The 2015 HRB Election is underway, and will be open for voting until February 25. The HRB has seven members, who serve staggered terms. Four seats are currently up for election, and four candidates have volunteered to run for these seats.
For the first time, we are conducting the HRB election electronically. Electronic voting will avoid the expense of preparing and mailing paper ballots, will likely increase overall participation, and will be more reliable and secure than the paper-based voting process. After the election, we will be asking for feedback on ways the process can be improved.
Here is how this year's election will work:
Each homeowner should have received an email from ICHA on February 18th (using ICHA's official database of contact information for all UHills homeowners) containing a randomized voting code unique to each eligible household. This will prevent duplication of ballots and unauthorized voting, while also maintaining ballot anonymity. (Once the voting codes are assigned and distributed, personnel who have access to the assigned codes will not have access to individual ballot data, and personnel responsible for tallying the results will not have access to the assigned codes. This is not 100% conspiracy-proof, but neither is collecting a pile of anonymous paper ballots.)
If no-one in your household received an email invitation, please contact ICHA to ensure that your contact information is up-to-date, and to request your voting code.
Any homeowner without a valid email address or without internet access may request a ballot at the ICHA offices, which will then be entered electronically.
Voters will complete an on-line form, entering their voting code, as well as their ballot choices. After the closing of the voting period, any ballots with invalid or repeated voting codes will be discarded. (If multiple ballots with the same voting code are found, only the first will be counted.) The three candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to two-year terms, and the fourth-place candidate will be elected to a one-year term.
The ballot will allow each homeowner to cast 4 votes per household, since there are 4 seats to be filled. You may allocate all 4 to the same candidate, or distribute them among multiple candidates as desired.
Candidate Statements
Sandrine Biziaux-Scherson:
I live on Zola Court with my husband and our son Noah. I have 2 years' experience on the HRB and would gladly continue my commitment to try to improve the quality of life of University Hills residents and to preserve our rich and wonderful environment.
Steve Cauffman:
I have served on the HRB since 2013, and served as its chair during 2014. I have lived on Murasaki St. since 2005, and have two children (ages 7 and 11). I am a physicist, telecommuting from home for a company in northern California. I believe it is vital that residents have a strong voice in the planning and operation of our community, and endeavor to ensure that this voice is heard by ICHA. If re-elected, I will continue to do my best to ensure that the University Hills community remains beautiful, safe, and enjoyable for current and future residents.
Catherine Pugel:
I have been a University Hills resident for five years. I live in the Schubert Condos and look forward to representing a condo-owner's perspective on our HRB board.
My campus work involves listening to and guiding instructors and students move through their challenges. I value policy, procedure, and process, and I know and appreciate our neighborhood. I am excited at this chance to invest in its future. Thank you for your support.
Hobart Taylor:
As a twelve-year resident of University Hills I have been fortunate to witness our growth and development. This growth encompasses not only the new homes and facilities springing up like topsy; it especially, in my view, manifests itself in the variety of events and social gatherings that enable us to become a community and not just a subdivision.
With the introduction of the new community center and the liberal use of our listserv email community, events such as the Holiday Bazaar, movie nights at Gabrielino Park, and the informal organization of people sharing interests and skills like the knitters, the yoga folks, and the pick up soccer games, etc. point the way to a rich and enriching environment.
My specific interests lie in building on that foundation of community. We are blessed with perhaps the most diverse neighborhood in the county. The cultural and intellectual variety of our residents, and even the wide range of ages represented here provide us with an opportunity to be someplace very special indeed.
As a faculty spouse,and as a KUCI programmer, I am aware of the value of the interplay not only between academics of various disciplines provided by living in University Hills, but also the possibilities of the intergenerational and everyday interactions between families.
Therefore on HRB, my goal would be to review all of our recommendations and actions through the lens of how they could bring us together in a web of understanding and fellowship.
Ballot
The ballot can be accessed here: http://goo.gl/forms/CMNI9R5XXK
or by clicking the link in your invitation email.