Meet the VCA Candidates
Four candidates are running for two open seats on the Villages Community Association Board of Directors (VCA). As the VCA will begin transitioning to homeowner control on December 31 of this year, this is the first of three elections for the VCA. These candidates will serve with three Developer Board Members until the March 2022 election.
- Bruce Gottschalk
Bruce Gottschalk comes to Estrella after having lived in New York for 50 years and Florida for 20. He and his wife moved to the desert to be close to their daughter. Bruce is a Viet Nam-era Air Force veteran who has a strong background in emergency management. He was deployed as a federal disaster medical team paramedic to Ground Zero in New York City. He has served as a police volunteer and instructor for the New York Fire Department and other first responder agencies. He was also the co-owner of a property management company in Florida, where he oversaw a portfolio of homeowner and condominium associations. Bruce believes his experience in property management and emergency services, coupled with his knowledge of association operations, will benefit the VCA Board and residents of this association. “I would like to ensure Estrella remains an active, vibrant, and pertinent community; I look forward to sharing my strong commitment to community and volunteerism, as well as my skills and talents with my fellow Board Members and residents if elected to serve on the VCA Board.” - Larry Horn
I am currently the Vice President of the VCA Board of Directors and have served on the Board for four years. I have also served on the Supplier Performance Evaluation team and the Covenant Review, Budget/Finance, and Landscape Committees. I have attended each of the HOA Committee meetings to better understand how they conduct business and run HOA activities. I have attended seminars by local municipalities on topics such as Open Meeting Laws, Reserve Studies, and Arizona Fair Housing Laws related to HOAs. I have been instrumental in gaining financial support and encouraging the enhancement of Estrella’s common area landscaping, the enhancements of neighborhood entrances and interiors, the South Lake’s north shore upgrade, and the granite replenishment project. Additionally, I spearheaded the solar project, which resulted in covered parking at Starpointe and Presidio at no cost to Estrella residents, and strongly supported the reduction in assessments for 2020. - Bob Nobis
My wife, Nelly, and I moved to Estrella Mountain Ranch in October 2008, after living in Mesa for 25 years. I have been retired for more than six years after working for more than 40 years in engineering, contract administration, marketing, and management in the telecommunications industry. Since retiring, I have been actively involved in our community. Part of my process of getting involved has been to learn more about our community. In 2016, I completed the City of Goodyear Citizen's Academy and, in early 2017, the Goodyear Leadership Enrichment and Development (LEAD) training program. I also have actively participated in several city-sponsored HOA Academies, and CCMC training seminars to more fully understand the workings of our HOA. I also completed CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training with the city in 2016. I am currently an elected VCA Board Member, serving my second two-year term as the Board Secretary/Treasurer. I also recently served on the VCA Covenant Review Committee for five years. Several years ago, I was on the EJC Supplier Performance Evaluation team, which gave me significant insight into CCMC, our HOA management company. I have also been involved with several previous community surveys that have given me good insight into the community. I love Estrella and look forward to working with my neighbors to make this an even better community. - Jack Vozar
Jack is from the Poconos of Pennsylvania and moved to Estrella Mountain Ranch in March of 2020 with his wife of 21 years, Kathleen, and their Boxer, Shells. Jack relocated from Indian Rocks Beach, FL, to join a new healthcare start-up, Atlas Healthcare Partners, which owns and operates surgery centers in Phoenix, Tucson, and Denver. Jack is the Director of Service Delivery and has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare administration. Jack received a dual Bachelor’s degree in Education and English from Bloomsburg University and his MBA in Healthcare Administration/Finance from Western Governors University. Both Jack and his wife have always been active in their communities and strongly feel that they have a civic duty to improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods and communities they have lived. Estrella is a rapidly growing community that will face many opportunities and challenges that accompany rapid growth. Jack believes that his business and civic experiences, including prior community Board seats, will allow him to assist the Board in making the right decisions for the community and its residents. As a newer resident of the community, Jack believes that he will bring a fresh perspective to the Board and its members. He looks forward to serving the community and having their best interests always at the forefront of all decisions made for the residents.
If you would like to meet these VCA Board candidates at this event, please RSVP to Communications Manager Karen Angelo at kangelo@ccmcnet.com..
Meet the Candidates Running for the ECA Board of Directors
There are two residents running for two open seats on the ECA Board. They will serve two-year terms and work with the two sitting resident Board Members and the Declarant representative from the community’s developer.
- Robert Gomez
Robert is the Founder/business owner and registered contractor for a variety of businesses, including: Ultimate Landscape & Design LLC (2020); Wyndham Building Group LLC (2020); MMAR Holdings LLC (2015); and Ultimate Property Maintenance Inc. (2003). He has served as Chairman for Estrella’s Landscape Committee and Vice Chair of the ECA Board of Directors. When he isn’t working, Robert mentors two-six small business owners. Robert enjoys spending time with his family (he is the proud father of quadruplets!) and teaching his sons about the family business. Robert loves spending time with his wife and is a classic and sports car enthusiast. He would very much enjoy continuing to use his skills and knowledge to help the community he loves so dearly. - Pam Schaeffer
I have been a resident of Estrella for 23 years. My husband Steve and I have been married for 23 years and have three children we homeschooled from kindergarten through high school. They are all attending Grand Canyon University this fall. We love living in Estrella, and our kids have enjoyed growing up here, attending many lifestyle events, especially when they were younger. I have been involved in many committees the past few years, including the Communications Committee and Social Committees, where I served as Chair. I currently serve on the Budget Finance Committee and the ECA Board and would love to run again for another term. I have learned so much and continue to learn with each meeting. I enjoy giving back to this great community and I look forward to serving another term. Thank you.
ECA and VCA ELECTIONS are Coming up - Serve as Your Neighborhood's Voting Member!
We are getting closer and closer to having every ECA and VCA neighborhood represented by a Voting Member this year and don't want your neighborhood to be left out! Voting Members represent their neighborhood by casting the votes for their entire neighborhood at the upcoming VCA Board of Directors election at the Annual Meeting on September 28. While a few residents have stepped forward to serve as Voting Members, we are still seeking volunteers from a few ECA and VCA neighborhoods. This is an ideal opportunity to become involved as a community volunteer in a role that requires a nominal time commitment.
ECA Voting Members are needed in the Copper Ridge II and The Trails neighborhoods. If you are interested in serving as your ECA neighborhood's Voting Member, fill out this ECA Voting Member application by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 16.
VCA Voting Members are needed in the following neighborhoods:
- Cielo
- Eagle Ridge
- Golf Villas
- Hidden Hills
- Lucero
- Mission Hermosa
- Saguaro Canyon
- Segovia
If you are interested in serving as your VCA neighborhood's Voting Member, fill out this VCA Voting Member application by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 16. All applications will be reviewed by the ECA and VCA Boards of Directors at the August 24 Board Meeting. We will be in touch with you after the meeting to advise you on the status of your application.
After you are approved to serve as your neighborhood's Voting Member, we strongly encourage you to join us for a free “Voting Member 101” presentation on Thursday, September 9, at 6:00 p.m. It will be offered virtually via Zoom and you can register at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqf-6gqT4uGteCZsn52Zx9oI7hDvr1q9S-. In addition to answering any questions you may have about the upcoming elections and the election timeline, more detailed information about the Voting Member role and the 2021 election ballot will also be provided.
If you have any questions about serving as your neighborhood's Voting Member, please feel free to contact Karen Angelo at 623-386-1112 or kangelo@ccmcnet.com. Our goal is to have every ECA and VCA neighborhood represented by Voting Members this year. We look forward to hearing from you!
PLANNING AHEAD
There is a lot of preparation and planning in progress since both the Estrella Community Association (ECA) and the Villages Community Association (VCA) elections will be conducted at the Annual Meeting in September. Both Boards have two positions that need to be filled by residents of each Association. Residents who are elected to fill these positions by Voting Members of the ECA will serve two-year terms and work with the two sitting resident Board Members and the Declarant representative from the community’s developer.
The VCA election will be held at the Annual Meeting in September, as well, and two resident Board Members will be elected by the Voting Members. However, these positions will serve until the Transition Election, which will be held within 90 days after the Control Period ends on December 31 of this year.
At the end of this year, the VCA will transition from a Declarant Board (where a majority of Board positions are held by Estrella’s Developer, Newland) to a Resident Board (where a majority of Board positions are held by VCA residents). The VCA Bylaws stipulate two important steps in this process:
• That the “Class B” or Declarant Control Period ends on 12/31/2021; and
• That an election be held within 90 days after this date.
At that election, which will be held in the first quarter of 2022, VCA Voting Members will elect three resident Board Members to serve on the VCA Board. The Declarant will appoint two members to serve on the VCA Board until the Annual Meeting in September 2022. Terms of the Resident and Declarant Board Members will expire at the 2022 Annual Meeting held in September. At that meeting, the VCA Board will increase to a seven-member Board of Directors, with six resident Board Members elected by the Voting Members and one Declarant-appointed Board Member. The terms of the elected resident Board Members will be staggered as follows: three Board Members shall serve terms of two years and three Board Members shall serve terms of one year. Terms will be determined by the highest vote count, so the three resident Board Members who receive the most votes will serve two-year terms; the next three resident Board Members will serve one-year terms.
The Nominating Committees of both Associations will hold a series of meetings in May and June to solicit candidates for the September Annual Meeting. These meetings will be publicized in our weekly emails and on the LifeInEstrella website when they are scheduled. In the meantime, if you are interested in serving your respective Association as a Board Member, please contact Sharon Thunstedt at sthunstedt@ccmcnet.com.
As you can see, there is a lot to prepare for in the next few weeks and in the next stages of governance in Estrella. This is an exciting time in the community, so be sure to stay tuned to upcoming issues of Life in Estrella magazine, log in to the LifeInEstrella website, follow our @LifeInEstrella Facebook and Instagram Pages and sign up for our weekly newsletters to learn more about the upcoming elections and the transition of the Villages Community Association.
