Safety and Security

We had some questions again surrounding safety and security, and mostly my responses were a recap of what I mentioned during the last virtual meet and greet.  

The Design Guidelines for the community are available online and there is a specific guideline for Security Devices (Lights, Cameras, & Alarms). I do feel that these should be streamlined even more, or have recommendations for streamline approval from the ARC.  For example, doorbell cameras are a bit ubiquitous today.  Having a guideline that states as long as they are smaller than a set dimensions, and they match the door hardware color, they should be approved by the ARC coordinator without further review or delay.

Do I have kids?

So this was a bit of a funny conversation, as a resident popped in and then immediately asked if I had kids at the Celebration K8 School.  It was a question I wasn’t exactly expecting, but then soon realized it was someone I had volunteered with at Celebration K8.  We both chuckled!

Yes, I have two amazing boys, both at Celebration K8.  One is in Kindergarten, the other is in 3rd Grade.  We are settled down here in Celebration, and with my boys in school, I want to ensure they have a community that fosters an amazing development experience.

Isn’t running again hypocritical?

This question came in via email from someone who previously supported me.  They were concerned about my silence in public-facing life up until recently and noted that I reached my term limit in 2018 for being on the CROA Board for consecutive years.

Yes, I did reach my term limit in 2018 for consecutive years anyone could be on the CROA Board of Directors.  In 2018, I welcomed the birth of my second son.  I stepped back from public-facing community life to spend more time with family as being on the CROA Board can be a second full-time job.

My youngest son was born and immediately showed developmental delay, and was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mixed Expressive Recessive Language Delay.  My wife stepped down from her job as a Nurse to help take care of my youngest, and between therapy with my son, treatments, and being the sole source of income for the household, I paused being as active in Community Management as I once did.  Fortunately, my youngest continues to develop and has made great strides, especially in the past year.  As both of my kids are now in school, and as a family have become more comfortable with a single source of income, we decided as a family that it was okay for me to try to be involved once again if I wanted to.

Throughout my life, I have always had the motto of “You shouldn’t complain if you aren’t willing to do something about it.” which is why I find myself running for the CROA Board once again.  I am concerned the community isn’t being held to the same standards that I as a resident would expect.  Some of the behavior at Board Meetings is embarrassing, and I feel we are not holding our Management Company, and related Community Vendors accountable for the services they should be delivering.  We are raising dues while services and amenities maintenance are declining and there is no complete explanation as to why.

As you know, many amazing residents in this community could step up and deliver great value to our community on the CROA Board.  However, not all are able, or willing, to run for the HOA Board.  Bringing new independent perspectives is important, as while a Board can (and should) disagree with one another, that is where there is negotiation and calm-headed discussion can win out to deliver a positive outcome.

Having a board with independent thought from each Director is very valuable in my opinion.  Right now, there seems to be a push from an existing member or members on the Board for a “slate” of candidates.  This is extremely concerning to me as it limits the ability to bring multiple different opinions into the discussion, and aligns all behind one person to which they are loyal.  At a minimum, I wanted to be able to give the community a choice of an independent way of thinking.

I can understand why many feel that my running again after having served 5-6 years ago can be seen as not being open to new members serving.  I am hoping that this explanation helps paint a bit of a picture of what has been going on in my life and why I disappeared publicly for a bit.

I encourage everyone to be as engaged as this resident and reach out to all candidates to learn why they are running.