The Friday Flyer • April 15, 2016

CANYON LAKE’S NEWSPAPER • APRIL 15, 2016
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Candidates now hoping for members’ votes
BY SHARON RICE
EDITOR, THE FRIDAY FLYER
Is the fate of the five candidates running for the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association Board of Directors safe in the hands of voters? They have given their time to answer questions for The Friday Flyer, speak at candidate forums, put up signs, reply to emails and phone calls, and meet with members personally when asked.
Now, will voters take the time to mark their ballots and put them in the mail? As County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries noted at the end of Monday’s well-attended “Speak to the Candidates” forum at the Lodge, “You have the right to vote and the obligation to vote.”
Monday’s forum was recorded and can be viewed on Time Warner Chan- nel 29 and Verizon Channel 39, as well as on the POA website: canyonlakepoa. com.
Saturday’s forum at the Senior Cen- ter also is available for viewing. A final “Meet the Candidates” forum, spon- sored by the Home Owners Club, will be held this coming Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at the Lodge.
There probably is no election that im-
pacts residents more directly than a POA election. Property values are dependent on how well the elected Board repre- sents property owners.
Questions asked at the recent forums explored candidates’ views on the Lake Lease litigation, security concerns, the recent rise in thefts, absentee owners, the Lodge and Country Club restaurants, divisiveness among some community members, a perception by some that the Board does not listen to or is cut off from what community members want, town hall meetings, the ACC process, and an overall vision for protecting the lake and property values.
In addition to voting for candidates to fill two seats on the Board of Directors, primary members have the opportunity to vote on ballot measures having to do with fence heights, cumulative voting and proxies.
Fence height is an important issue because it’s one of the items most often brought before the Architectural Control Committee and Appeals Committee, say Board members. The current CC&Rs limit the height of fences to 5 feet.
The CC&R amendment on the bal-
lot would remove the 5-foot limitation. That doesn’t mean there would be no fu- ture limit on fence heights. It does mean that fence height restrictions would be governed through the Rules & Regula- tions rather than the CC&Rs. Two-thirds of eligible voters would need to approve this amendment for it to pass. To under- stand the Association’s position on this amendment, see Page A-3.
Cumulative voting and proxies have to do with the way members cast their votes in a POA election. The proposed amendments on the ballot are to elimi- nate “Cumulative Voting” and “Proxies” from the POA Bylaws.
If the measure to eliminate cumu- lative voting is approved, members would no longer be allowed to cast all their votes for one candidate. Rather, only one vote per candidate would be allowed.
For example, in this election, five candidates are running for two posi- tions on the Board of Directors. Under cumulative voting, the voter will be able to cast two votes for one candidate, or divide them up between two candidates.
With regard to proxies, the proposed amendment, if approved, would result in
members no longer being able to assign their voting power to another. A proxy is a document by which a property owner appoints someone else to represent him/ her at the POA Annual Meeting and Election.
As one candidate explained at the candidate forum, proxy voting usual- ly results in the ability to obtain more votes. Members who are motivated to vote can offer to vote on behalf of mem- bers who are out of town or who aren’t interesting in voting.
Using the example of the fence- height amendment, if a group of propo- nents really wanted to make sure that the amendment passed, they could can- vass their friends/neighbors for mem- bers who aren’t interested in voting and offer to vote for them. All they would need to do is get a signed proxy. (A proxy can be obtained from the Inspec- tor of Elections.)
In that way, proponents of the amend- ment might have more chance of obtain- ing the necessary quorum (two-thirds vote) to change the CC&R.
Naturally, it is hoped that every prime member will care enough about their community to vote in this election.
PHOTO BY DONNA RITCHIE