2004 LLA Board of Director Candidates
The following individuals have
submitted their names as candidates for the 2004 Lake Linganore Association
(LLA) board of directors election, which is held as part
of the annual LLA Membership Meeting, scheduled this year for 9 a.m., Saturday,
May 15, at Deer Crossing Elementary School.
This year there are six
positions open on the LLA board of directors. Four of the candidates will serve
two-year terms, while two will serve one year terms to fulfill the remaining
year of a two-year term of a director who resigned within the first year of
their terms. The top four
recipients of votes will be elected to two-year terms while the fifth and six
top recipient of votes will be elected to one-year
terms.
Five of the nine candidates on
the 2004 ballot are incumbents (*).
William P. DiLoreta *
12823 Point Pleasant Drive
Fairfax, VA
Woodridge
Retreat Lot #257
Occupation:
retired banker; currently vice president of finance for Land Stewards.
Education: B.S. in economics.
Relevant Experience: current LLA board member; more than
30 years in banking and management.
Candidate Statement: I feel the current board of directors
(BoD) has made significant progress in understanding
the serious problems that face the Lake
Linganore community. It
is my hope that the current BoD will stand for
reelection so we can continue working on the solutions for the issues that face
the Lake Linganore community in the next two to
four years.
Responses:
- The LLA cannot continue funding the current
services levels without use of some of the reserve funs in the operating
budget. This make the LLA vulnerable to an
unexpected expense that would deplete the reserve below an unacceptable
level. The new board should consider a series of special assessments to
meet the financial demands that the next four years will bring. I would
only support a special assessment because the lot owners are included in a
special assessment.
- The LLA should fund these capital improvements
through special assessments.
Any assessment for any capital improvement must be clearly
designated for that purpose and the funds can be used for no other purpose
by the LLA.
- The process to have the desiltation
of the lake completed has been started under the leadership of Jim Reed.
This will be a very difficult process because of the involvement of other
parties, such as Frederick
County, and will
probably take two or three years before significant progress is made. It
is critical that the new board continues to support this effort with
whatever resources it has at its disposal. Any development that occurs in Lake Linganore
must ensure that all measures are taken to protect Lake Linganore.
- Land Stewards and the other builders must work
with the LLA, Environmental Control Committee (ECC) and the community to
present a plan that will be acceptable to all parties for the future
development of Eaglehead-on-the-Lakes. A successful development of
Eaglehead will bring financial security to the LLA.
G. Alan Dinkelacker *
6807 Forest Park Court
Aspen Lot # 235, 236, 287
Occupation: broker of Fencepost Realty;
professional background in corporate sales.
Education: Frederick
Community College; University of Maryland.
Relevant Experience: prior term on the LLA board; two
terms as LLA board president; served as chairperson for LLA Amenities
Committee; board liaison to LLA Social Committee for two years.
Candidate Statement: I am interested in completing the
goals put forth by the board of director, of which I am currently the
president.
Responses:
- I propose for the next four years a special
assessment for each year that would upgrade our amenities. Special
assessments are to be used for projects only, not for increasing staff.
- See my response to question 1.
- The major problem is the removal of the siltation, which has been uner
investigation in the last year. This is not going to happen overnight and
it will be costly ($1-$2 million). We are looking for financial aid from
the city of Frederick and Frederick County,
as well as federal grants.
- It’s the responsibility of the board of
directors and the Environmental Control Committee (ECC) to work with the
builders/developers to either save as many trees as possible or have a
plan to replace trees. Not everybody is going to be happy with the results
but we must move forward in order for the successful completion of this
development.
Brandon M. Frazier
6706 Ilex
Court
Lot # 298
Occupation: program manager & engineer.
Education: Montgomery
College (engineering
studies); 10 years on-job engineering apprenticeships.
Relevant
Experience: Small business
management; overseeing teams of diverse talents and personalities; managing
projects under tight budgets; real estate investment; an interested member of
this community.
Candidate
Statement: I would be honored to
serve on the LLA board. As
Americans, regardless of social position, background, and race, we all have the
unique opportunity to participate in our government, and I believe everyone
should take advantage by spending part of his or her time in public
service. I advocate completion of
Eaglehead-on-the –Lakes but recognize that development alone will not
solve our financial problems. As a board member I would strive to implement
creative strategies to make our community financially viable.
Responses:
1.
I am skeptical
that development alone will generate the revenues needed to sustain our
community. Perhaps in the short-term we will see additional cash flow but for
long-term financial health we need to be creative. As a board member I would advocate
studying thoroughly the feasibility of Lake Linganore
at Eaglehead becoming an incorporated municipality, the “Town of Lake
Linganore” for example. While
the facts need to be determined by thorough investigation, there exists a
possibility that this type of solution would allow us to keep and manage more
tax revenues within our “town limits.” Clearly such an approach would also
bring with it more responsibilities. This is also a long-term initiative, its
potential rewards coming several years hence. For now we should do what nearly every
community in America
is doing: tighten our belts, work closely and openly together, and, as Ben
Franklin would say, be frugal and industrious.
2.
It is my understanding that some (although not all)
money has been set aside for these types of projects. However, the lakes specifically are also
vital to Frederick city and county, and the
State of Maryland. Where possible we should pursue local
and state government and developer participation in capital improvements. We must also recognize, as residents,
that there may be special responsibilities associated with having such a unique
community, and that more residents working together in
a positive way can contribute to the solution.
3.
Protecting the lake environment is a big
responsibility of all residents, developers, builders, guests, and local
governments. I believe the recent
discussions between Aspen homeowners and Land
Stewards represent an excellent start in how we move forward concerning the
lakes. Land Stewards has expressed its regard for the lakes and displayed a
willingness to discuss resident concerns and take action— even
compromise— in response. Getting government involved with financial
assistance for our many projects may also require us to cede a certain level of
control on our environment so this has to be approached carefully. But when the
dust settles, the homeowners must care for and live in our environment. We will
only get out in benefits what we invest in the way of conservation, reverence
and protection for the lakes and or environment in general.
4.
My response to this question ties in with the last.
We must follow the model of open dialogue between homeowners, developers and
builders to ensure that when complete, our community remains a unique
alternative in this region. People choose to live here despite a certain lack
of convenience (although we are only minutes from most things anyone would
need). We should not develop simply for the sake of generating income, since we
can safely assume that development alone will not solve our financial problems.
Implementing a reforestation plan offered by recognized forestry and tree
experts is a good alternative when trees must be removed for compliance to
newer stormwater and land development regulations.
But now is the time for homeowners, builders and developers to work closely
together, and that is one reason I would like to serve
on our board of directors.
Chris Peduzzi
Mr. Peduzzi has notified the LLA to withdraw
his candidacy for the 2004-05 board of directors election.
Lisa M. Rogers
*
6930 Meadowlake Road
Meadows Lot #305
Occupation: full-time mother & volunteer.
Education: BA, Public Relations /Communications,
Brigham Young University.
Relevant Experience: marketing coordinator/market research
analyst; LLA board of directors since December 2003; Citizen’s Advisory Committee
for the Linganore Small Area Plan; former Meadows Village Committee
chairperson; chairperson for the LLA Turn Out the Vote Committee 2002; member
of Citizens Advocating for the Ultimate School Environment (CAUSE); helped
redesign the LLA web site; room mother at DCES.
Candidate Statement: My family and I feel very blessed to
live here. Our lives have been
tremendously enriched by getting involved in efforts to improve our community.
Since my appointment to the board last December, I have made every effort to
attend all of the village, committee, county and state meetings possible to
gain a thorough understanding of issues and needs. There are critical issues
affecting our community. We are working hard to make our CDA roads project a
reality. Land has been successfully acquired for East County High, and we are
lobbying hard for state construction approval. The process for getting permits
preparatory to dealing with lake siltation
problems has begun. We are working to get Eaglehead bridge
rebuilt and a connection restored to 144 which would allow the Boyer’s
Mill upgrade to occur. As a board member, I realize I represent fellow
residents of this community, and I take this responsibility very seriously.
Responses:
- I believe the board needs to do a better job
determining what our residents’ needs and wants really are. Prior to
this latest budget cycle, I made a big effort to contact Village &
Committee chairpeople and involved residents to
get their input into what our priority projects should be as well as
“wish list” items. As the question implies, there is not a lot
of “extra” money to address increased services or “wish
lists,” but we are doing the best we can with the money we have. We
need to continue to pursue cost saving efforts and creative funding
sources like the community grant that helped us build the new Westwinds tot lot. I am not in favor of any increases
in assessments without a vote from the community. I have serious
reservations about shifting funds earmarked for reserve accounts unless
absolutely necessary.
- We are seeking federal grants and are working
with the county and city to share the financial burden of some of these
projects. The board has been
putting as much money as possible into reserve accounts to prepare for
capital improvements.
Unfortunately, we will still fall short. Modest special assessments
will most likely have to be used. Advanced notice should be given so
residents can budget for this expense with the option of paying over time
if desired. My family is on a tight budget. We do not want to pay any more
than we already do. These expensive projects cannot be put off any longer.
Hopefully, the benefit to our community from improvements to the dams and
construction of the long-promised Pinehurst pool can help soften the blow
to our wallets just a little.
- We need to make sure developers build in a
manner that would protect our lakes us much as possible from runoff. I
would like to see developers build in such a way as the natural filtration
system (trees, vegetation, natural rock outcroppings and erodable soils) in place are disturbed as little as
possible. Super silt fences need to be maintained properly on a regular
basis. Residents and
surrounding farmers need to do their share to prevent runoff into the lakes
and Linganore Creek. We are in the process of acquiring a permit to allow
for serious desiltation work on the lakes. In
the meantime, the board recently approved purchasing a portable dredge
machine to be used by community volunteers to temporarily improve the siltation problem in the silted in areas near
lakefront homes.
- The board is limited in its authority to
dictate to developers how build out should be completed. Development is
inevitable and has been planned for since the late 1960’s. A careful
balance needs to be established to support the declarant’s
efforts to build out the community in a cost effective manner without
sacrificing our natural surroundings. I am in favor of low-impact
development. It is the board’s responsibility to make sure mass grading
and destruction of trees (the only area of development we can control) is
not being done unnecessarily and that measures to restore areas that are
disturbed are done properly.
We are working through these issues currently with the declarant and concerned residents and seem to be
making progress in finding a palatable compromise.
Grant Sheehan
*
4004 Iroquois Dr.
Westminster MD 21157
Aspen North Lot #83
Occupation: Retired federal government.
Education: B.S. degree and graduate studies in
political science.
Relevant Experience: Over 30 years observing the conduct of Lake Linganore
management; lot owner since 1971; current member of LLA board of directors.
Candidate Statement: The LLA does not have enough income to
significantly improve infrastructure and amenities. Build-out of the community will achieve
adequate income for these purposes. I will support initiatives that sustain
build-out and oppose any increase in assessments not approved by two-thirds
vote of the community membership.
Responses:
- Services and staffing can be maintained at
current dues and income levels if the LLA shifts some of its considerable
reserve funds into operating budget. Admittedly, this invites the danger
of some unexpected extraordinary reserve expense not being met in the
future. But for 30 years the LLA has been so afraid of what might happen
tomorrow that it is reluctant to spend for what is needed today.
- Capital improvements should be met through a
more imaginative approach to Special Assessments. If members are presented
with specific achievable objectives that they recognize are required and
desired, they should be far more amenable to voting for modest Special
Assessments than to ill-defined purposes behind frequent hikes in dues. Instead of a costly one-time
Special Assessment, why not consider a modest $100 a year for two or three
years? That approach avoids the all-at-once impact, spreads the burden
evenly, and can pay for our obligated capital improvements during the time
frame it would take to achieve them.
- Three extended efforts must be undertaken to
preserve the quality of the main lake:
- De-siltation
must eventually be undertaken. The LLA is currently working on the
complicated process of getting a permit for that very expensive
operation. Cost and method will be determined by permit requirements.
- Residents and developers
must ensure that properties at or near lakefront retard degradation
runoff into the lake.
- Government officials
outside of our community have to take measures to prevent silt and
pollutant runoff into Linganore Creek upstream from the lake.
- Build-out of our community to the size
originally envisioned is the surest way to create a financially secure Lake Linganore. To achieve this, we must support
and encourage developers and builders who commit their own financial
security to the hope of profitable enterprise. The membership has to expect that
areas always intended for homes will be altered in appearance when
developed. Builders and developers have to accept that deforestation
restraint in those same areas is a non-negotiable obligation to the
community.
Rachel Sorenson
5030 Douglas Avenue
Summerfield
Lot # 233
Pinehurst Lot
#195
Occupation: stay at home mother and adjunct
faculty member at Frederick
Community College.
Education: B.A., special education, Hood College;
M.S., special education, Johns
Hopkins University.
Relevant Experiences:
have lived in community since 1993; can keep track of multiple goals within
a discussion; able to make decisions based on facts rather than feelings;
considered a good listener; have knowledge of Frederick County
bureaucratic process.
Candidate Statement:
I would like to see the roads project get the board support it needs so
that we see asphalt on the roads and the county’s promised water and
sewer lines. The LLA has multiple projects to deal with and needs member
support and guidance to fulfill goals within a limited budget. I would like to represent those of us
who depend on the amenities and the quality of life issues that made us want to
live here and never move away.
Responses:
- If the dues are providing the current levels
of LLA services, resources and amenities and there is money in reserve,
that is to be congratulated being that the LLA has added new staff
positions and there are visible amenity improvements. I would rather look at the
specifics of the services, resources and amenities and see how they can be
modified to best meet our needs and the fiscal situation. For example:
pool attendance should generate the hours of operation. I don’t understand how more
houses paying assessments don’t change the financial factors as
related in the question.
- The LLA should fund these projects through what
should have been existing reserve accounts, a partnership with the water
users (county and city) and collection of money owed to the association.
- Continue to educate members on the importance
of lake quality, supervise and enforce builder requirements for development, enter into educational partnerships where
lake conservation provides a learning experience for others.
- If the LLA has any say to the appearance on
the area to be developed then the LLA Environmental Control Committee
(ECC) should already have the right to enforce the covenants, as they
exist. If the county would pursue its water and sewer obligation, more
building permits would be issued and more housing would be available, and
different size and type of houses could be built to allow for the forested
appearance to remain.
Christopher Thompson
10919 Oakcrest Circle
Pinehurst Lot #408
Occupation:
high school social studies teacher, Montgomery County Public Schools
Education:
B.A. in history, M.A. in urban studies/public administration, Old Dominion
University; comprehensive
secondary teacher certification.
Candidate Statement: I was
drawn to this community last year due to its natural beauty and park-like
surroundings. Lake
Linganore hosts a very unique living
situation that seems to be disappearing in Maryland every day. I belie it is important
to improve or at least maintain the current quality of life for all of the
residents. The talk of four lane
divided highways, bypasses built through woodlands and across local farms, clear
cutting, and poor water quality of the lakes distresses many of the residents
in this community. We should not bring the problems of Frederick, D.C.
and Baltimore to this community.
Responses:
- The addition of new homes never usually adds
to the coffers of local government and in turn will not do anything to
solve the budgetary needs of the community. As long as the LLA keeps
development in hand there should be little need to add and pay for staff. If increases in staff, services or
amenities become a necessity then a small percentage increase in
assessments would be a necessity.
- On the surface the only to fund these
obligations would be through residents. It would seem to me that the
current and past LLA board members would have planned for these
improvements. If this was not
the case, monies may have to be shifted from other less pressing projects
or, referring back to question 1, additions to assessments must be made.
These would be ongoing maintenance needs that will have to be addressed
again in the future.
- The lake is the crown jewel of the community
and must be protected.
Obviously the water quality must be maintained, as well as the
recreational and aesthetic values. I believe much more needs to be done to
protect the small creeks and streams that feed the lake, as well as the
lake itself. The cooperation of various governments is a must to deal with
the main lake. The LLA must take a more proactive role in lessening the
amount of silt from community runoff, as well as making the state and
county accountable for the flow into feeder streams.
- Alteration of the forested appearance should
be minimized as much as physically possible. An open development policy
would cause further damage to the water quality of the main lake and
surrounding bodies of water. We have a variety of building patterns in the
many villages of the community. Wooded and streamside areas should be
maintained in their current state to protect the health and aesthetic
quality of the community. Massive road building and clear cutting should
not be an option.
Andrew Twillman*
6957 Inverness Court
Westwinds Lot #258
Occupation: President of a third party recruiting firm for a Fortune 50
company.
Education: B.S. in political science from West Virginia University.
Relevant Experience: Actively involved in his former community Russett in
Laurel, MD. Served on LLA board since 2002.
Candidate Statement:
Responses: