Sherry Gonzales
After declaring my candidacy for the HOA Board of Director position in May, the summer months have been filled with meeting homeowners. Invariably, the conversations turn to the upcoming campaign regarding my intent and purpose for seeking the Board position.
Why are you running for the Board?
What started as an interest in meeting my neighbors by becoming a Unit Rep turned into curiosity about how the HOA is run when I became Chair of the Unit Reps Committee two years later. That curiosity soon became a passion as my HOA involvement deepened.
That curiosity and passion has been fueled over the last six years as I expanded my HOA Committee work by chairing the Strategic Planning Committee and being an active member on the Rules and Elections Committees. Additionally, I’ve been engaged in a myriad of special projects working with the Board, Finance and staff. The result is a continued and growing appreciation of how well our community is governed.
What do you bring to the table?
My appreciation of our community, its people and its amenities coupled with my dedication to HOA committees and variety of special projects give me a strong foundation for serving on the Board of Directors. Each opportunity to contribute to the community has increased my desire to join the Board. The best preparation for such a position is working in the trenches first, then in positions of increasing breadth and responsibility.
There is a laundry list of project teams and committee involvement that could be itemized. But some of the farthest reaching and most compelling have been in the development of communication tools ensuring that homeowners are kept informed and the development of materials used in the Community Outreach Meetings. I embraced each project and, if elected as a Director, this has prepared me to understand the complexities of implementation and provide well developed executive planning.
What are the biggest challenges you see in front of the Board?
Short answer—all Boards, past and future I think, need to put communications and fiscally sound asset preservation and enhancement planning first.
The goal of any Board member is to ensure that management level resolutions include the concerns and interests of residents while providing long-term fiscally sound practices to maintain, enhance and grow our significant facilities and amenities.
Basically, homeowners want to be certain that the community will remain unparalleled in appearance, lifestyle choices, amenities and assets. 90% of our population chose to live in PebbleCreek in part because of the amenities we offer. We have over $28 million in assets not including roads or golf courses. We have grown from a village to a small city with many of the same challenges.
To that end, the Community Outreach Meetings have become a popular vehicle to provide real-time information on PebbleCreek successes and challenges. As Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) Chair, I enjoyed conveying the data shared during the SPC presentations in an understandable and informative manner. As a Board member I would desire that the Community Outreach Meetings continue to offer education to our homeowners on management complexities. The homeowners, then, are better prepared to appreciate the decision making process and understand that management resolutions are made in the best interests of all.
The journey over the last six years has been interesting and inspiring. My community track record shows leadership and commitment and I am passionate about PebbleCreek. I ask for your vote for the HOA Board to ensure that the property values, community assets and enriched lifestyles that we all enjoy today will continue to be sustained and enhanced in the future.