Joe Sikes has resigned as Director and Treasurer of the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA]. The Westside Board appointed Don Freiert to serve out the two-plus years remaining in Sikes' term as Director and also named him Treasurer during the Tuesday, November 9 Work Session.
Image President Ron Shepard announced that Sikes had tendered his resignation on Saturday, November 6, and thanked Sikes for his service. Shepard did not elaborate on the reasons Sikes stepped down, although the former Treasurer had outlined the concerns underlying his action in an open letter to the membership.
A copy of that document provided to The Times suggests that Sikes found himself in frequent conflict with his fellow Directors, at least in part because of operating philosophy and style; that he believed that conflict could be detrimental to the membership; and that he, despite his title of "Treasurer," felt he was being marginalized in the process of setting the FY 2011-2012 budget.
[The full text of Sikes' resignation letter is available here .]
Newsletter may have sparked action
While Sikes' letter makes clear that his concerns about his ability to work with the current set of Directors had been simmering for some time, the spiking of an article he wrote for the November edition of the Westside newsletter may have brought the matter to a head.
The November newsletter includes lengthy, strongly-worded articles from both President Shepard and Legal Director Ed Silberhorn that are critical of the Dam Road Group -- a segment of the membership that has successfully mounted a petition drive to force a special membership meeting and vote on whether to have the road over Lake Auman Dam reopened to traffic.
Sikes told The Times that Silberhorn's article was circulated among Board members in advance, prompting him to write two articles for the newsletter, one of which "repudiates" Silberhorn's piece.
According to Sikes, newsletter editor Betsy Mikula considered the articles "inflammatory" and had sent them to President Shepard. The articles did not appear in the November newsletter. Both, along with a cover letter from Sikes, can be found here.
"We can get by with a lot less control"
The former SLWLA Treasurer has seldom disagreed with his fellow Directors during open meetings on some of the more controversial matters facing the Board. For example, he fully supported the move to permanently close the dam road. However, he objected strongly to a recent Board decision to adopt a set of guidelines that lay out the fairly extensive qualifications for service on the Board, as well as a code of ethics for Directors.
"We don't need guidelines for who is qualified to run for the Board," Sikes told The Times, noting that the US Constitution imposes only three qualifications on candidates for the Presidency.
"We can get by with a lot less control," Sikes said. "We don't need to limit access to the website. We don't need to keep this secret or that secret. We don't need to not let the treasurer go to the membership with a draft budget."
Sikes took the unprecedented step of hosting two public meetings on the budget for the upcoming year before the Board itself began work on that project, and he had scheduled additional input sessions as part of the budgeting process.
"The Board has enormous power under the law," he added. "So it certainly doesn't need to arrogate to itself any more."
Noting that "there are various ways to run a Board," Sikes said he no longer wanted to participate in the way the Westside Board is being run.
Freiert brings financial background
Freiert, who will serve out Sikes' term and replace him as Treasurer, ran unsuccessfully for the Board in March. He has since been active in the community in a variety of ways, President Shepard said during Tuesday's Work Session, including serving on the Finance Committee, on two Incorporation Study subcommittees, and as an active member of the Lake Auman Sports Club.
Formerly a Maryland-Certified Public Accountant, Freiert managed Nationwide's real estate portfolio, managing 9.4 million square feet of commercial real estate, before retiring to Seven Lakes in the Fall of 2009.
Public Comment
During Public Comment, Mike Gorenflo objected to the use of the website by directors to publish their personal opinions, when he was denied the right to place a non-partisan notice on the website indicating where petitions for the special meeting on the dam road could be obtained. Noting that the website is funded with member dues, Gorenflo said the website "should be able to be fairly and equitably be used, or not used at all."
"I am incredibly disappointed with lack of understanding by this Board that there can be more than one position on an issue," he added.
Director Hoffmann disagreed with Gorenflo, saying "I would not think the website is available for my use to oppose a 9-0 decision by the Board." Hoffmann said the website was an asset of the community, like the dam, the lake, and the community center, which fall under the authority of the elected Board.
Architectural Review
During Tuesday's Work session, the Board approved the combination of lots 5522 and 4206 -- an unusual request, in that the lots front on different streets and adjoin back to back instead of side to side. Director John Hoffmann questioned the value to the Association of such recombinations. Director Adam Wimberly noted that the Association loses revenue from dues on one of the lots, but gains some open space and a less dense streetscape.
The Board turned down the appeal of an Architectural Review Committee [ARC] decision not to allow the owners of lot 5501 to construct a four-foot-tall lighthouse alongside their driveway.
Wimberly told the Board that the ARC is considering asking for a revision of the construction fee schedule that would link fees to the size of the structure rather than offering a flat fee for all homes.
Nominees Sought
Secretary Karen Milligan reported that her Nominating Committee currently has just two candidates to fill three Board seats that could potentially come open in March. The terms of Milligan, President Shepard, and Legal Director Silberhorn are expiring.
Milligan is expected to deliver a list of nominees to the Board for approval at its December 8 Work Session. She especially encouraged members who are still in the work force to consider running for a seat on the Board, noting that the Board's current Tuesday morning and evening meeting times are not carved in stone.
Community Events
Reporting in the absence of Director Jane Sessler, Community Manager Joan Frost said volunteers are being sought to help hang holiday decorations on Saturday, November 20, beginning at 10:00 am. Folks interested in helping out can call the SLWLA office or email Sessler at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Kids photos with Santa, as well as an evening tree lighting a cocktail party, will be held on December 5. There is no charge for the event; however, reservations and tickets will be required in order to help the office anticipate attendance.
Other Business
In other business during the Tuesday, November 9 SLWLA Work Session:
• President Shepard reminded Board members that the Tuesday, November 23 Work Session had been cancelled because of its proximity to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
• Community Manager Frost reminded Board members that they have a budget retreat scheduled for November 16.
• Director Hoffmann reported that gates have been installed on either end of the dam, allowing the concrete and wooden barriers to be removed. He will be asking local fire and EMS departments to conduct a training drill utilizing the gates.
• Frost relayed a request from former Treasurer Kathy Kirst that the current Board ratify a decision by the previous Board to utilize the outstanding accumulated balance of dedicated West Side Park dues to make advance principal payments against the mortgage on the facility. The Board deferred action on that request until the auditors' report is available, because that report will define exactly how much surplus dues have been collected.
• Frost said a plan to remove apparently abandoned trailers from the boat and trailer storage lot has been put on hold until the SLWLA rules and regulations can be revised to permit the Association to dispose of those items.
• Infrastructure Director John Goodman said the Association needs to rent storage space -- and ultimately, budget to build a storage building -- to house Association property now stored in the residence of former Infrastructure Director Ray MacKay.
• Manager Frost asked that landowners using the Community Center facilities not adjust thermostats, but rather ask the staff to do that for them, so that there is less chance that the heat will be left turned off on a cold night, risking frozen pipes.
• Frost noted that a security system has been added to the pool area, so residents should not enter that area without checking in with the office, lest they trip an alarm that will generate a call to the Sheriff's Office.
