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2020 HARPER’S CHOICE ELECTIONS – UPDATE 04/23/2020

YOUR BALLOT MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM ON FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020.

An Annual Meeting and election will be held on April 25, 2020 at 1 pm. Due to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, the meeting will be conducted virtually via GoToMeeting. To join in or listen to the meeting, follow the instructions at the bottom of this notice. If the number of members participating in the Annual Meeting or represented by proxies does not equal the quorum of 10% or more of the members, pursuant to Section 5-206 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, a motion will be entertained to continue the Annual Meeting to May 12, 2020 at 7 pm at which time those members participating in the meeting or represented by proxies shall constitute a quorum for the election of the Members of the Board and Columbia Council Representative and for any other actions which could have been taken at the April 25, 2020 meeting had a sufficient number of members been present. If COVID-19 conditions allow for crowds of at least 50 people, these meetings will be conducted virtually and in-person in or near Kahler Hall, 5440 Old Tucker Row, Columbia, MD 21044. However, if COVID-19 conditions do not permit crowds of at least 50 people on May 12, 2020, the meetings will be conducted virtually only as provided for the April 25, 2020 Annual Meeting. Questions may be directed to Steve Ingley, Village Manager, Harper’s Choice Community Association at manager@harperschoice.org.

The candidates for the Harper’s Choice Village Board are Brynn Runkle Conover, Eileen K. Brewer, and Rebecca Beall.  The candidates for the Harper’s Choice Columbia Council Representative are Ashley Colette Vaughan, Debra Erica Warner, and Alan A. Klein. All terms are for two years.

DUE TO COVID-19, WE WILL NOT BE HOLDING ONSITE ELECTIONS THIS YEAR. WE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO VOTE ELECTRONICALLY, BUT OTHERWISE VIA MAIL.

WHO MAY VOTE:

Owners or renters in good standing with property in Harper’s Choice may vote. Residents with an outstanding covenant violation are prohibited from voting.  Check with the Covenant Advisor to make sure your property is in compliance with the Harper’s Choice Covenants.

  1. Only one vote is permitted for each property.

  2. In the case of a rental property, both the owner and the tenant may cast a ballot.

WAYS TO VOTE:

We are again offering the convenience of electronic absentee ballot voting. You will see a code in the upper right corner of the absentee ballot in the Newsletter. Go to: https://elections.intelliscaninc.net/s3/HCCA2020, enter your code, and vote.

OR

You can complete the absentee ballot and return it in the postage paid envelope, both of which will be found in the Newsletter. Mail-in absentee ballots are valid only if completely filled out, including all information on the envelope. Absentee ballots are due on April 24, 2020 by 11:59pm

BOARD OF DIRECTOR CANDIDATES’ STATEMENTS

BRYNN RUNKLE CONOVER

I am running for a position on the Harpers Choice Village Board to listen to resident’s opinions and use them to help shape our community. I have lived in the HC community for 16 years, raising two children that attended Swansfield Elementary, Harpers Choice Middle and Wilde Lake High School. I have worked in consulting, strategic planning, IT management, and project management, most recently for the Federal government. I would like to put my experience and my interest in the managed growth of our community to use by being a representative on the Board. As a Board member, I would work with the Village Manager to communicate opportunities and issues that impact our Village to residents, support resident petitions for grants that strengthen our community, and ensure we have sound short and long term plans in place to execute the mission of the Board.

EILEEN K. BREWER

I’m Eileen Brewer and I’ve been a resident of Columbia since 2000. Prior to that I lived in Ellicott City and worked in Columbia. I have a passion for my community and the values by which Columbia was created in the late 1960s. For the past few years I have been the President of a local preschool and through that position I have gotten to know many people in Harper’s Choice better. I have a daughter who attends Longfellow Elementary, I’m active in the PTA and in my neighborhood communications. I want to represent residents on the Harper’s Choice village board because I would like to continue the work of making this an excellent place for families, individuals, and businesses. I want us to grow in this diverse community together. I am a member of several professional boards of directors and have experience in running non-profit organizations.

REBECCA BEALL

I’ve lived in Columbia for most of my life, grew up in Harper’s Choice and decided to raise my family in Harper’s Choice.  I love this village and see it as a place that values people, embraces diversity, and holds community as important.  I see our village as a place where multiple generations of people are well-served, and where all residents grow and thrive.

I’ve had the honor of serving on the Harper’s Choice Village Board since 2017.  I have been a fierce champion and advocate for the people of Harper’s Choice.  During my tenure, I have learned so much – a lot goes into making a great village!  From streets for all to redistricting concerns, from community recreational opportunities to community informational forums and everything in between, I’ve been an informed advocate for Harper’s Choice.  I’m eager to continue to have a part of stewarding our village into the future.

COLUMBIA COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATES’ STATEMENTS

ASHLEY VAUGHAN

Having lived and worked in Columbia for the past 24 years, I am passionate about Columbia’s culture and contributing to the future of our diverse, growing community. I became well-versed both in the vision of Columbia and Columbia Association programs when I worked for CA. As an AmeriCorps*VISTA, I worked for the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County, cultivating partnerships with local non-profits and HoCo organizations. As a founding member of the Columbia Association’s Millennial Advisory Committee, I am working to improve CA’s communication, social media presence, and event offerings. It’s important to me that our community is run with transparency and open communication. Young adults make up more than 25% of Columbia’s population, yet there is no representation from anyone under 40 on the Board. I would like to change that, so I am asking for your vote to serve as the Columbia Council representative for Harper’s Choice.

DEBRA ERICA WARNER

I am Debra Warner, candidate for the Columbia Council.  As your Representative, I plan to be in a partnership relationship with the residents of Harpers Choice, whose goal, like mine, is to improve our quality of life in our community. The Columbia Association is the engine that works hard to achieve this in a way other towns cannot.  We enjoy many recreation facilities, open spaces, kid-focus activities, cultural events and more.  To continue on this journey into the future, I believe I can contribute to the strategic planning and vision of the Association; help to ensure good stewardship of financial resources; promote environmental sustainability and most importantly, transmit our Village concerns into action and results.  As our community grows, so too will cultural diversity which I believe enriches our community.  I look forward to engaging residents and generating ideas on the best way to achieve our goals together.

ALAN A. KLEIN

As your representative to the CA Board of Directors I have focused on three areas:

  1. Wise use of your funds – In the past, it was not uncommon to see large overruns in CA projects. In cooperation with others on the Board, we have brought this under control. We instituted a new membership structure, which I worked to make fairer to members.

  2. Increased transparency – I insist that we only close CA Board meetings when doing otherwise would jeopardize the organization and, therefore, you. Unfortunately, there are many cases in which we may close a meeting, though it is unnecessary to do so.

  3. Sound planning – My goal is to return control of our beloved Symphony Woods to CA (and therefore your) control. We have had two victories recently and I will work for more until we reach the goal.

I hope I have earned your trust as I ask for another term.

Harper’s Choice Community Association Annual Meeting Sat, Apr 25, 2020 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (EDT) Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/750284669 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (646) 749-3112 Access Code: 750-284-669 New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/750284669

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