Anthem HOA election results are in
by Kathleen Stinson

ANTHEM – The Parkside Community Association, the Village at Anthem Condominiums Association and the Country Club Community Association each elected new board members in January.

The elections bring Anthem HOAs closer to resident representation and away from developer controlled boards. 

Ballots for these openings were mailed to homeowners in early December and were due back in the mail by Jan. 5. Last week the associations counted the ballots and the results are now official.

Twelve candidates vied for three board seats in the Parkside homeowners association, according to Steve Peterman, executive director of the Anthem community associations. The following candidates won: Robert Copen, Heather Nichols, and Dennis Thrush.

The Parkside seats are two‑year terms. Parkside includes all Anthem housing developments except the Country Club and the condominiums, and consists of about 6,000 dwellings. Each housing unit had one vote per seat.

The newly elected Country Club association board members are: Ray Norris and Steele Coddington.

Norris said he hopes to improve communication between residents and the board, as well as between the board and HOA management.

“The transition is nearly complete (from developer to resident representation). It’s time the HOA write management a job description, a task list, and do an annual performance review,” Norris told The Desert Advocate.

“I think they (HOA management) have done an amazingly good job of running our community so far,” said Coddington. “Our first mission is to improve our communication with residents.”

The Village at Anthem Condominiums Association, representing 210 units, transferred from developer to resident member boards early in 2006, Peterman said. All three condominium seats were up for election to a one‑year term.

Condominium association votes will be tallied on Wednesday.

The Country Club Community Association had two seats open and is also transitioning from developer to resident boards with this election. The association represents 2,825 dwelling units. Eight candidates ran for the Country Club board.

The Anthem Community Council will hold its elections in December of 2007, Peterman advised. At this time there are seven members on the board.

The council is seeking two candidates from Parkside to expand the council to nine members. Currently, the council consists of three homeowner representatives and four developer representatives. With the election, the council will also transition from developer to resident representation.

“Because of the population in Parkside, it was deemed appropriate that Parkside” fill the two additional seats, Peterman stated.

After the council election in December, the condominiums will fill one seat, with three seats from Parkside, three from the Country Club, one seat filled by a commercial property owner and one at‑large (appointment), for a total of nine council board members.

The associations protect and administer neighborhood interests, such as the pocket parks in the case of Parkside, Peterman pointed out. In the Country Club, the association administers such assets as the gates and private streets.

By contrast, he noted the community council owns the major assets, such as the Community Center, Community Park and the Anthem entrance waterfalls, and is more broad‑based in its interests. For example, the council could represent the community as a whole in the proposed water and sewer services rate increase case, Peterman said.

Reach the reporter at kathleen@thedesertadvocate.com.