The Annual Voting Member Meeting kicked off with a few changes to the VM roster. Aaron Garmen was named alternate VM for Glenfield. WCA President Michiel Oostenbrink also announced that Stonebridge had voted to move Christine Lindsay from alternate to VM, with former VM Mark Crooks replacing her as alternate.
In board updates, Oostenbrink announced that the fire marshal had requested striping and painting of curbs in West Park Village “No Parking” zones, despite objections from the Government Affairs Committee. Mike Flick, Hillsborough County’s traffic engineering manager, said the work would be completed by September 30.
Nominating Committee Chair Jessica Siddle then took the floor to explain the night’s election process. The names of the four candidates would be drawn at random, and each would provide an opening statement. The committee would then select three questions from those submitted by VMs to ask each candidate. Finally, the candidates would present their closing remarks and the VMs would submit their ballots.
Eric Holt, who previously served on the board, was the first candidate to speak. He said he was encouraged by all that had been accomplished in the past two years and committed to continuing to try to improve things regardless of whether he was elected. Oostenbrink, who was running for re-election, highlighted several of his accomplishments from his tenure as treasurer, and then president of the WCA.
Ashley Wait-Woodcock told the VMs that she had served on the board from 2017 to 2019 and had been a VM as well. She expressed her passion for government affairs and noted that her experience as a paralegal and title agent made her well-suited for the position. Tim Green, a first-time candidate, shared that he has spent more than a decade serving on a credit union board and has volunteered extensively at Westchase Elementary and Davidsen Middle schools.
VMs then had the opportunity to submit questions, and the nominating committee chose the following:
- What position are you most interested in on the board and what are your qualifications to fill it?
- What do you think should be the board’s top three priorities in the coming year?
- What will you do to assist the new management company in integrating into the WCA community and successfully carrying out its responsibilities?
Jim Brinker, VM for the Classic Townhomes of WPV, asked whether the VMs had to vote for three candidates. Siddle clarified that they had the option to vote for up to three candidates.
Arlington Park VM John Jones posited that the second question was potentially biased in favor of current board members. Kathleen Reres, the association’s legal counsel, countered that anyone could reasonably answer the question regardless of their experience serving on the board.
Each candidate had one minute per question to respond. Following the Q&A section,
Siddle invited the candidates to give closing statements not to exceed one minute in length. Green reiterated his engagement in the community and shared that he had served on an HOA board in Michigan. He also emphasized that the board needed to work together in order to be viewed in a positive light by the community. Wait-Woodcock said that neighbors encouraged her to run, and that she wouldn’t live anywhere else. She added that her political connections could help the community moving forward.
Oostenbrink told the VMs he has proven that he’s not afraid to make difficult decisions as a leader and wants to continue to make Westchase a top-ranked place to live. He said he was also committed to making the governmental process an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Holt stated that all HOA board members have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the association, and the VMs define what that best interest is. The board’s business IS the VMs business, he added.
The Nominating Committee collected and tallied the ballots from the 28 VMs present. The votes were as follows: Oostenbrink, 24 votes; Wait-Woodcock, 18 votes; Holt, 17 votes; and Green, 15 votes.
Oostenbrink then stated that Director Nancy Sells announced her resignation effective the day of the meeting. He explained that when a board member resigns, the board fills the seat for the remainder of the term (one year, in this case). He said the board would discuss a replacement at the Sept. 11 board meeting.
He also thanked Sells for her extensive service to Westchase. Several VMs asked whether Green could fill Sells’ seat, and Oostenbrink agreed to take that into consideration. Oostenbrink asked anyone interested in serving the remaining year of Sells’ term to reach out to the board or to Association Manager Jennifer Jordan.
Holt reported that the Document Review Committee would provide all of the redlines and comments, along with a two-pager highlighting suggested revisions, to VMs by the end of September. The committee hoped to get approval from the VMs at the October meeting, but had until November to do so, he continued.
Christine Hennes, VM for The Enclave, asked why November was the deadline. Holt responded that the information needed to be sent out to residents, and it would save approximately $3,000 to mail it out with the annual budget/assessment mailing. He acknowledged that the VMs could opt to extend the process if they felt it was necessary.