The vote to elect a new board member for the Walden Lake Community Association was split 4-4 Monday, Dec. 15. The issue will carry over to the January meeting.
After Jim Chancey resigned as president last month, the board began to move toward filling the vacancy. Four Walden Lake residents submitted resumes, and two of them were nominated: Dave Sollenberger and Dan Orrico.
Sollenberger has 50 years of experience in various local government positions, including as a past city manager for Plant City.
“I’ve got a lot of experience working on community issues and have achieved a great deal of success in that area, and I just wanted to offer that to the board if they’re interested,” Sollenberger said.
Rich Glorioso, Heather Updike, Jan Griffin and Bruce Rodwell voted for Sollenberger.
“(Sollenbger) knows more about development than anybody in this room. … He’s done the executing,” Glorioso said.
He also mentioned how Sollenberger’s knowledge of wetlands and transportation would be helpful in solving issues related to the golf course.
During the board’s last election, Sollenberger was nominated but dropped out of the running because he was serving as interim city manager at the time. Some board members expressed concerns that although he is no longer an employee of the city, his connections there could still cause a conflict of interest.
Orrico retired from his Army career as a colonel in May and would have time to focus on leading the board if he is selected. He has owned property in the Walden Lake community since 2004.
“I have a love for this community, and I felt like I should give something back to this community,” Orrico said. “I have a strong moral compass, and I believe I’ll act in the best interest of the community if I’m humbly selected.”
Bob Hunter, Terry Murphy, Ray Page and Sharon Philbin voted for Orrico.
“I think we should consider Dan because he comes in fresh,” Hunter said. “He comes with the experience and training and know-how to work with the board.”
Orrico lives in the same subdivision as Murphy and Philbin. Typically, no more than two board members have come from any one subdivision.
“I think for us to put three on the board from the same community just doesn’t sit well,” Griffin said.
Even after discussing both nominees at length and taking multiple votes, none of the board members budged.They will vote again at the meeting Monday, Jan. 19.
UPDATES
• The Towing Committee has not yet reached a final decision on what to do about non-residents parking at the lake. Its current proposal is that any illegal parking issue would be handled by only the property manager. The committee wants to wait until a manager has been instated before enacting an official policy.
• The board has not yet chosen a new property manager but hopes to do so as quickly as possible. Employees from Greenacre Properties will be on-site as of Jan. 2, regardless of whether a manager has been selected by that date.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.