POA candidates meet with GM

Four potential board candidates listened to POA general manager Tom Judson talk about running for a seat on the POA Board of Directors.

There are three seats open in 2019, and the election takes place from the middle of April when ballots are mailed out until May 21, the day of the annual membership meeting.

Leia Bush, the corporate secretary for the POA, said that about 12 members have picked up candidate packets. The meeting last week was not mandatory. Candidates must collect 50 signatures from POA members in good standing and turn those in to Bush by Jan. 11.

Judson recommended that candidates should get about 60 signatures. It can be awkward for the candidate to ask potential supporters if their assessment fees are up to date. Members who are behind in their assessments are not in good standing, so those signatures will not be counted. Bush checks each and every name, Judson said.

At the board meeting on Jan. 24, the names of verified candidates will be released, Judson said. If there's a question about a candidate's paperwork, it's up to the election committee to make a decision. For example, last year one candidate was disqualified because his petition was returned late.

Once the new board is seated, its first business is to reorganize. It meets privately and chooses the new chairman, who will serve in that position for one year. All nine board members are eligible to be chairman or vice chairman.

Board members are expected to be at about five meetings each month, although the most important meeting -- the one where board members vote -- occurs only once a month.

In addition to the regular monthly meeting on the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:30, board members have a work session on the third Thursday at 9 a.m. and a closed meeting with the general manager on the second Thursday. They are also assigned to two committees which will each meet once a month. The committees include the Joint Advisory Committees on Golf, Recreation, Community Involvement and Lakes. There are also committees made up of only board members, including Rules and Regulations and the Audit Committees.

If a member must miss a board meeting, he or she can use a proxy form, Judson said. Board members choose their proxies and can direct them on how to vote on specific issues or allow them to make that decision. Sometimes, board members participate via telephone.

The board only has one employee, Judson said. The chief operating officer/general manager reports directly to the board and passes on the board's instructions to other employees. It's not appropriate for a board member to order an employee around, he said.

Each board member represents the entire membership, Judson said. The board needs to consider nonresident members, as well as resident members, and it needs to be prepared to serve a full three-year term. It's not right for someone with only one specific interest to run for the board and then leave the seat empty after that issue is addressed.

The POA will post candidate profiles in February. The candidates write the profiles themselves and they are not edited, he reminded them. Later, the election committee will host a candidate forum to give the members a chance to ask questions and make decisions about their vote.

The forum will be held on March 19 at Riordan Hall.

General News on 01/09/2019