Post by Poor Richard on Oct 15, 2020 11:06:28 GMT -7
For South Glastonbury Director - Leo Keeler
A Write-in Candidate
A Write-in Candidate
Leo Keeler
My name is Leo Keeler, and I am asking for your vote as a write-in candidate to the GLA Board of Directors representing South Glastonbury.
Some of you remember when I served on the GLA Board in 2017 and 2018, or when I served on the Project Review Committee as a Landowner in 2015 and 2016. Prior to these activities, I was enjoying my retirement from 33 years with the U.S. Forest Service. My last 23 years was as a Land Law Specialist dealing with attorneys on a regular basis and overseeing Right-of-Way and Special Use Permit processing and administration.
Others know me and my wife Dorothy from the Christmas light display we put out each year or our work in photography as two of the 40 Founding Fellows of the International League of Conservation Photographers. (conservationphotographers.org) (Our home is on Aquila Lane, and the Welcome to South Glastonbury sign is in our front yard.)
Some of you remember when I served on the GLA Board in 2017 and 2018, or when I served on the Project Review Committee as a Landowner in 2015 and 2016. Prior to these activities, I was enjoying my retirement from 33 years with the U.S. Forest Service. My last 23 years was as a Land Law Specialist dealing with attorneys on a regular basis and overseeing Right-of-Way and Special Use Permit processing and administration.
Others know me and my wife Dorothy from the Christmas light display we put out each year or our work in photography as two of the 40 Founding Fellows of the International League of Conservation Photographers. (conservationphotographers.org) (Our home is on Aquila Lane, and the Welcome to South Glastonbury sign is in our front yard.)
During my tenure on the GLA Board:
1) I fought and changed many of the secrecy policies and practices that prevented Landowners from seeing or reading about the Board activities and decisions.
2) I led the way on removing the “CONFIDENTIAL DO NOT COPY” stamp placed on Board meeting minutes and began requiring Committee chairpersons to keep minutes and have those included in the official Board minutes.
3) I fought for fair and equal enforcement of all covenants and challenged the preferential treatment some landowners had received for decades by biased Board members.
4) When prior Board members lobbied to drastically reduce the interest rate of late annual assessment payments to benefit their friends, I asked the GLA attorney the right questions that helped him discover the Montana Supreme Court case that supported the GLA’s 18% interest rate for late payments. This helped enable GLA to recover thousands of dollars from “deadbeat” landowners.
In 2019 and 2020, I took a break to remodel our home and help Dorothy expand our Monarch Waystation and our Rescue, Raise, and Release program to save monarch butterflies. (We have raised and released over 550 monarchs since we started the program a few years ago.)
However, I have continued to monitor the Board, and some Directors are again pushing favoritism that results in uneven enforcement of the covenants concerning Project Review requirements, setbacks, approved building size, use, and placement, and Master Plan adherence. While phoning in to the last meeting, I heard a statement like “the Project Approval Committee has authority to approve,” which sounded like two Directors trying to justify what they told a Landowner. The PRC has no such authority. They only review, recommend and inspect “FOR” the Board.
I am concerned. But I am also impressed with the enthusiasm some of the current board members and new candidates bring to correct this issue. I have visited with current Treasurer, John McAlister, and am encouraged with his dedication to collect and record assessments (especially the hundreds of thousands in late/unpaid assessments) and accurately track expenditures. I have heard how the Project Review Committee has declined processing applications of Landowners with outstanding violations of covenants whether they be for late assessments or violating setback requirements. I see many on or running for the Board as dedicated to making the Board more fair, responsive, and transparent to Landowners.
The bios of many of the candidates listed on this year’s Ballot are impressive, and I would be honored to work with them to serve GLA in the best interest of ALL landowners. I hope, with your help, that I can join John McAlister, Andrea Sedlak, and Scott Stomierowski in representing South Glastonbury.
Thank You
LEO KEELER
WRITE-IN CANDIDATE
p.s. I hope you ask your friends in North to vote for Donna Lash-Anderson, Claudette Dirkers and Joe Bezotsky in North Glastonbury, as well.
1) I fought and changed many of the secrecy policies and practices that prevented Landowners from seeing or reading about the Board activities and decisions.
2) I led the way on removing the “CONFIDENTIAL DO NOT COPY” stamp placed on Board meeting minutes and began requiring Committee chairpersons to keep minutes and have those included in the official Board minutes.
3) I fought for fair and equal enforcement of all covenants and challenged the preferential treatment some landowners had received for decades by biased Board members.
4) When prior Board members lobbied to drastically reduce the interest rate of late annual assessment payments to benefit their friends, I asked the GLA attorney the right questions that helped him discover the Montana Supreme Court case that supported the GLA’s 18% interest rate for late payments. This helped enable GLA to recover thousands of dollars from “deadbeat” landowners.
In 2019 and 2020, I took a break to remodel our home and help Dorothy expand our Monarch Waystation and our Rescue, Raise, and Release program to save monarch butterflies. (We have raised and released over 550 monarchs since we started the program a few years ago.)
However, I have continued to monitor the Board, and some Directors are again pushing favoritism that results in uneven enforcement of the covenants concerning Project Review requirements, setbacks, approved building size, use, and placement, and Master Plan adherence. While phoning in to the last meeting, I heard a statement like “the Project Approval Committee has authority to approve,” which sounded like two Directors trying to justify what they told a Landowner. The PRC has no such authority. They only review, recommend and inspect “FOR” the Board.
I am concerned. But I am also impressed with the enthusiasm some of the current board members and new candidates bring to correct this issue. I have visited with current Treasurer, John McAlister, and am encouraged with his dedication to collect and record assessments (especially the hundreds of thousands in late/unpaid assessments) and accurately track expenditures. I have heard how the Project Review Committee has declined processing applications of Landowners with outstanding violations of covenants whether they be for late assessments or violating setback requirements. I see many on or running for the Board as dedicated to making the Board more fair, responsive, and transparent to Landowners.
The bios of many of the candidates listed on this year’s Ballot are impressive, and I would be honored to work with them to serve GLA in the best interest of ALL landowners. I hope, with your help, that I can join John McAlister, Andrea Sedlak, and Scott Stomierowski in representing South Glastonbury.
Thank You
LEO KEELER
WRITE-IN CANDIDATE
p.s. I hope you ask your friends in North to vote for Donna Lash-Anderson, Claudette Dirkers and Joe Bezotsky in North Glastonbury, as well.
Forum Note: Leo Keeler is a write-in candidate so his name will NOT appear on your ballot. To vote for Leo Keeler simply check the box on your 2020 ballot and write his name on the adjacent line. If you do not check the box, your vote for Leo will NOT be counted. See the sample absentee ballot below.
