I’m very excited to announce my candidacy for the Somersett Homeowners Association Board. I hope to win your support!
I have been a Law Enforcement Officer now for 12 years. I joined law enforcement to serve my community. Joining the HOA board will be a great way to serve the community right where I live on a more personal level.
My wife Haylee and I picked Somersett and Northern Nevada as the place to raise our young family. We think the community here is just wonderful and we have been welcomed with open arms. We have met so many nice people and look forward to being a part of the community for many years. I understand the time that will be required as a Board member, but I will gladly put in the time because this community and the people in it are worth it!
There are several areas where I will focus my Board efforts. Among them:
Communication with the Board. I hereby commit to more open meetings. I want to institute a quarterly, free-flowing town center meeting where everyone is free to express their ideas in an open forum. I commit to improving the audio conditions for both in-person and Zoom meetings.
I commit to moving the Architectural Guidelines Committee towards a kinder and gentler attitude that preserves our architectural and landscaping standards but also listens carefully to the owner's requests. The Board can serve BOTH the broader community of 3,100 homeowners AND the individual homeowner at the same time. I will also work towards doing more comprehensive resident surveys and publish the results.
Safety and Security. We are living in interesting times. Somersett is removed from most big-city issues, but my career in law enforcement gives me insight into how to make Somersett a safe and secure community, protecting our families and homes. We might want to consider the addition of cameras in certain locations, or maybe in the future controlled resident and visitor access to our community. and a more robust neighborhood watch program. These kinds of ideas will help to ensure that Somersett is a safe and secure community for all of us.
Children and youth activities. With two children of my own, I want to make sure that families including the needs and desires of children are represented on the board. We love the Town Center activities and we can add to them. Some of my ideas would be keeping the pool open longer during the summer and hot months. I think it was a mistake to close it early this year, in particular, because kids were stuck at home under the lockdown, and parents were scrambling to find activities for them. Updating the park and commons areas across from the Town Center is another idea. Golf and tennis leagues for kids; maybe a basketball league?
Financial prudence. Watching the budget is paramount and we want to spend our money wisely and avoid special assessments and dues increases. I would be opposed to any more lawsuits without a darn good reason and a high degree of confidence in prevailing. Landscaping. In general, I love the way the community looks, and it looks like Brightview is doing a good job, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I have spent lots of time walking our common areas with an eye to upgrades. I commit to walking the entire length of the Somersett Parkway with Brightview to identify problem areas such as wasteful water leaks, which are abundant.
Golf Club. I am not an avid golfer, but I do think a self-sustaining golf club is a benefit for the community. But it's the self-sustaining part I would focus on. Surely the SOA Board and the Golf Club can come to terms and pull in the same direction to attract new members (from within and outside of our community) and increase revenue so that the Club starts to become more profitable. The rates for a family that doesn’t golf that often seems high; maybe there’s a new family membership that can be worked out. Increasing the benefits and amenities will bring more of the approximate 3,100 households in this community to consider a country club membership. Increased revenue will go a long way towards helping the Club meet its financial obligations. Under no circumstances should the general SOA subsidize the Club’s operations.
My bottom line is this is OUR community and with your help and ideas, I want to make it the best it can be! Thanks for listening! You can contact me anytime and I would be glad to receive your suggestions and questions, and I promise to reply. Somersett is wonderful! Let's keep it that way for all of us! Thank you for your support.
I am running with two other candidates – Bill O’Donnell and Mark Capalongan. If we three are elected, we’ll be able to change the culture of the SOA into a Board that is more responsive to homeowners, and move promptly to implement the changes we propose!
Thank you for your support!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Santa Barbara City Collage
General Education Associates Degree
Basic and Advanced Training certificates in Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
Vast experience in large organization external communication, Social Media in particular.
12 years State Police