PRESS RELEASE
Another One Bites the Dust – The Rest of the Story
It is with great sadness that I must announce that I am stepping down as POA Board Chair and totally away from the Board. When I took two years out of my retirement life to run for the Board, one of my overwhelming desires was to implement change. While much of that got done early in the year under the guidance of Diana Podawiltz, it obviously didn’t go far enough. The general direction of the Village was redirected back to being a maintenance organization and the need to focus all our resources on that prime objective was a worthy goal.
I haven’t always agreed with how things were being accomplished, but once it becomes apparent that a majority of the board is headed a certain direction, all you can do is say your piece.
The way Diana Podawiltz and Wayne Foltz were treated and ushered from the scene was nothing short of disgusting. Neither deserved to be treated the way they were. They both had the best interest of the Village in mind. I wanted Ella back as Secretary and that proved to be exactly the right move to make. Processes settled down when that happened. I had minor issues with the Controller becoming the Treasurer as I really believe that position should be held by a non-staff person, however, the Controller also has the best interest of the Village at heart and in my estimation is above reproach.
I do think it is appropriate to tell the property owners that neither the board or staff have discovered anything that could be considered nefarious as some had suspected. However, mismanagement, blunders and situations where many didn’t know what they didn’t know was extremely costly to the Village. Those issues are being worked on by the Board and staff.
But now to the main reason for my removing myself from the Board. I am too far apart philosophically from how this Village should be run, how it has been run through the last two administrators, but more importantly, how it will be run in the future. You can’t blame administrators for attempting to control their own destiny and that is why we have a Board. This board is slowly, but certainly, headed down the same path we thought we had just recovered from. Staff is controlling the narrative instead of the Board. Most of the time I enjoyed working with this Board but now that abdication is slipping back in, I refuse to be a part of a Board that won’t stand behind their commitment to the property owners; and that is what is happening.
Don’t blame the staff, blame your Board. Going forward, other than ensuring the candidate has real business experience, find those who are willing to work and work hard, will stay true to their words and can not only talk the talk but walk the walk.
It saddens me to have been put in this position, but I officially resign from the board effective immediately.
Lloyd Sherman, November 5, 2020
Jerry Jay Carroll
11/05/2020 — 10:05 am
Next up, the general manager will assume the loftier title of CEO to enhance his resume when moving on from the ruins. Locally as well as nationally, entrenched bureaucracies win every battle. Go back to your card games, golf and pickle ball, you did the best you could.
Geralyn Tomlinson
11/05/2020 — 10:48 am
Don’t know you, Mr Sherman, or any board members, or staff, but, just wanted to say “Thank You” for caring enough to invest your time and energy in my new place of residence. Peace be with you, and God bless🙏✝️
Mary Odom
11/05/2020 — 11:22 am
I’m very sorry to hear this…lots of us worked very hard to get this Board and now looks like we didn’t get what we thought we were getting. Thank you Lloyd for the time you put into this and for your honesty about what is taking place.
Mary Szczepaniak
11/05/2020 — 11:03 pm
ditto
Walter
11/05/2020 — 11:36 am
Thank you Lloyd for your time and dedication. You and the new board got a lot accomplished in a short period of time. I hope the present board will take notice. The GM works for the board. Real estate and golf are the way to increase revenues. Sell the POA lots! Market Golf! Making restaurants priority one Charles? During a pandemic? Anyway there will be 5 new board openings next Spring. Let’s choose wisely. Otherwise we will be back to fighting for our voice as the membership again. The board should direct the GM to cut expenses and create revenue. The board is in charge of the GM. The board should be actively steering the GM. Hard to believe 2020 in general. But here we go again sounds like.
Raymond Lehman
11/05/2020 — 11:39 am
It was apparent the BOD was willingly devolving into a similar POA management process to the previous CEO management process. To all Property Owners, this should shake you to your core. While our GM appears to me to be a person of high integrity it is shocking how quickly the BOD has moved to empower Mr. King while reducing the oversight abilities of the Home Owner staffed Committees. Why wouldn’t it be wise to spend a year or more monitoring Mr. King until he is a proven commodity?
Mary Szxzepaniak
11/05/2020 — 11:08 pm
Agree
Mary Odom
11/06/2020 — 6:35 am
Totally agree!
Judy W
11/05/2020 — 12:03 pm
I haven’t had a chance to meet Mr. King so words other then please keep reorganizing and saving money.
We on the Marketing Committee have many ideas to promote and make money for the Village. The marketing department has been making great strides in public awareness about the Village. Great job!!
. NOW OUR BOD!
Many of us voted for you to make changes and improve the Village’s future. YOU are the bosses of Mr. King. Tell him YOUR Village goals and have him do what he needs to do to fullfill YOUR Village goals. I’ve lived here 8 years and been thru 2 administrations that previous boards didn’t pull reigns on. Don’t run us in the ground. YOU, Mr. King and staff MUST work together to create a thriving and growing Village. Listen to committees that are working to come up with ideas to improve and market OUR VILLAGE. Together YOU, Mr King and staff can make this a very special place to live.
kilroy
11/05/2020 — 12:30 pm
On finding future board members, Lloyd’s departing word’s were “find those who are willing to work and work hard, will stay true to their words and can not only talk the talk but walk the walk.”
Well we had those “walking the walk” in Diana and Lloyd. You won’t find 2 more well prepared board directors and “under appreciated” than those.
Also Wayne Foltz and Dan Aylward. They lifted heavy!
Lloyd, Thanks for your service to the community. Finding people that can do their homework, while not being compensated in some remunerative way, is frankly quite difficult. God help us.
Keith
11/05/2020 — 1:31 pm
Newsflash every administration carries out the goals and objectives assigned by board members we elect who then dictate policy in accordance with their individual interpretations of needs. We apparently no longer have 7 people capable of living up to that challenge. What we have instead is 7 people who do not understand they must work together as THE EXAMPLE for staff to follow. Our board members quit, get removed, sleep during the meetings and spend their time in fighting and undermining each other. What an example for the staff they were elected by us to direct. Do we even have 5 people willing to run this year after all this drama? Where do we sign the incorporation petition?
Elmo Wiggins
11/05/2020 — 1:50 pm
Yes, we have 5 people who are willing to run for the POA Board. However, they will still have no experience. HSV will end up with another board of Villagers who were elected because they had good ideas but NO experience in implementing strategies/solving big problems. The only difference will be that the new board (and future ones) will continue to be younger in age and will vote to instill policies that favor younger mindsets. Climbing rocks versus walking trails … mountain biking paths versus senior activities, etc. … eventually, the younger boards will begin to close the golf courses and bring in amenities to fit their lifestyles … not retirement-oriented ones! HSV will end up being just another housing development as it will slowly lose its “retirement lifestyle” appeal. I am not sure that incorporation fixes the major structural problems in the Village. Just my opinion …
Keith
11/05/2020 — 3:41 pm
Define “retirement lifestyle”. Maybe our board members should be required to give their definition as part of their campaign pledge. Then we can all choose based on whether we want to play golf or pickleball or have a performing arts center or a pool or…..or……. agreement on that will fix the “structural problems“ without incorporating. Otherwise, we need intervention and hand holding in the form of state laws that keep the reins on local government. What we have is a bunch of people spinning their wheels during retirement and arguing about who has THE answer.
Elmo Wiggins
11/05/2020 — 4:02 pm
Handholding may be the answer … the problem is we have been electing boards for years that coddled the needs/wants of those who wanted golf .. or pickleball … or whatever. Managing HSV based upon what everybody wants … is a big part of the problem. HSV needs a defined (and realistic strategy … not CMP style). “Retirement lifestyle” is defined as the reason most people moved to HSV in the first place. Quiet community, with alot to do, gated with strong security, stable fees/assessments, rising home/property values and amenities that serve the most good. This is all possible, but we have not impaneled any POA Boards or management teams that have figured out how to do it … incorporation or local government simply covers up the structural problems and nothing will change … except taxes will go up. Might as well increase assessments now and get it over with!
Mary Odom
11/06/2020 — 6:40 am
Agree💯!!
sbm
11/05/2020 — 1:49 pm
Oh my gosh….this is so discouraging….I can hardly stand it. It seems like we just voted this board in and how many changes have we had…and now a board that is picked and not voted on.
I regret that Dan and Donna Aylward left the village, and after everything they did for the village, could be me but they should of been recognized in some way. This is just never going to change.
I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. King but I have a friend that works downstairs at the POA and recently asked what he was like….the answer…I do not know, I never met him. Really…why?
Thank you Lloyd…I wish that it all would of worked…we do not know the new GM nor the staff nor the board and Frank is gone…yikes
Bill Gianulis
11/05/2020 — 2:00 pm
LLOYD, I AM VERY SORRY TO HEAR THIS NEWS, I THOUGHT THAT YOU HAD THE BOARD ON THE RIGHT TRACK! I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR REASONING ON YOUR DECISION. IT IS A TOTALLY THANKLESS JOB. I ONLY WISH THAT THE FOLKS AROUND HERE WOULD SEE HOW DIFFICULT THAT JOB IS! I THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU HAVE PUT INTO THE POSITION OF CHAIRMAN. I GUESS ALL THAT I HAVE LEFT TO SAY IS; SEE YA’ ON THE GOLF COURSE, AND THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS TO BRING A BETTER VILLAGE TO US ALL!!!!
Stephen Rust
11/05/2020 — 6:25 pm
Lloyd you say Diana was treated wrongly, yet you abstained when the vote came to remove her from the chair (I believe that’s correct). Why didn’t you have the courage to cast a vote?
You say find board members that will stay true to their word and walk the walk. People voted for you because you said you were that person. Guess you fooled everyone, like so many others have done.
Gregory P
11/06/2020 — 8:03 am
If you didn’t see this coming then I’d say you’re living in a cave. IMHO, Lloyd resigned because he just does not have the capacity to cooperate with his team of Board Members. Lloyd’s ego surely got in his way and the other Board Member quickly grew tired of his self-serving interests. The Village has dodged a bullet with the resignation of Lloyd and our Board can now become a more cooperative team-spirited body of Villagers that will lead us to better times.
Karen Bump
11/06/2020 — 11:14 am
I like Lloyd, but with him and all the others who have resigned their positions this year, it just seems they didn’t get the others on the team to go along with their way of thinking, so they picked up their toys and went home. I personally think they all should have stayed in their roles and learned to work together, compromise, etc. for the betterment of the entire village and to keep things moving forward. I see the rest of the board working together, even though they all come from very different backgrounds but with a lot of good common sense business ways of conducting our board. The GM was hired to run things – so everyone on the board should let him, not second guess him. The board sets goals and provides oversight, makes long-range decisions. But mostly they are expected to research/review issues that need decisions and discuss then vote on them.
So far I like the decisions being made. The financials look ok for now; the village looks cleaner and neater; golf is up; DeSoto Club is improving; and maintenance is getting done. AND, we have new people moving in from near and far, home values are going up, new homes are being built – all during the worst pandemic in over 100 years. I think we are going to be just fine.
Lloyd only suggested mistakes had been made but did not give any specifics – I think that is not fair of him to throw out there and not back it up with facts. Even so, people are human and mistakes will be made – but hopefully lessons learned as well. Still, bottom line is Lloyd did not like his philosophy being overridden by the rest of the board – that is on him not them. IMHO.
Minn Daly
11/06/2020 — 2:08 pm
Karen Bump! So totally agree with you! It is sad to see one that you supported resign as chair even more to see resignation from BOD position. No one asked Lloyd or Dianna to do that. We still have a vibrant BOD that is doing good work for the community. Look at the results that have taken place so far. Let’s support our BOD & give our NEW Manager Charles King time to take over his NEW position before throwing arrows his way. He has had a mess to clean up & a staff that needed guidance & appreciation plus leadership. Our members & BOD needed a manager that knew his job & would be an asset to our community to bring it together. So far our BOD & GM have done a wonderful job! Get clarity on water issues & other issues next Wednesday BOD meeting. Minn. Daly