Who is Responsible??
Good question. There is no office. No manager. No meetings. No answers. Just a group of employees that politely take messages, log things onto a screen, accept work orders, and phone calls. And then a vacuum of silence. Follow up questions are politely and awkwardly excused. You can see in the staff's eyes they are uncomfortable being in the line of fire.
But every year at this time, there is this flurry of activity, a show of effort to make a splash of progress, and the associated full court press to solicit proxies for board member elections; that conspicuously and suspiciously only benefit the unseen and silent board members until a one paragraph bio shows up on an annual meeting packet. Troubling us further is the intimidation tactics that require a written release accepting criminal and civil responsibility for speaking out to this supposed board of directors.
The Board. 7 people. Looks as though the same 7 seven people. Fair enough. Usually, one or two people attempt to control a board/association and pack the board with well intended but naive neighbors that are usually kept in the dark so that control is maintained, agenda's protected, dissent is discouraged or punished. Such seems the case at Wurzbach Tower. Looking over the lawsuit pleadings, it seems clear that Mary Demain has tyrant status. Evidently she controls every facet of every point of daily workings of the association. It is clear to us that the employees have little to no respect for her, but need their jobs. It is clear that there is no real leadership on the board of directors. It is clear, daily, that the House Rules are selectively enforced. It is also clear that Demain has no experience or training in operating-managing an aging high rise building. We have been told that Demain uses lawyers and law firms to assist in decision making rather than a seasoned deliberative board body. We have spoken at length with two former board members, and several former employees about Demains conduct, temperament, and each of them are expected to testify (enthusiastically) in the upcoming hearings and trials.
And then there is Dean Dobson. He is the Treasurer of the Association. We have viewed public filings for Mr. Dobson that show he has a little trouble with finances that specifically should disqualify him from being our Treasurer. For example, he has numerous unpaid money judgments on file with Bexar County Public Records for failing to pay his bills. The most troubling is that he didn't pay his assessments to Wurzbach Tower resulting in the placement of a Lien against his condo for unpaid assessments and subjecting him to having his condo foreclosed on. While there may have been extinuating circumstances surrounding his financial troubles, we believe this disqualifies Mr. Dobson from holding a fiduciary position as board member and Treasurer of The Wurzbach Tower Council of Co-Owners Inc. And when you read the most recent "Treasurers Report" circa April 2026, we conclude this guy is a buffoon. Fundamentally Mr. Dobson ignores, or conveniently fails to accurately tell us how bad a shape we really are. We have a dismal savings balance and no reserve study. We routinely operate in the red. We are facing unfunded liabilities to the tune of millions of dollars. More on the financial aspects of the association below and on the financial page of this website.
Next we have Fred Phillips. This rounds out the executive level of the board. We have been able to speak with Phillips, who is a likeable guy. This is the vice president, and while he talks like he knows what to do, he doesn't seem to do anything. We also note that he does not own a condo in the building, his wife does, which raises an important question on how he is eligible to serve as an officer of the association.
We have some understanding about the function of the remaining 4 board members, and have been told by a previous board member at least 2 of the 4 are rarely in the building; and while they own a condo here, they are only here part time. That doesn't seem like a good formula for deliberative conversations given the seriousness of the financial situation at Wurzbach Tower.
Getting back to the financial matters, here is a general idea of how much financial liability (estimated conservatively) trouble the building really is in:
1. The lawsuits may result in judgements of $1 million dollars or more.
2. The cost of the mandatory sprinkler system and fire alarm panel will be in excess of $1million dollars
3. The elevators are on borrowed time and should have been rebuilt 2 decades ago. Cost? Yep, another at least $1-1.5 million dollars.
4. The windows! They have rotted out and increasing numbers of condo's are leaking when it rains. Cost? $800k-$1 million dollars
5, Balconies. The spalling of the concrete has become critical. Entire chunks of concrete are becoming dislodged due to expansion of the steel framework and are falling onto the pool deck. How the manager or board of this association allows anyone on the pool deck is beyond comprehension. Not attending to this issue is irresponsible, reckless, and might even be criminal. Ditto for the railings; look at the rust coming down the patio faces and understand that that is the telltale for failed iron base fasteners. Cost for these repairs will exceed $1 million dollars.
6. When you witness the continued decline of our once beautiful grounds, understand that our amenities, if they work at all, are embarrassingly inadequate or obsolete, the windows of the building have not been washed in years (building wide, as most high rises in San Antonio are done at least annually),a dn the cost of simply repainting the building (and correcting the flaking coatings), there is another $1-1.5 million dollars of money no where in any budget allocated.
7. Failing cast iron and metal pipes. We saw an opening space in the chases in the building that sent chills up our spines. The amount of rusting pipes, selector valves, pressure valving, and drains was unbelievable. If what we saw with our own eyes is representative of the entire building, we are in for extensive repairs and costs.
8. Aging electrical systems. Ditto for the electrical. Aged systems that show no sign of upgrades.
9. Updating the floors and decor. Updating the lobby. Why, we mean really why did they strip the finish from the front entry doors and leave them bare for months. This is mind boggling. Why is the ceiling near the mailboxes left unfinished. It looks terrible. Why are the mature trees on the property dying and being cut down? Why are the remaining trees stressed? This was at one time a lush property; today is looks like its in distress (it is).
You would think that these critical matters would be important enough for the Treasurer to both comment on and provide a report on how the association will be dealing with it all. Nope, Mr. Dobson spent the focus of his report copy on defaming the lawsuit parties for having the temerity to call him out. And for sueing him, along with his other board members. Collectively, we have owned condo's in other building over the years, and not one of can remeber, much less fathom a treasurer making a report like Dobson did. It's quite bizarre. But then again, one must consider the source...
As we have, and continue to, evaluate the financial condition of the association, it is becoming crystal clear that the Plaintiffs in the lawsuits are correct in their pleadings; that we are functionally insolvent, have little options to fund the critical repairs in any reasonable time period, both legally mandated, and necessary and that the Plaintiffs are justified in their forthcoming Motion to Appoint a Receiver to take over the administration of the building. Clearly, the current long serving board members lack the experience and knowledge to lead this building any further. But Dobson is correct in one statement, it is going to cost the 154 homeowners in this building millions. Not because of lawsuit Plaintiffs, but directly because of lawsuit Defendants, whom may be substantially personally liable for their pleaded breach of fiduciary responsibility.
SOLUTION?
Every single board member should resign immediately. Allow the association to reconstitute and bring in the talent to turn this property around. Or just wait and let the courts appoint a Receiver. Form a committee to address the concerns of the Plaintiffs. Either way, this is going to cost every owner at Wurzbach Tower a lot of money.
A committee should undertake a full evaluation of what this building needs for the next 1-5-10 years. The committee should study any financial-reserve studies, rule in or rule out all possible funding mechanisms, and responsibly inform all owners of Wurzbach Tower of true condition of their building a finances.
Form a committee to flesh out solutions to the claims raised in the lawsuits. Do it now. Let's get solutions on the table.