I'd strongly suggest that anyone interesting in running for a board position in our HOA, take a good look at how Quentin Fennessy did it.

1) Orgainize your ideas (and leave some room postions that you haven't considered yet). This is a learning process, too!

2) Get out and talk to ALL your neighbors. Find out what their issues are. Get ready to listen to people who don't think like you do. You need their votes, too!

3) Communicate:
- Write down your ideas
- Consider a web site - it's easy
(you can post a video clip mesg)
- Start an email list
- Print fliers and business cards
- Start small group meetings in homes
- Prepare for candidate debat forums
-

4) Get infomation from CCHOA
- Find the office; introduce yourself
- Get a flier at every mailcenter
- Start a calendar; focus on deadlines
- Learn the process



What you shouldn't do:

1) Don't just focus on a small neighborhood, like Park West - you are going to be running ''at large''. That means, you need the votes from thousands of voters, no just your neighbors.

2) Don't wait for CCHOA to make the first move. They are slow and this is new for them, too.

There are 5 positions that will be on the next ballot - which one do you want to run for ? They are staggered terms, so that we are re-electing at least 2 directors every year.

1) Ken Rigsbee's place is for 3 years. It ends in March.
2) One more new place will be for 1 year (it will expire next year, when Jim O'Rielly's term is up)


The terms were setup so that we elect at least 2 members every year. Every three years, we will be electing three directors.

FYI The directors choose from among themselves, their respective duties and titles. One will be President, one VP, one Secretary, one Treasurer, and after that, three directors will not have specific jobs.

The immediate advantage of having more directors, is that there are enough of them to sit on our standing committees (Recreation, Architecture Control, and Communications, for instance, allowing them to act without direct BOD micro management).

We'll have a lot more director meetings and some workshops, as the new directors learn the processes and Texas laws on things like the Open Meetings Act.

Hopefully, one director will be come the media spokes person. While it might seem like a natural for the President, it doesn't have to be that way at all. Media is a two communication channel.

5 director places for March

In March, we will be adding 4 new directors to our board and then there is the place held by Ken Rigsbee, who is up for re-election. We need to number the places, and I think it will look like this:

1) Place 1 (Rigsbee's) 2004-2007 *
2) Place 2 (O-Rielly's) 2002-2005
3) Place 3 (Fennessy's) 2003-2006
4) Place 4 3-year term 2004-2007 *
5) Place 5 3-year term 2004-2007 *
6) Place 6 2-year term 2004-2006 *
7) Place 7 1-year term 2004-2005 *

* Places up for election in March 2004


So, if you plan to run for office, you'll need to pick a place number to run for.

here is the text on the by-law amendement we approved:

For 7 directors: (from our ballots)

At the March 2004 annual meeting the members shall electon one director for a term of three years to fill the place that is presently held (by Ken Rigsbee) and would ordinarily be up for election.

The members shall also elect two directors for terms of three years each, one director for a term of two years, and one director for a term of one year.

At the 2005 annual meeting the members shall elect one director for a term of three years to fill the place that is held at the time of the March 2004 annual meetig and would ordinarily be up for election in 2005. (Jim O'Rielly's)

The members shall also elect a director for a term of three years for the position elected in 2004 for a term of one year. (Place 7 in my scheme)

At the 2006 annual meeting the members shall elect a director for a term of three years to fill the place held at the time of the March 2004 annual meeting and would ordinarily be up for election in 2006. (Quentin Fennessy's)

The members shall also elect a director for a term of three years for the position elected in 2004 for a term of two years.

Beginning in 2007 and every third year thereafter, the members shall elect three directors for terms of three years each. (2007 and 2010 will be years where we elect 3 members instead of just two at a time)

Beginning in 2008 and every third year thereafter, the members shall elect two directors for terms of three years.

Beginning in 2009 and every third year thereafter, the members shall elect two directors for terms of three years each.



Of course, we may have expanded the board to 9 members by then, in which case, we'll elect 3 directors every year and only 2 directors every 3rd year.

Deadlines? Process?

Russ - do candidates still have to go through the nominations committee? What are the deadlines? Does anyone have any idea? What types of materials do candidates need to submit to the committee?

Process has not been revealed

The election process and Nominations committee details have not yet been announced. I wrote and asked for details on Feb 10th, but I haven't got any details, yet.

The next BOD meeting is Monday, Feb 16th at 8 am. I never make Monday morning meetings on-time, but I'll get up early for this one! It think they will need to put their head together to make this work smoothly and fairly.

You don't have to work through the Nominations committee - heck, you don't even have to live in Circle C or be a member ! But, it makes sense to go through them. The Nominations committee will place your name on the ballot, and that's a BIG DEAL. Getting elected from the floor is like working with your hands tied behind your back - it's much harder to get the attention you need.

So, if you are going to run, you should have a brief bio and short list of your qualifications ready to put forward. Making up a small web site is fast, easy, and makes for an execellent reference. You should insist that the Nominations committe post the candidates information on the CCHOA web site and a link to your web site.

Get some help with your email, too. You can expect a lot of it. Anyone who relies on flyers and USPS mail alone, is going to be disadvantaged. This is a tech savvy community - if you don't appreciate that fact, you are out of touch already !

So, while you are workig up you campaign, get aquainted with the many hot topics, including the Pool, contracts review, insurance, record keeping, Texas laws you have to comply with, and oh, yeah, discuss this with your family. This job takes a lot of time to do right and it's going to be a while before the CCHOA office and newly empowered committees learn how to streamline the organization, without working in secret.