POA Board candidates have a final say

Residents who have taken the time to attend Meet the Candidate forums or watch them on the POA website, and who have read the candidates’ answers in this series of articles in The Friday Flyer, are now better prepared to cast their ballots for this year’s election.

The POA Board of Directors always has great responsibility to act on behalf of the membership; but these past few weeks in particular have seen some challenging issues come to the forefront of the campaign. These include the rewrite of the CLPOA Bylaws, negotiations on the Lake Lease and consideration of opening the Golf Course to outside play.

Should the City of Canyon Lake decide to pursue an in-house police department, the next CLPOA Board of Directors also may have to grapple with whether or not the Association wants to change the model of its security operations. Big decisions are ahead, so it’s more important than ever for residents to vote in this election.

The last day it is recommended to mail the CLPOA Annual Election ballot is May 7. Those who still don’t know who they’re voting for or whether to approve all or part of the Bylaws rewrite still have time to do a little research. The proposed Bylaws and recordings of the Meet the Candidates forums are at www.canyonlakepoa.com.

If a quorum of submitted ballots is met, the Annual Meeting and Election of Directors will be held Thursday, May 14, starting at 8 a.m. in the Holiday Bay Room. If quorum isn’t met, the alternate adjourned meeting is scheduled for May 16.

Seven of the nine candidates running for the Board of Directors answered this final question. They answer in the order their names appear on the ballot.

Question

What question(s) have you been asked or what subject has arisen during your campaign on which you would like to provide further clarification or comment? What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Eric Spitzer

Eric Spitzer

Eric Spitzer

The most popular subject is by far the Bylaws and I’d like to clear up a few things about the rewrite.

First, the Davis-Sterling updates do not need a vote of the members; you can simply add the updates. If it’s part of Davis-Sterling it’s automatically part of everyone’s bylaws.

Anyone telling you we had to do this in order to comply is giving you bad information.

Secondly, there are many changes in the proposed Bylaws, and much of the rewrite is okay. The problem is that the good and bad are mixed together and it’s tough to dissect them. I couldn’t figure out what was good and what was bad, mostly because they had a ton of legal speak in them.

That’s why I hired an independent attorney to figure it out. The other Board members are not happy with me for doing this, but I considered it a must.

Lastly, I want to use this as an example of why you need someone on the inside to watch your back. That’s what I do. I’m your guy on the inside. Now you can say, “I know a guy” and you do: Eric Spitzer, your man on the inside.

Paul Queen

Paul Queen

Paul Queen

I think the main thing that separates me from the other candidates is my deep desire to ensure that the people of Canyon Lake are heard. We have to change direction and do what the people want and not what Board members want. When the people are going to be affected by a decision, we have to include them in the discussion, and listen to their ideas and their input before the decision is made.

We have to ensure that our people are served by the POA, instead of making rules and policies that disenfranchise them. We have to change the access lanes to “Visitor” and “Resident,” and we have to change the gate policy back to one that works for our residents instead of against them.

A resident should be able to show or swipe their POA card to get into the community without waiting in the visitor line. A resident should be able to call in a pass for themselves, and that pass should be printed in a different color that is recognized as a resident pass and allowed to be used in the resident lane.

We have to stop ticketing and ruling and regulating them to the point where they want to leave our community. For the first time in my 15 years here, I have residents telling me they aren’t happy here and are leaving Canyon Lake. When I ask why they all say the same thing, ”I can’t take the way Im treated by the POA anymore.” This can’t continue.

When the POA is driving its own residents out of the community, there is something seriously wrong with how it’s operating. I want to take us in a new direction where the residents are our top priority and everything else is secondary. I hope you’ll give me your vote.

Tamie

Tamie Mongold

Tamie Mongold

What sets me apart is the fact that I really don’t care if I win. All I really want is a Board of Directors that will represent what the property owners really want and need. I have lived here for 19 years and most Boards have represented only one amenity, the Golf Course.

With less than 200 members, I can’t believe they represent the majority of Canyon Lake homeowners. The number one reason I ran for the Board is to represent the average property owner. I don’t pretend to know everything, but I can learn. I don’t play games, I’m honest and I don’t spread lies about my fellow candidates just to win.

I would be just as happy if Eric Spitzer, Paul Queen or Larry Neigel won. Why, you ask? Because each and every one of these men and their families truly care about our little bit of paradise. I’ve spent time getting to know them and their values. Each one of them is willing to spend their free time representing you and what you want.

We agree our only agenda is to keep our dues at a manageable level, try to rein in the senseless spending and really listen to what you, the Canyon Lake homeowner wants. Please vote; our community needs you!

Larry Greene

Larry-Greene

Larry Greene

I would like to address the reoccurring issue of the Lake Lease. On April 7, a special POA Board meeting was called and very well attended. This meeting resulted in the POA making the lease payment to EVMWD. The check was cut on April 8.

The Press Enterprise then published an article on Sunday, April 19, with the headline reading, “Lease Spat May Ground Canyon Lake Residents.” The very last paragraph of the article stated, “The POA still has not made their payment nor have we (EVMWD) been contacted by the POA.”

Two sitting Board members confirmed on April 20 that the payment was issued on April 8. I believe this is inaccurate information from the EVMWD and inaccurate reporting of said information by the Press Enterprise. We must trust our POA Board on this issue.

Since this is the last published forum allowing me to describe why I differ from my fellow candidates, I would like to describe myself as an accomplished leader with extensive knowledge and experience who will approach issues with fairness, objectivity, impartiality and deal with these issues on a non-emotional basis.

I love the community of Canyon Lake and I will do my very best to make decisions beneficial to all of its residents. I am Larry Greene and I thank you for you support.

Dale Welty

Dale Welty

Dale Welty

The Lake Lease clearly will be the biggest issue facing the Board over the next two years. I believe that a resolution can be reached that will protect our surface rights for the next 50 years. I will be diligent to research the issues of the lake, strive for a fair solution and keep the members of Canyon Lake informed as the process moves ahead.

The biggest struggle I am seeing in Canyon Lake’s future is how to keep the members both informed and engaged in the POA’s decision-making process. This year, the POA had open houses, workshops and Board meetings with very little attendance by the membership. As a result, the Board made decisions without proper feedback, even further dividing our already fragmented community.

Many of the issues, such as the Bylaws, the location of the dog park, and the new gate remodel, are not the most critical issues facing Canyon Lake.

The issues that are most important in Canyon Lake are the large number of investor-owned properties, the aging and obsolescence of our housing and amenities, and how divided the community has become.

The most important thing we can do to insure long-term health for Canyon Lake is to attract people to live in Canyon Lake that care about the community. This can be done by upgrading amenities, providing family-friendly parks and youth programs that attract successful families.

Funding for this can be easily accomplished if the community will come together and take a few simple actions. Eat at our restaurants and make it clear to the POA that we expect good service and consistent food. Invite your friends to enjoy our Golf Course and let them know that we have a membership package available.

Lawrence-Neigle-in-tie

Lawrence Neigel

Lawrence Neigel

What sets me apart from the other candidates is my wealth of experience as a law enforcement manager, board of education president, City Management Association president, certification in conflict resolution, contract negotiations, CLPOA Board of Directors Vice-President, past youth-oriented organizations, community-based organizations and the willingness to be politically aware but remain apolitical.

If the people of this community wish to believe rumors, innuendo and untruths about a candidate instead of listening carefully to the positive aspects of a candidate’s life experiences and honest evaluations of the issues, they do not need to vote for me.

I wish to be supported by people without personal agendas or biases. I want to be the POA representative of the mass of members here who want lawful and proper administration of the POA and its staff. I do not have any special interest groups I represent.

I will hold the Board members accountable to abide by the law, and the staff accountable to give the best service to all POA members that will be fair and equal with common sense in their decisions.

I want to change the current direction of this Board. The secrecy in meetings outside of the regular meeting open to the membership must stop; it’s unethical and unlawful!

I want to stop the escalating legal costs by hiring an in-house attorney to handle the routine legal matters.

I want all of our common areas upgraded to make the appearance a top quality that will enhance your property values.

I want to stop this trend of delinquency and lawlessness occurring in this community by better protection of our citizens.

I will work to remove all of the excess charges, permits and fees we are required to pay.

Please vote for quality, honest, non-partisan representation on your Board of Directors. Return me to the Board of Directors in May.

Ted Horton

Ted Horton

Ted Horton

After listening to involved and educated residents at recent forums, I am concerned that the community continues to force POA leadership to defend itself for recent actions. Leadership must have a vision for our community – that is hopefully generated by active participation in the community, experience in the workplace, listening carefully to our property and business owners, examining all of the alternatives and consequences, and then making a decision.

With the vision/decision firmly in mind, a leader must then lead. Listen and lead! That is what my campaign has been all about. There are solid business reasons that shareholders empower their board and management. The POA Board should never expect a “blank check,” but the concept of empowerment has proven efficient, effective and generally balanced.

If people want the POA run more like a business, then they can’t expect the POA Board to get approval from their shareholders for every decision. No business operates in that manner.

I encourage citizens to share their thoughts early in information and planning sessions and, equally important, I will encourage the Board to openly share, early on, their ideas about major change or new projects. I intend to communicate!

Please permit me a final comment on the proposed Bylaws. Some questionable individuals are exploiting corporate loopholes to legitimize themselves as Primary POA Members. The revised proposal puts teeth into who can be designated a corporate member and who can attend POA meetings. This must pass to minimize the problems a small group is causing for our ability to govern.

Disruption, unfounded accusations and constant conflict do not foster a productive atmosphere for good decision-making. They adversely affect our quality of life and, over time, we can all see it slowly destroying the very fabric of our community. Also, negative perception of our community by neighboring communities drives down property values.




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