Don’t miss chance to vote in POA election

The Notice of Annual Meeting, Candidate Statements and Secret Ballot have gone out in the mail. Thursday, May 5, is the last day it is recommended to mail in the ballot. If ballots aren’t mailed in time, they may be brought in person to the Annual Meeting of the Members and Election of Directors at the Lodge on Thursday, May 12, between 8 and 9 a.m.

If quorum is not met on May 12, an adjourned meeting will be held May 14.

The recent candidate forums were taped and are available for viewing at www.canyonlakepoa.com and on the PEG Channels 29/39.

In addition to voting for candidates to fill two seats on the POA 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 ballot would remove the 5-foot limitation. That doesn’t mean there would be no future limit on fence heights. It does mean that fence height restrictions would be governed through the Rules & Regulations rather than the CC&Rs. Two-thirds of eligible voters would need to approve this amendment for it to pass.

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 eliminate “Cumulative Voting” and “Proxies” from the POA Bylaws.

If the measure to eliminate cumulative 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 positions 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.

Proxy voting usually results in the ability to obtain more votes and thus achieve quorum. Members who are motivated to vote can offer to vote on behalf of members who are out of town or who aren’t interesting in voting. (A proxy can be obtained from the Inspector of Elections.)

Final Questions

This week, candidates for the POA Board of Directors had the option of responding to one or both of the following:

1. Would you like to answer a question you heard, or further clarify an answer you gave, during the candidate forums?
2. If communication between members and the Board is one of your priorities, do you intend to pursue the use of social media or virtual town hall communication to reach a larger audience? If so, what do you envision?

Dale Welty

1. Where to next? My primary goal is to keep Canyon Lake a “First Class Community.” Canyon Lake will always need to be a Bit of Paradise. To do this, I will work with the community to invest in projects that meet the needs of community members – projects that will help increase the property values in Canyon Lake.

We need to continue to attract residents to this community who feel that spending a little extra for a home and monthly POA fees are worth it. They need to feel the community  provides amenities, services and activities that are First Class.

Additional goals are to keep assessments low by continuing to work with the golf community’s annual membership marketing program. Additional golfers will help control the golf subsidies and also attract sales at the Country Club Restaurant.

I will continue to work with the POA management to improve the food and service at our Lodge Restaurant. I will also work with my fellow Board members to develop a strong marketing program for the Lodge and Country Club.

I will continue to play a role in the committees I am currently a member of. The forward planning that is going to be led by the Facilities Review Committee is going to be one of my main focuses. On that committee, I will be asking the question, “What should the future Canyon Lake look like?”

I will continue to work with the Finance Committee to assure that Canyon Lake POA finances remain strong. I will work with the Recreation Committee to make sure the recreation amenities are modern and meet the needs of the members.

2. I will work hard to improve communication between members and the POA Management Board and Committees. This community has a history of being a fragmented community with an embattled subculture. Much of this division is a result of poor communication between the POA and its members.

I hope to encourage the POA to make an effort to meet the members where they are at by offering to join them at their club board and member meetings. I will try to create a culture of communication at the POA with the use of Facebook, the POA website and multimedia presentations at the committee and Board meetings.

I have spent the last six years working to make Canyon Lake a better place. I will continue to work hard for our community in the future.

George (Chris) Williams

1. I am satisfied with my answers at the candidate forums.
2. I do think it could be useful to pursue the use of social media and/or virtual town hall communication to reach more Canyon Lakers and encourage greater community involvement. Social media is already playing a big role in the Canyon Lake community.  We can look into creating a secure, exclusive and interactive CLPOA-sponsored group. The creation, reach and administration of such a group would require research, discussion and collaboration between members, staff and other stakeholders.

Matt Poland

1. I would like to clarify my answer to the question of the proxy and cumulative voting during the candidate forum. These are the wrong items to have on the ballot. What should be on the ballot is a way to allow both spouses to vote in our elections. Today, only the prime members can vote.

Using some analysis software on the prime member list, I found 81 percent male first names and 19 percent female first names. This means that our current system is not representing our community fairly. Here is my proposal to change it:

Each lot would still receive the same voting power as it does today. For properties with title held as community property or joint tenancy between couples, each spouse or partner would be given one-half of the available votes. All property with other types of title would remain the same with one prime member voting.

This uses California’s definition for partners and is something that each property owner already decided at time of purchase. It’s a simple change to an outdated policy.

2. Communication is one of my priorities because lack of transparency creates uncertainty, rumors and distrust. I plan to use social media to enhance communication in two ways: virtual town hall forums, and to enable more members to participate in the committee process.

Virtual town hall forums will enable two-way communication with members, when the member has time to fit the conversation into their busy schedule. I plan to use these virtual forums to augment, not replace, the traditional communication methods.

Another area I plan to use social media is to expand participation in the committee process.  The committees are where the ideas that affect the community start and, right now, not everyone has the time to participate. Anyone who wants to participate should be able to, and social media is a tool that can facilitate this.

I envision having the committee chairs host virtual discussions that allow any member who wants to participate in a civil manner be part of the discussion. These discussions would have a set time frame. When the time is up, a recommendation encompassing the feedback would be presented at a Board meeting.

I believe that transparency will build trust. As a Board member, I plan to communicate the reasons and logic behind a vote in an open forum that allows members to discuss it. Please vote for Matt Poland on May 12th.

Paul Chenette

It is time to vote. We all have received our ballots. There are 4,598 eligible voters this election, 9,096 available votes. What are you going to do with yours?

In the past 12 elections, not once have we met the 50 percent-plus-1 quorum. I understand that life can get in the way. We get busy, we put it off, or we forget altogether. Prior to 2009, that was me. Although I was very active in the community, I was not using my vote, my voice, for any decision being made regarding something I was part owner of. I realized if I wanted a voice, I needed to vote.

So in 2009 I voted. Since that day, it’s made me want to stay plugged in to what was going on in the Association. In 2010, I was encouraged by friends, colleagues and sitting Board members to run for the Board. I decided to do so, and I was elected.

The first year was eye opening and quite a learning experience. There were two things I learned quickly: One, there is no way to please every member. It just isn’t possible.

Two, and much more importantly, if you truly listen to what members are wanting or suggesting and you make them feel like they have been heard, even if you disagree, you will gain their respect and then their trust that you will endorse and fight for what’s best.

What I did as a Board member and will do again if elected is this. My filter for all rule changes, new projects and member concerns is: A. Will it positively affect all or the majority of the members? (member input); B. Have the committee(s) vetted and recommended it? (committee input); C. Do the Board members (individually) support it?

If all of this input is positive, it’s a no-brainer. The issue comes when not all three parts of the filter agree. I believe my negotiating skills can have an impact on bringing disputed matters to an equitable resolution. I believe we can all agree to disagree civilly and productively if we just communicate with passion, compassion and understanding. Keep in mind the goal here is to continue to make Canyon Lake a great place to live.

The Lake Lease litigation has been the most talked about issue this election cycle. Please know that there is NO combination of newly elected Board members who could stop the appeal. The process has already begun. The three remaining Board members were and remain in favor of it.

I want to be one of the Board members you elect. In order for that to happen, I need your vote or both your votes. If you need help with voting, clarification of the proposed amendments or you would like me to vote for you via proxy, email me at socalzteam@gmail or call 760-580-0398.

If you have questions for me before you vote, feel free to contact me. I look forward to serving you.

Paul Queen

I feel pretty good about the answers I have given in the forums. I have given honest answers to many tough questions. I know that everyone has their issue – something that’s more important to them then anything else going on in our community. That is clear after hearing the wide range of questions at the forums and speaking personally to so many of our residents.

I would like to say that if you elect me I will do my absolute best to represent everyone in the Lake equally; to be fair in all my decisions and to always put the best interests of the people of Canyon Lake first and foremost.

I would also like to stress that, to get good people on the Board who will represent you, first we need your votes! I know voter apathy is high in our community, and with good reason. But change can start with this election, and to do it we need your help.

We need you 66 percent who don’t normally vote to take five minutes this year to fill out your ballot with two votes for Paul Queen and send it in! We need your help to take back Canyon Lake for the residents!

I can also email or bring a proxy to your house. With the proxy, you can simply sign your name to give us your votes! What could be easier? If you want me to email or to personally bring you a proxy to sign, contact me via email at  paul.queen@yahoo.com and Ill get a proxy to you asap.

Last, I would like to offer the following tips on filling in your ballots, so we don’t have any votes rejected this year: You must tear off the bottom of the page with your name and address on it and insert it into the return envelope so that your name and address show through the clear window. If your name and address don’t show through the window, they will not open the envelope and your vote will not be counted!

Also, you must sign your name on the outer envelope that you mail back to the election company! If you don’t sign it, they will also not count your vote. Please double check that you have these two steps complete before returning your ballots with your votes for Paul Queen!