Hiddenbrooke Community Online

Laurie Foster

  
Why I want to serve on the Board of Directors:

I moved to Hiddenbrooke in late 2020. I’m excited to make my home in this beautiful community. I like to be actively involved and make a positive contribution where I live, I was appointed to the Board to fill a vacancy in November 2020. That Board vacancy gave me a unique opportunity to get involved here very quickly. My first 8 months on the Board I was the Treasurer. I was elected in June 2021 and have been the President of the Board since then. As President I chair all Board meetings, attend all HARC and HMD meetings, write emails to the HB community, and I handle all emails sent to the Board.  I also update the Message Board. In addition, I’m the liaison to the Welcome Committee, and I work closely with the Social Committee, coordinate our website updates, and participate in CC&R compliance activities. This year I helped to launch the new Food Bank Program. I encourage open communication between the Board and all HPOA members. I support the Compliance Program that protects our home values without being too restrictive. I am running for re-election so I can continue to make a positive contribution to the Hiddenbrooke community.

Relevant Background Experience:

I have a degree in Economics/Sociology from UCSB. I was a Social Worker and a Supervisor in Orange & Contra Costa Counties. Then I worked in management in the insurance industry for 25 years. I was a Manager in many departments including Admin, Audit, Claims, Customer Service, Finance, and IT.   I specialized in the design & analysis of corporate reports. I was an efficiency expert and
often a Project Manager. In 2000, I went back to school to pursue a longtime interest in teaching. I got my credential in 2002 at Cal State Hayward. I taught World History at a junior high in Fremont for 13 years before retiring in 2015.

I have prior experience in two HOAs. The first was in a small (100 homes) HOA in Sunol, I was Board Secretary and Member-at-Large. Then I had experience in a very large (2900 homes) HOA in Penn Valley. I served on the Finance Committee for 5 years, and as Vice Chair for 2 years. I was also on the Parks & Rec Committee and the IT Committee. That HOA has many amenities, paid staff, high fees, and a very complex financial structure.

I was on the Management Committees for two large real estate investments.  I played a key role in the success of both those investments. One was sold in 2009. The other was sold in March 2021 for a substantial profit. The end of that investment commitment gave me the time to devote to working on the Board here. I’ve also done a lot of volunteer work in Nevada County and in Vallejo

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Troy Killorn

Why I want to serve on the Board of Directors:

Hello, my name is Troy Killorn, and I am honored to be running for reelection to the HOA board. As a member of this community for 7 years and the privilege of serving on this board, I understand the importance of keeping this community looking its best and maintaining high property values. As many of you know, the primary responsibility of the HOA board is to ensure compliance with our community rules and regulations. During my time on the board, I have been dedicated to upholding these standards and addressing any compliance issues that arise. I believe that by working together, we can ensure that our neighborhood remains a desirable place to live for many years to come. If re-elected, I will continue to prioritize the important work of enforcing our community’s rules and regulations, safety, and traffic concerns while also remaining responsive to the concerns of our residents.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

Troy Killborn

    Relevant Background Experience:

  • I currently serve as a member of the HPOA Board
  • I serve the community as a HARC committee member
  • I previously served on an HOA Board in a large community in Sacramento
  • I am the facility manager of a large Oakland-based company

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Robert Schussel 

Why I want to serve on the Board of Directors:

I have served on the HPOA Board for two years.
I feel it is important to have Directors like myself who want to represent the entire community. In the past, I saw the Board swing from one extreme to the other particularly when dealing with CC&R Violations. (I received a notice that my newspapers hadn’t been picked up by 9:15 AM).
During my time on the Board each month, I visit potential violations identified by our inspector to ensure that they are valid and not petty. In addition, I am trying to get the letters sent out to be clearer so that the resident knows exactly what the violations are rather than some vague wording such as “fix your lawn”.

Another reason I want to continue on the Board is to help ensure that the common areas such as the Parkway, monument signs, fire breaks, etc. are properly maintained.

I am the only long-term member of the Hiddenbrooke Maintenance Committee (HMD) on the HPOA Board. The HMD plays an important role in maintaining the appearance of public landscaping in Hiddenbrooke. Keeping up the appearance of Hiddenbrooke is an important role for the Board. Due to my long-term involvement with the HMD committee, I am able to provide insights into what is realistic about what can and cannot be done as well as provide history/context on prior actions taken. I have been involved with the major rehab of Hiddenbrooke Parkway that is occurring as well as activities such as making sure fire breaks are being done on time by both the City and the Golf course.

The Board needs to have Directors who are knowledgeable about City Hall and have good working relationships to help deal with issues that arise.

I have used my past experiences with the city (for example Planning Commissioner, was a prior member Advisory Public Safety Committee, created a volunteer Code Enforcement group for City, etc.)  to deal with problems facing our community. For example, trying to get the City’s Traffic Engineer to put in more measures to make it safer to walk and drive in Hiddenbrooke, and working with the Vallejo Police Department to get security cameras installed at the Welcome Center. My experience as a Planning Commissioner has proved helpful when the Board dealt with issues affecting our community such as ADUs (Auxiliary Dwelling Units), subdividing lots, etc.

Finally, I feel the Board needs to try to create activities that would encourage more community participation in events. These could run from sponsoring events in other parts of Vallejo to more activities in our Park etc. I hope that during the next year, I can get the other Board members to put some focus on additional events that will be of interest to community members.

Relevant Background experience:

1) Served on HPOA Board for the last two years as Treasurer and Liaison to Hiddenbrooke Maintenance Committee.
2)  Member of Hiddenbrooke HMD Committee for 20 years. Been actively involved in trying to get Parkway rehabbed—improvements will be seen this summer.
3)  Helped with issues involving security staff at the Welcome Center and facilitated getting better security cameras/software, tracking of security guards, etc.
4)  Created several surveys for HPOA to assess opinions about issues such as changes to HPOA, taking over golf course, etc.
5)  During the final development of Hiddenbrooke often spoke at City Council about issues the Community was having with the developer, lack of a park, school, etc.
6)  As HMD/HPOA representative dealt with City about erosion affecting St Johns Mine Road. Made some progress with the City of Vallejo Traffic Engineers to add more stop signs, crosswalks, etc.
7)  Member and Chair of the Planning Commission.
8)  Dealt with various departments in the City of Vallejo about issues affecting Hiddenbrooke such as safety, traffic issues, maintaining fire breaks, etc.

 

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Edward Thomas

Why I want to serve on the Board of Directors:

I appreciate the improvements that the current Board has made to make our HPOA run more efficiently, If elected, I hope to help build on its good work with a focus on these 3 areas:

  1. Engagement. Let’s find more ways to collaborate and socialize. We should bring back the quarterly Open Houses if there’s sufficient interest, and plan other outings that give us opportunities to share common interests and connect with local businesses. I’ve begun to do this on my own at wvww.neighborexchange.org and I see the potential for more collaboration.
  2. Technology. We have an excellent online resident portal that is underused. Let’s enhance the resident directory there, post recordings of public Zoom meetings, and display answers to frequently asked questions about the CCR rules, resource contact information, and more in that secure resident system. We should make this the default communication channel for on-demand information sharing while making accommodations for those who prefer postal mail and signage board notices. RealManage (HP0A’s association management firm) should be encouraged to share short email updates (without attachments) that link back to the resident portal for details and downloads. Then, the www.hiddenbrookeonline.org website could focus on general public content that accurately informs prospective homeowners and visitors about our neighborhood so that Realtors and others aren’t as likely to spread misinformation.
  3. Transparency. Do we have serious problems with common CCR violations that could be addressed through more proactive solutions rather than a notice after the fact? Which homes have outstanding HARC violations and/or have been fined? Which homes are delinquent on their annual dues? Let’s do more to share information like this, within legal guidelines, building on the socially acceptable practices of other HPOAs within Hiddenbrooke communities as well as other homeowner associations supported by RealManage.

Relevant Background Experience:

My wife, Tiger Adolf, and I have lived in Hiddenbrooke since June 2012. We recently retired from our careers in the energy efficiency industry. Most recently, we co-managed an international trade association with a $1 million budget, bi-annual meetings of 300 people, monthly podcasts, and dynamic online member and public web portals. After retiring, we co-founded NeighborExchange.org to leverage our engagement skills to benefit our Hiddenbrooke neighbors. Within the first 120 days, Neighbor Exchange achieved over 3,900 website page views and earned special recognition from NextDoor.com.