Once again, it was time to vote in the HOA Board election for The Shores at Lake Forest Community Association, held on October 18, 2016. But one question remains: where were the candidate solicitation notices to all homeowners?

Many homeowners may, or may not, have received ballots listing the incumbents. However, there did not appear to be much, if any, prior correspondence inviting homeowners to run for the Board or submit a Candidate Nomination Form. For those interested in participating, this is an important step in the election process.

Unfortunately, it also does not appear that the Association invited candidates to submit statements related to the election. If that was the case, it could create an unfair advantage by keeping the current Board members in front of voters while limiting awareness of any other interested homeowners.

There was also another concern: the ballot indicated a two-year term, while the bylaws state a one-year term. That is an important detail, especially when homeowners are voting for the people who represent the Lake Forest Shores community and make decisions on everyone’s behalf.

Do you know who your current Board members are?

Election results are supposed to be publicized to the community within 15 days after they are tabulated. Perhaps the Post Office is running a little slow this time of year. After all, we are getting close to the holiday season.

From what was provided to homeowners, the three incumbents were listed on the ballot, while anyone else would have needed to be written in. That raises another question: how are homeowners supposed to make an informed vote for write-in candidates if those candidates were not given the same opportunity to introduce themselves or solicit support from the community?

As for the fourth Board member, she was not listed because her position was apparently not up for election until the following year due to the two-year term structure.

Lastly, for those who may not be aware, there is currently one vacant position on the Board for anyone who is interested in serving. If you or someone you know may be interested, please contact Trisha Garite at trisha.garite@associa.us.