Patrick Laury

Patrick Laury knows exactly how much commitment it takes to be a member of the POA board of directors because he's running for a second term.

"I want to continue the positive direction in which we are moving, to make continuous improvement to all of our amenities like we have," he said. Board members need to see things through the eyes of the entire community, he said.

Laury has always been an enthusiastic volunteer, racking up to 3,000 hours one year with the Red Cross. He said his father taught him to be a volunteer.

"Everyone owes it to their community," he said, "especially retirees."

He spent his career as a systems analyst, a project manager and as training program manager for Lockheed Martin Aerospace. He was also a university professor and a consultant.

As a member of the board, he knows that the board is open to any opportunity to raise money. Right now, a task force is working on that issue. But if it comes down to an assessment increase, he would support it. He would work with the board to help convince the community that an increase is necessary, he said.

It's up to the community to decide what amenities are needed, he said. The board should be led by the majority towards the things the majority wants, but that doesn't mean that smaller groups are ignored. Everyone's wants and needs should be considered but, in the end, the community is more important than any particular segment.

"There will always a little bit of give and take," he said, "You won't keep everyone completely satisfied."

POA amenities will never be turned over to the city, Laury said, because the city can't afford to run them. He's heard that it would take a tax increase of over $800 for each citizen each year to keep the amenities open. Communities that have the same level of amenities, usually have a much larger tax base and the ability to raise taxes when necessary.