As published in The View, January 2023:
President
To borrow from the lyrics of a great song, “Well, here we are again, I guess it must be fate.” By the time this message is available online on the official website or reaches the mail tubes in The View magazine, it will be the dawn of a new year for all of us and our Association. As President of the Sun City Shadow Hills Homeowners Association, I wish to offer my sincere best wishes to every one of our homeowners and residents for a happy, healthy, and successful 2023.
I also wish to extend my gratitude for being allowed to serve as Board President for the past 21 months. Many thanks go to all the other Board members with whom I have been privileged to serve. Special thanks also go to the volunteers on the many advisory committees, the staff of our management company, and other service providers – all of whom work together every day and night to make this community run as efficiently, safely, and economically as possible. Without all these people working in harmony and good faith in the community’s best interest, it would be much more difficult and expensive, if not impossible, to preserve, protect and improve our facilities and homes as well as increase our property values. I also want to thank our owners and residents for their understanding, support, cooperation, and participation in the many events that truly make this community a happy and pleasant place to live, vacation, and enjoy.
As we begin another year together, we are approaching another annual meeting of owners on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, when again, in accordance with our governing documents, we will have an election of directors. At that time, owners will vote to fill two board member positions for two-year terms. At our Board meeting on December 19, the Nominating Committee announced the candidates that expressed a willingness and interest to serve in those positions.
Home sales each year bring us many new residents who may not be familiar with the election process established by our governing documents. So, to review, our Board consists of five directors, each elected to serve a two-year term. As indicated, this year, we will elect two directors, and in 2024, we will elect three. There are no term limits for service as a director. After the election results are announced, the five directors meet to elect the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and member at large, each of whom will fill that position for one year. Thus, officers are determined and can change each year. Should a director or officer leave for any reason, the Board is empowered to determine, by a majority vote, who will fill the open position until the next annual election.
I strongly urge every homeowner to exercise their right to vote. At this next election, two directors will be elected; therefore, each home will have two votes. Votes cannot be cumulated (except when three or more directors will be selected, which will be the case in 2024). There will be many events that will assist you in determining whom you wish to vote for, including candidate forums, mailings, and homeowner gatherings. I encourage you to educate yourselves in order to cast an informed vote. The selection of directors is an important right, and perhaps the most direct way homeowners can influence the atmosphere and direction of our community. So, please participate in this vital task.
Sometimes elections (because they are competitive) can be seen as divisive. Still, the HOA strives to ensure that they are open, transparent, and fair to all candidates. Hopefully, our elections create opportunities for our homeowners to become informed and make wise decisions about who will represent them and make the hard decisions for no pay other than the satisfaction of contributing and a job well done.
A happy, healthy, and enjoyable 2023 to all.
Contact the author at john.macdonnell@scshca.com.