Editor’s Note: In its role as a community newspaper, the Spoonbill Courier has chosen to ignore a demand from the President of the Board not to promote the upcoming Marsh Creek elections. Spoonbill Courier invited all six candidates to share their photos and campaign bios for publication. After extending the deadline to encourage the presence of all candidates, only three responded and their information is published in full below. The campaign bios of the remaining three are seen as copied from the All aBoard Newsletter of Thursday, November 4.
The Outreach Committee of the MC HOA has scheduled a Meet-and-Greet with the six candidates competing for the three upcoming open seats on the Board of Directors.
It will be held at 4pm on Sunday, November 14 in the Community Park.
Read up on the candidates’ experience and ideas for Marsh Creek and make time to speak with them in person at this important Marsh Creek event.
Tom Burkhard
| J. Thomas “Tom” Burkhard, Jr. |
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| Cindy and I moved to Marsh Creek in July of 2020 with Harly, our 10-year-old golden doodle. We met in college and have been married for 38 years and are blessed with three wonderful daughters, Catie, Emmy and Maggie. I graduated with a BS in Economics and was a financial advisor in my hometown of Pittsburgh PA for 12 years. During that time, I earned my CFP, CLU and ChFC professional designations. I also obtained MS in Financial Services Management. We left Pittsburgh in 1995 to embark on what became a 25-year journey as gypsies as I pursued a career as a corporate executive with several insurance and financial services organizations. We lived in Washington DC, Cincinnati, Tokyo, Indianapolis, Lincoln Nebraska, and Cheshire Connecticut. My friends are sure that we were in the witness protection program. With each new opportunity I had to learn the history and the culture of each organization, understand “the way we do things here” and then work to improve the business by growing both the top and bottom lines. I learned a lot over those 25 years, and we had a good run. I have also served as a board member for numerous business, industry and trade associations. I served on the board at The University Club of Pittsburgh, The Farms CC in Wallingford CT, St. Bridget of Sweden Catholic School in Cheshire CT, and am currently the Co-chair of the upcoming Elks Charity Golf event. And I have been serving on the Marsh Creek Finance committee for the past year. If elected to serve on the Board of Marsh Creek homeowners association, I will work hard to preserve all that is good about living here and look for ways to make things even better. I want to protect and enhance both our quality of life and the value of our properties. It is my belief that the best way for the board to do that is to communicate, cooperate and collaborate. One of the many lessons I learned over the years is that “none of us is as smart as all of us”. Thank you for your consideration. It would be an honor and a privilege to serve on the board of the Marsh Creek homeowners association. jtburkhard@gmail.com, (860) 840-1047 |
Scott Herrington
| Scott Herrington |
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| I am a new resident having moved full time to Marsh Creek from Kingston NY in November of 2020. I have been married to my wife Yvonne for 30 years and we have 2 children, Chelsea, and Charlie. For 25 years, I was a police officer in Kingston, NY, serving in many roles including as an investigator assigned to a federal drug task force and an undercover narcotics investigator. I retired in 2010 to launch a business career: owner-operator of an event equipment rental company; owner of a regional ATM company in the Hudson Valley; and owner of Kingston City Marina. I hold a United States Coast Guard 100-ton Masters License and have owned and served on sightseeing and charter fishing boats. My previous board experience includes six years on the BoD of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce and three on the executive committee as secretary. I have also served two years on the BoD of The ARC of Ulster/Greene Counties Foundation Board, a not-for-profit organization serving adults with developmental disabilities. Additionally, I spent 3 years on the BoD and one as president of The Center for Spectrum Services, managing two schools serving children on the autism spectrum. In St. Augustine Beach, I served as vice president for two of the 4 years I held a seat on the BoD of Anastasia by the Sea Owners Association. I am currently a member of the Safety and security subcommittee and the Patio/Villa Homes subcommittee of the Marsh Creek Owners Association. Moving here to Marsh Creek is a dream come true for my wife and me. The folks who have welcomed us, the beautiful homes and grounds and the activity available are amazing. I feel strongly that we must all participate in serving our community in whatever capacity we can. We should ensure that the great things being done can continue while listening to our residents and forming a consensus on what changes are wanted and needed for the future. And we must provide effective and efficient financial management of the community’s resources. I think it is wonderful that we have so many residents willing to serve and look forward to participating at whatever level I can. Thanks for the opportunity, captain836@al1220aol.com, (845) 399-1531 |
John Hutson
Pat King
Frank Merenda
| Frank Merenda |
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| Irene and I originally moved to Ocean Cay in St Augustine in July 2015. We were “snowbirds”, arriving just after Christmas, and staying into the Spring. When we decided to become full-time residents, we immediately focused on Marsh Creek, as we had spent a good deal of our time while in Florida within the community at the Country Club and with friends. We were lucky enough to find a home in late 2020 and closed on 245 Marshside Drive on January 31, 2021. This is our dream home in our dream community. There will be no more moves! My background is very diverse, in International Business Management and Financial Services. I have advanced degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business Administration (including finance and accounting). I have served on the Finance Committee at a large 55+ community in West Chester, PA (Hershey’s Mill, more than 1,700 homes), and as Treasurer for a Condo community at the Jersey Shore. I have also served as a Director to the Waste-Water Management Board serving Hershey’s Mill and surrounding areas, including a shopping center and Assisted Living facility. As new homeowners, and new residents from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we want to build our relationship with the people of Marsh Creek. I decided to run for the MCOA Board because I want to make a difference in the community and be an important part of it. While I’m still learning about Marsh Creek, I know my objectives of transparency and treating all homeowners fairly is paramount to the best performance of the Board. I know approximately 2/3 of our total annual spend goes to Security, Landscaping, and May Management. I know we will have a large expenditure for roadway repair/replacement, and we’re depending on a new reserve model (in Excel) to ensure we have the money when needed within the next 10 years. I think it would be time well spent to review these items to be sure there are no surprises. The Board must lead but needs to keep all homeowners informed on the process. It’s their money! In the past year, most homeowners in Marsh Creek have seen their property values rise 20-30% or more. We need to keep that value in our homes, and an effective HOA will play a big part in maintaining that value growth. Many of our homes, and the infrastructure supporting our community, are more than 30 years old. We need to manage well to keep the value rising. flmerenda@gmail.com, (484) 433.0571 |
Lynn Pauquette
Thanks Brian for the push to disseminate information about the candidates and the many reminders about getting to know the candidates to help us make informed decision/ selection.
much appreciated
I am among those who very much appreciate efforts of Neil Beck, Brian Nelson and the MCOA Board for disseminating information in e-News, the Spoonbill Courier and All-aBoard, respectively. However, yesterday caused pause. I received and read, in the AM, the Spoonbill article. In the afternoon, I received and read the through the Annual General Meeting (AGM) package which, in part, contained bio information on Board candidates. Notably, the Spoonbill article contained only limited info. on three of the candidates. Fortunately for our community, all of the six candidates have impressive background experience and credentials. However, with regard to process, although well intended, I viewed the Spoonbill article as redundant to the established Board practice of communicating relevant information about candidates as part of the Association election process.
Brian, thanks for sending the material, and thanks also for the reminder about the Sunday get-together. I had missed noting the time and place.
Steve
Brian,
Great job – you encouraged the candidates to fill in the blanks from the MCOA description – thanks for encouraging attendance at Sunday’s event.
Peter