Winning the three seats were Terry Boyd of Glencliff, Eric (Rick) Goldstein of Woodbridge and Michiel Oostenbrink of Brentford.
The field of nominees consisted of Directors Blakley Echeverry and Eric Holt, who were running for re-election, in addition to six candidates who submitted applications prior to the meeting: Terry Boyd, Eric Goldstein, Greg James, Terry Lanzar, Kash Mehdi and Michiel Oostenbrink.
President Shawn Yesner called the meeting to order and WCA Legal Counsel John Ellis offered a brief refresher on how the elections would run. Nominating Committee Chair Jim Brinker then asked if there were any nominations from the floor, at which time Chelmsford VM Charles Stephens nominated outgoing board member Dale Sells, who had initially declined to run for re-election. Sells accepted and during his opening remarks as a candidate he explained that an undiagnosed health issue had initially led him to decline a bid for re-election; however, the issue had since been diagnosed and was manageable, and he now felt compelled to run to attend to unfinished business.
Brinker also explained that Echeverry would not be able to attend due to a work emergency, but she very much wished to retain her seat.
The names of the eight candidates present were then drawn at random, and each candidate had three minutes to deliver an opening statement.
James drew the first spot and outlined his work on numerous boards over the course of his career and mentioned security as a key priority should he be elected.
Boyd read an article written about him as he ended his term as President of the Columbus School Board, noting that it was a testament to his ability to serve objectively and in the interests of the community as a whole.
Sells noted that he had served two terms on the Board, including three years as Treasurer, and now that his health issues are under control, he had unfinished business he wanted to see through, namely the upgrading of the recreation facilities and the renewal of a property management company.
Oostenbrink let the VMS know that, as the father of three young children, he wanted to keep the community relevant for young families and saw a need for upgrades in technology and the facilities. He also reminded the VMs that he brought forth the motion to create an RFP committee.
Goldstein stated that with 400 people moving to Tampa every day, the community needed a strong Government Affairs program, adding that during his time as GAC chair he was instrumental in preventing the expansion of Linebaugh to six lanes.
Mehdi admitted he was new to the community and to running for a position on the Board; however, he felt his work in technology in communities across the globe was an asset and he hoped to learn from the experience of current Board members.
Lanzar stated that she had recently toured the facilities and had concerns about some of the issues she encountered, adding that she could bring a fresh set of eyes where facility enhancements were concerned. She also hoped to use her background in IT to take a closer look at creating effective channels of communication.
Holt stated that during his current term on the Board, he had started to, “peel back the onion by asking more questions” and said that he wanted to ensure the board was acting on behalf of the VMs.
Following the presentations, candidates were asked to leave the room while the nominating committee prepared questions. Every voting member and member of the audience had the opportunity to submit a question prior to the meeting. From the submitted questions, the following were selected:
- If elected, what is the main thing you would change or revise?
- What do you see as the most critical issue?
- What is your position on the RFP process?
Candidates returned one at a time and were given one minute to answer each question. Following the Q&A, all candidates were given one minute for a closing statement. A majority of the candidates closed by emphasizing key points from their opening statements. James used the moment to humbly admit that he was very impressed with his fellow candidates and felt they may be more qualified. Voting members then cast their votes. Each VM had three votes, one for each open seat.
When the votes were tallied, Boyd led the field with 18 votes, followed by Goldstein with 17 and Oostenbrink with 14. Sells was close behind with 12 votes, Lanzar with 11, Holt with 9, Echeverry with 4 and both James and Mehdi with 1.
Boyd, Goldstein and Oostenbrink join sitting WCA Directors Shawn Yesner, Michele DelSordo, Jack Maurer and Jim Brinker.
Both Yesner and Ellis took a moment during the elections to thank the candidates for stepping up to serve their community and encouraged those who were not elected to stay involved and find other ways to serve.
To see the Election Vote Tally Sheet, click here.
On Sept. 14, the Board held an organizational meeting and appointed the following officers: Shawn Yesner, President; Michele DelSordo, Vice President; Michiel Oostenbrink, Treasurer; Terry Boyd, Secretary; Rick Goldstein, GAC Chair; Jim Brinker, WOW Member; and Jack Maurer, who was absent, will remain a Director at large.
