Long Reach Columbia Association Board Candidates Survey Responses

Respondents answered the following questions via email. Their responses are here in full.

Why are you running for the Columbia Association Board of Directors?

Ed Coleman

I am running to make Columbia an even better place to live.  Long Reach and the Columbia Association are faced with many choices; how we confront them will shape our future. I believe we need to recognize and act on the opportunities unfolding before us to improve Columbia going forward.  I believe in action, not just words.  For years, the CA board has talked about improving our outdoor pools and other aquatic facilities, talked about partnering with the county and other organizations, talked about turning Symphony Woods in to a real park and creating an Arts and Culture district. Now is the time to transform all the talk into action. It is imperative that we have an open and transparent process, but we also need to use that process to get results for Columbia. You can’t take a leisurely stroll along a path drawn on a plan. Your children can’t play in the drawing of a fountain.  You can’t swim in neighborhood pools unless they are maintained.

These opportunities are exciting and CA must continue to provide and improve existing facilities and services all while being responsible with lien-payer money. These objectives may not be achieved in the next few years, but now is the time to start the process moving forward.

Russ Swatek

When I left the Board in 2011 I thought I was leaving CA in good hands.  Recently I have been displeased with CA staff/board moves to conduct CA business only as an independent private corporation, forgetting that it is also a homeowners association with responsibilities to its residents and lien-payers.   CA Staff initiated an attempt against residents' wishes to exempt CA from most of the Maryland Homeowners Association Act protections for the residents.  There have been an increasing number of closed Board meetings, and decisions are obviously being made in these closed meetings and adopted without adequate vetting before the CA residents.  The Board is acting like it is the ultimate owner of CA and its properties, ignoring that the residents and lien-payers are the real owners and the Board has a duty in a caretaker role on behalf of their constituency.  I feel I must once again volunteer to speak up for those who do not have the time to devote to securing their rights.

What experience do you have that would (or currently does) make you an effective CA Board member?

Ed Coleman

I have significant professional and volunteer experience which qualifies me to be an effective CA Board member.  I am a software engineer with over 20 years of development experience. I have been a project manager and a component lead. I believe that I leverage and demonstrate this experience in my approach to solving issues.

In addition to serving as the Long Reach CA representative for the last two years, I have served on the Long Reach Village Board, as a member of the Long Reach Resident Architecture Committee, and as a member of the Hawkins Farm HOA Board, and have volunteered extensively.

My experience has allowed me to realize that often we are fighting over 10 percent of an issue – we agree on 90 percent, but fight tooth and nail over that last 10 percent, refusing to even acknowledge areas where there is agreement because that would give the “other side” a win. I am very proud of the times when I have been able to identify the areas on which we agree, and, by suggesting minor changes, get us moving forward again.

Russ Swatek

I was on the Board from 2009 to 2011 and therefore have already experienced the learning curve about the role of the Board, the various committees, and CA Staff, and have become familiar with CA's facilities and programs and the Board's documents and procedures  Also I have been tracking CA's activities and conduct since 2011 and have the passion and interest to participate in the effort to return CA to an inclusive resident centered homeowners association.

What do you think are CA’s most pressing issues right now? How do you plan to address them?

Ed Coleman

While Symphony Woods may be getting all of the attention right now, there are many other issues that I believe actually have more direct, near-term impact on the residents of Long Reach.

• Funding the Aquatics Master Plan – I will fight to see that our neighborhood pools receive adequate funding an improvements while we look to replacing and supplementing facilities to meet the demands for leisure, exercise, and competitive swimming programs.
• Ensure that CA continues with efforts to reduce our environmental impact by implementing cost saving, energy-efficient programs and storm water management programs.
• Address current and expected changes in our community’s demographics. Much like the Aquatics Master plan process that produced a road map for our aquatics facilities, we need to form a similar process to ensure that CA can provide the support and facilities to improve the lives of all of our residents – of all age groups.

Russ Swatek

CA's most pressing issue that underlies most of its current problems is its drive to only act as an independent private corporation and not as a homeowners association.  This has led them to waive, suspend or otherwise ignore their own due process rules and regulations meant to protect the residents, and produced a very opaque, non-transparent entity.  Through my votes and public advocacy I will attempt to restore the residents' and lien-payer's faith and trust in their homeowners association as an inclusive entity that values all of their wishes and opinions.

What has CA done well in your village?

Ed Coleman

CA has excelled in watershed management in Long Reach.  While large projects like lake dredging and the restoration of Jackson Pond make an immediate, visible impact, CA has been implementing a comprehensive storm water management program. From small rain gardens to larger stream restorations in Long Reach and throughout the community, CA has been implementing projects that cumulatively have the large-scale effect of improving water quality and trying to reduce the necessity for future, large scale, and expensive dredging projects. The county is beginning to address this issue and we need to make sure that CA continues to be a model and a leader in this area.

Another area where CA has really improved in the past year is the implementation of the new membership system used at all CA sports facilities. CA now offers online booking for fitness classes, and with the new system, has the opportunity to provide more flexible plans. One suggestion presented to the CA board was for a more flexible plan for seniors. To improve community participation and provide better value to our residents, I intend to press CA to provide such a plan not just for seniors, but for everyone.

Russ Swatek

The building maintenance has produced a safe environment.  The Arts Center in Long Reach Village with its Salon Series, performing arts, and display of artwork is a joy.

What could CA improve in your village?

Ed Coleman

CA must examine ways that we could improve our village centers – maybe this could be done by building new facilities near the village centers or by actually using unoccupied space within the village centers themselves. We need to develop programs that attract people, getting them away from the big box centers and providing reasons to return to what used to be the heart of our villages.

CA must improve its accessibility – while some speak about openness and transparency I believe that CA must do more, it must improve its accessibility so that residents can easily access information and to improve resident participation.    CA needs to improve its communications by using social media like Facebook and Twitter, along with an improved CA web site and more traditional methods, so that we can find the information that we want, when we want it.

The CA board also must address the current board meeting format to increase resident participation and access. One idea I intend to explore is periodically supplementing the traditional board meeting with a board-hosted seminar on a specific topic, maybe biking and connectivity, or downtown development—really, any topic of broad public interest or concern—and then have a real discussion with the community, supplementing resident’s speak out with actual conversations.

Russ Swatek

The buildings should be cleaner and/or updated, and the pathways should be cleared better.  I would also like to see more outreach to and activities for the youth in our Village.

Why should voters elect you to CA’s board?

Ed Coleman

I am dedicated to representing Long Reach and to improving CA to the best of my ability.  As a CA board member for the last two years I have successfully fought to improve CA openness and accessibility, by proposing changes to the budget process that ensure the availability of budget items to the public at the beginning of that process and at the same time provide greater opportunity for public discussion. That way, we can receive feedback right from the start, instead of as a last-minute question or objection that puts a halt to evaluation and deliberation. I will continue the fight to keep and improve our community pools and to revitalize our existing infrastructure while striving to ensure that we provide the right mix of programs to match community needs and desires.

I will continue to strive for consensus rather than dwell on discord, to recognize areas of agreement and move those forward while we continue to work out our differences. To focus on the future to improve CA, provide us the best value as lien-payers and to make Columbia an even better place to live.  

Russ Swatek

Being retired (from earned income employment), I have the time and passion to try to make our Village and CA better and more responsive to the residents and lien-payers.  I am active in the community by moderating the Howard County Citizens Association (www.howardcountyhcca.org) discussion group, being a member of the Alliance for a Better Columbia, attending the Howard County Transportation Advocates' meetings, and served on CA's Connecting Columbia Task Force.  While previously on the Board I strived to keep the Long Reach residents informed and was responsive to their queries.

When I campaigned for the Board in 2009 I met many residents who wanted better facilities for their dogs and better biking and pedestrian infrastructure.  I advocated for off-leash dog parks and now CA is planning to construct one in Harper's Choice and the County in Blandair Park.  I asked the Bicycle Advocates of Howard County (www.bikehoco.org) to come talk to the Board; this resulted in CA coordinating with County efforts (www.bikehoward.com) and developing a long term plan to improve CA's pathway system for commuters and recreational users.