Three candidates boasting a diverse set of backgrounds and interests will run for a seat on the 2012-2013 Board of Directors of the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA].
Jim Pierman, Dan Blue, and Bruce Keyser, Sr. will formally introduce themselves at a Candidate’s Night event during the Board Work Session on Tuesday, January 24, Nominating Committee Chair Jane Sessler announced at the Tuesday, December 13 Board Meeting.
“I would like to thank them for stepping forward -- and also thank the committee for the many hours spent interviewing many people in the community,” Sessler said. “We have some very qualified candidates, and these gentlemen will bring some very different perspectives to our Board.”
Bruce Keyser is a longtime area resident, living in Seven Lakes North for fourteen years before later settling in Seven Lakes West, where he and his wife, Sandi, have lived for fifteen years. Now semi-retired, he has owned several area businesses. Keyser is involved with various civic organizations, and currently serves as Commodore of the Seven Lakes Sailing Club. He was recently appointed to the Lake & Dam Committee and previously served on the Johnson Point subcommittee. He is a member of the Seven Lakes Sports Club and has participated in Neighborhood Watch. In addition, he is an active member of the West End United Methodist Church. Keyser’s primary interests in serving on the SLWLA Board are lakes, infrastructure, and communication.
Moore County native Dan Blue is also a longtime resident of Seven Lakes West, owning property in the community for twenty-four years. He is the owner of BlueWeb Design and has professional experience in recruitment, sales, and event management. Blue is a member of the Seven Lakes Sailing Club and an avid racer. In addition, he tutors computer science at Sandhills Community College and volunteers with the Moore County Literacy Council. Blue maintains websites for the Sunrise Theatre and the Sailing Club. His primary interests in serving on the SLWLA Board are in long range planning, particularly infrastructure issues related to roads, drainage, and amenities.
Jim Pierman retired from nearly thirty years with Ford Motor Company in Michigan, settling in Seven Lakes West in 2007. He writes the Sports Line newsletter for the Seven Lakes Sports Club and volunteers at Moore Regional Hospital, repairing and maintaining wheelchairs and stretchers. He particularly enjoys tinkering with motors and digital circuits, in addition to pursuing a range of pastimes that include motorcycles, snowmobiling, and rifle and pistol shooting, among other interests. His professional background includes experience in planning, product development, facility projects, budgeting, and environmental issues.
Current Directors Adam Wimberly, John Goodman, and John Hoffman will all be retiring from the Board, each after completing one three-year term of service.
Nominating Committee looked high and low
Nominating Committee Chair Sessler told The Times that her committee members spoke with a large number of potential nominees, either recommended by members or spotted on the membership lists of various community organizations.
"We literally sat down with the Association membership roster and started going down the list of names," to identify prospective nominees, Sessler told The Times.
Most of those called by committee members declined the invitation to run for the Board, she explained, "but everyone could give us names of three friends that we should contact."
Hoping to cultivate candidates for future Boards, Sessler said her team encouraged those with an appetite for service to serve on one of the Westside's many committees -- creating a "farm team" system that will provide a pool of experienced members who could perhaps be tapped for Board service in the future.
Sessler said she intentionally assembled a diverse nominating committee -- members included Jim Ballew, Ed Cockman, Kathy Kirst, Pat Land, Johanna Moran, Ron Shepard, and Ed Silberhorn. Having former Board members on the panel proved invaluable, she added, because of the perspective they could offer prospects on the nuts and bolts of Board service.
Though the Committee's goal was to bring more than three candidates forward for the three open seats that will be filled a the March Annual Meeting, Sessler said she was "gratified and quite relieved" to have identified three individuals who bring strong talents and diverse backgrounds to the Board.
Ballot open to petition candidates
The SLWLA bylaws allow additional names to be placed in nomination by petition. Such candidates must present petitions signed by at least three percent of the members entitled to vote, delivering those petitions to the Board's Secretary at least sixty days prior to the annual meeting, which is scheduled for Sunday, March 18.
Times Editor Greg Hankins contributed reporting to this story.
