapetinaspboard@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Subject: Re: snow debacle
To: John Knauss <jcknaussboardspca@gmail.com>
Cc: Sutton Place Manager <gmsuttonplace@gmail.com>, Ross Harris <rharrisonsuttonplace@gmail.com>, Cindy Drucker <cindydspca@gmail.com>, Mary-Lynn Wrabel <mlwspca@gmail.com>
There are clearly areas of improvement that need to be addressed – and are being addressed. It is not a debacle, John. [Emphasis added – Ken R]
William/Chris had a call with Greenskeepers. The company was out here last evening. I’m about to walk the property again – which I have done several times and with William, yesterday. Greenskeepers missed areas – that is true. The issue is that the cold temperatures created immovable ice mounds. The areas that Greenskeepers missed should have been attended to on Sun/Mon. When they did not show up on Tuesday, I alerted William/Chris who pressed Greenskeepers. Clearly another call with them is in order if they did not clear the affected areas – I will walk out shortly and check those spots.
Sharing that I walked to Wegmans on Tuesday and up and down Wisconsin there are cars buried in ice. As a main artery, this was a surprise to see. It is just expanded information to give you a picture – not an excuse.
William/Chris – I know that you will be following up with Greenskeepers today. If more snow is coming to DC this weekend, then we need a revised plan and of course a detailed communication sent to the community for the weekend. I would also note that an email to the community today about current conditions is in order.
Please call me directly if there are questions.
Susan
On Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 8:23 AM John Knauss <jcknaussboardspca@gmail.com> wrote:
I may not be there and be directly affected by what is happening, but this is sounding more and more like a travesty.
What is being done to get out ahead of this situation? What is being COMMUNICATED to the community? Has another company been contacted if Greenskeeper can’t make it? What equipment will be needed? What’s going to happen today to clear up this situation?
I know we are in the middle of a transition but this isn’t a good showing in any way, shape, or form. The Board needs to make an apology for what is happening.
Sincerely,
John C. Knauss
Director SPCA
Susan should resign, but she lacks the integrity to do so. If she seriously believes what she wrote the woman is COMPLETELY detached from reality. I just came back from Foxhall and watched the clown car crew outside. As with virtually all of SP contractors, VIRTUALLY NONE OF THEM SPEAKS ENGLISH (and I’m an immigration attorney; I am used to that and help foreigners) and no supervisor is apparently on site. And of course no one from the office or Board can be seen anywhere.
No one gives a shit about Wisconsin Ave or the State of Wisconsin. Do your f***ing job! You are the most incompetent President in the history of Sutton Place. You only mentioned it as an excuse despite what you say, PR Queen; no one needs a picture when we are living this nightmare.
- When I was walking to Foxhall at about 9:45 this morning I saw our poor porter struggling to clean a pathway with a shovel. I asked her if the office asked her to do this. What creeps in that office. You would think Chris (who I believe wasn’t even here yesterday) would get off his butt and help her; no, I’m joking, we know he never leaves the office.
- When I returned just now I saw the guy from the Towers with a backhoe helping our helpless clowns. Lisa Cespedes was telling me how she had to pay people to shovel out her car yesterday. Armando Saavedra told me how he had to beg to get Maria’s handicapped spot cleaned, and that amigo, Él Habla Espanol!. Didn’t matter.
- But you know whose private pavers got cleaned the first day, to the point you could eat off of them: Marc Bertinelli and his neighbors. WTF?
- Armando and Lisa and a woman (with two small dogs) had an exchange this morning, as it was related to me, that they were told they can’t clean behind cars because of potential liability if they hit one. Again, WTF? If they’re that incompetent they shouldn’t be our contractor. By the way, years ago a plow did clip my car and Richard Chauncey took care of it immediately and had me reimbursed quickly and no fuss, so that’s simply more BS from office. That’s why they have insurance Susan, or didn’t you know that?
- My neighbor Deb sent this eloquent email to the Board last night:
From: Deborah Davidson <dedavidson01@comcast.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 11:17 PM
To: William Bodden Jr. <gmsuttonplace@gmail.com>
Cc: Susan Lapetina <lapetinaspboard@gmail.com>; rharrisonsuttonplace@gmail.com; John Knauss <jcknaussboardspca@gmail.com>; Cindy <cindydspca@gmail.com>; mlwspca@gmail.com; Assistant Sutton Place <suttonplaceassistant@comsource.com>; Henry Leung <hleung@comsource.com>; Kenneth Rinzler <kenneth@rinzler.com>
Subject: Email #2-My Observation tonight…Re: SPCA – Snow Removal & Trash Service Update 01/27/2026
All,
The snow removal contractors showed up tonight at 6:00 pm (dark). (I asked their time of arrival) tonight and stayed approx. 2 hours with ZERO on-site supervision. Evidently, they were told to remove snow only from a few parking spaces through out the community and “maybe” they would be able to come back tomorrow- Day 5?! (folks who had legit. complaints that their “spaces” needed attention were the only priority tonight). I came home approx. 6:45 pm, schlepping 3 bags incl. groceries from where I parked (the road above behind Sutton Towers—the only place where I could find a cleared space) to my front door 31 B. As I was pleading in the cold with the crew to remove snow from the 2-3 ft frozen snow bank between the road & sidewalk & clear 2 additional spaces at the top of our row—I fell (fortunately, I’m not hurt). It is beyond outrageous that on day 4 after the storm, the SP residents are desperately waiting for significant snow removal to occur – leaving several folks with the 2-3 ft snow banks still in front of their cars unable to move & still no way to get from the sidewalk to the road due to snow banks. Yesterday’s email below is lengthy but short on substance. The main roads around us have been clear since Monday. Need I say more?
Deborah Davidson
3231 B
The fact that such a long term owner needs to spend her time doing this is yet just another endless example of the Board’s incompetence. When I went outside last night at about 6 PM to see what they were doing Deb was in an animated discussion with them. (Which is somewhat pointless, as previously explained, and there is never any indication of whether any individual is a supervisor, and — most importantly of all – you can’t expect anyone from the office or the Board to be on-site because they’re still focused on what type of light refreshments to serve at the welcoming reception. Gee – for that reception apparently the GM and the Board can make an appearance after hours.
We weren’t told bupkis yesterday or this morning. Inexcusable. Amazing for a community where the office sends out an email every time a squirrel passes gas, with the full month, day, and year of the event and astrological sign included. Had there been any communication and coordination some people might have been able to temporarily move their cars (those that could) and have spaces properly cleaned.
- I have filed a formal inquiry/complaint with the DC Government that Greenskeeper, as was the case with Comsource and so many of our other contractors in the past, apparently does not have the required DC Basic Business License. It’s been assigned a case number. Let’s see how that develops.
- DLCP has been in constant touch with me about my inquiry/complaint that neither of our on-site managers has a DC Property Manager’s License; it’s progressing nicely and has been assigned an investigator. Will keep the community advised when I know more.
We are owed an apology, period!
And a resignation.
