Four are in the race for three board member spots.
Walden Lake residents will be able to vote for candidates for three available seats on the Walden Lake Community Association’s board of directors at a Thursday, April 14, election.
Each year, three seats become available, as each board member serves three-year terms. This year’s available seats are currently held by WLCA President Bob Hunter, Landscaping Chairman and Wedgewood President Ray Page and board member and former association president Rich Glorioso. All three men are running for re-election.
Alicia Powell, current president of the Parkwood subdivision, also has announced her candidacy for one of the three available slots. Powell is the only non-board member running.
Ballots will be mailed to Walden Lake residents early next week. Each ballot also will include a one-page biography for each candidate. On Monday, March 21, the WLCA voted that next year’s candidates will each submit a half-page biography instead.
Once ballots are mailed out, residents can return completed ballots to a lock box in the Walden Lake office on Griffin Boulevard, or they can submit their ballots in a self-addressed envelope in the mail.
Ballots also can be filled out at the Walden Lake annual meeting, which will be held Thursday, April 14, at Plant City Church of God. The winners will be announced that evening after the ballots are counted.
Prior to the election, candidates will be allowed to place campaign signs throughout the Walden Lake community, including on Griffin Boulevard and Timberlane Drive, though only 10 signs per candidate can be placed on the major roads. Within the Walden Lake community subdivisions, residents must adhere to the subdivision’s rules on signs before placing them in their yards. The same rules for signs applies to the community’s annual events, including back-to-school and Halloween parties.
It’s not just potential board members who will be on the Walden Lake ballot this year. Residents also will vote on
whether or not the community should keep three parcels of land, including areas with wetlands that have the potential for future commercial development. The lots, located on Sydney Road, Alexander Street and Turkey Creek Road, are currently unused by the Walden Lake community. If the community votes to dispose of the lots, the WLCA board will determine if the land should be sold or donated.
“We need their permission first,” Hunter said. “We expect that the revenue from that can help us with a lot of the improvements in Walden Lake.”
Some of the upcoming improvements to the community include the potential use of reclaimed water, trimming back decaying trees on Timberlane Drive and further improvements to the Walden Lake polo field.
Prior to the election, the WLCA board will determine whether or not residents who have not paid their dues for the last three months will get to keep their voting eligibility. The board will make a decision later this week.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
