John Cohn, Vice President, PebbleCreek HOA
Over the next year, PebbleCreek homeowners will do something most communities never have to think through carefully: rebuild a board almost entirely from scratch. One seat is up this October. Then, in Spring 2027, we will elect three additional homeowners to fill the board seats currently held by Robson Communities (RCI)—their terms will commence when we assume full control of our HOA.
We’ve described board elections as consequential before, and we’ve generally meant it. But it’s fair to say these next two elections are among the most consequential in PebbleCreek’s history. The board member elected this October will help guide PebbleCreek through the final complicated stretch of transition planning and the decisions that set up what comes next. The three members elected next spring take office the same day full self-governance begins, and they’ll be accountable from day one for making sure our new operating relationships in HR, IT, and finance actually work—correcting course where they don’t, and carrying PebbleCreek through its first year of full independence.
Whoever sits in those seats—this October and next spring—will shape PebbleCreek’s operating culture far into the future. That raises a question worth asking now, before candidates and campaigns take over the conversation: what actually makes a board effective? It’s not any one board member—but rather a board, as a working group.
So, if you’re thinking about running for the board, or deciding who to vote for, consider these characteristics:
* Objectivity—the ability to weigh an issue on its merits rather than through the lens of a favorite project or personal grievance.
* A superb listener—someone who hears out a counterargument fully before responding, rather than simply waiting for their turn to talk.
* Open-mindedness—a willingness to genuinely reconsider a position when presented with new information, not just defend the one you walked in with.
* An overall view of the community—decisions weighed against what’s good for PebbleCreek as a whole, not just one neighborhood, interest group, club, sport, or issue.
* Willingness to work with all board members—the ability to collaborate productively with colleagues you don’t always agree with, and to support a decision once it’s made even if you argued against it.
A good board isn’t five talented individuals who happen to sit at the same table. It’s five people who choose, meeting after meeting, to listen before arguing, to bend when the evidence calls for it, and to treat each other as partners rather than obstacles. That’s not a talent you’re born with—it’s a habit, practiced often enough, that makes a board, and the community it serves, work.