VOL. 21 NO. 11
Community web site: http://hggcc.com
Community Channels: 901 and 902 on TV
NOVEMBER 2023
Meet The Candidates Christine M. Kozak
Richard L. Romine
My name is Christine M. Kozak. I currently serve on the HOA Board as a Director and Board Secretary. I had been interested in the workings of the HOA for a long time and decided to submit my name for consideration for the term beginning January 2021 through December 2023. In my capacity as a member of this Board I did get to see and support the workings of the Grounds and ARC Committees in their efforts to keep Herons Glen a great place to live and enjoy. In addition, I am the liaison to the Communications Committee and I continue to work with other residents on that committee to improve the way we keep every homeowner in Herons Glen updated with the latest changes and additions to HOA policies. I am also the liaison to the Newspaper Team. I attend all their meetings and fully support all they do to provide updates on resident’s lives whether through human interest stories or sports reporting. Making a solid contribution to the HOA Board and the committees I assist has been my goal. It was a promise I made to myself and I believe I have kept that promise. Everything I do on the Board is to assist the residents and to help the community. That said, I am asking for your vote as I run for re-election for the next three-year term running from January 2024 through December 2026.
My objective is to listen to all views and communicate effectively with HG residents on issues affecting our community, work with community leadership and HOA and HGRD Board members to resolve issues affecting the current and future wellbeing of our community, responsibly manage HOA finances while working to maintain and develop the HG amenities that we all enjoy. I will have served two threeyear terms on the HOA Board at the end of this year. I was married for 49 years to Stephanie before she passed, we have three children and eight grandchildren and have resided in Herons Glen since 2006, initially in Solana and presently in the Enclave. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and was employed 36 years at Eltech Corp/Occidental Chemical Corp. as a technical manager of Chlor-Alkali technology (technology that converts salt water into chlorine). I hold seven patents that helped lower industrial energy costs/ reduced environmental impact of technology. I then formed RLRomine Consulting LLC in 2006 and continued to work as a consultant in the Chlor-Alkali industry on a part-time basis after retirement. I currently serve as HOA Board president for the last two years and previously served as HOA Board secretary. I served as vice president of Solana sub-HOA Board when I lived
Rick Scharf, Reptile Wrangler By Pam Scheid, Herons Glen If a gator’s prowling through your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Reptile Wrangler! Several residents reported alligators wandering through their neighborhoods the last few weeks of this summer. While sharing the Glen with these indigenous creatures is a part of living in Florida, the threat of a home invasion by these creatures is another matter. Recently, a resident, who lives on Skyler, heard a loud knocking on his front door. When he investigated, he discovered an 11-foot alligator pounding his door with its tail. When our alligators become aggressive, it is time to call animal control to capture and remove them. The two men who came to do the job were glad to see that Rick Scharf was nearby. The men were able to hook the gator from their boat, but the gator refused to follow them to shore. When it lunged at the boat the men shouted for Scharf to use the boat’s rope to pull them, with gator in tow, toward land. Once they got to shore, the men got the first rope around the still struggling gator, then handed the end of that rope to Scharf who was to hold the beast until its
there, on the HOA Activities Committee, six years on the HOA Architectural Review Committee, and two years on the HGRD Facilities & Amenities Committee. Other volunteer positions include serving on Parish Council – St. Gabriel Parish, Mentor, Ohio. Founder and president of Men’s Club, St. Cyprian Church, Perry, Ohio; and Parents Advisory Education Committee, Lake Catholic High School, Mentor, Ohio.
John Sullivan (no photo submitted) I am asking for one of your two votes for a position on the HOA Board. I have been a resident/owner in Herons Glen for 11 years, first on Valparaiso Boulevard, and now on Skyler Drive. I served as a member of a condominium board, as well as 20 years in various positions in town government when I lived in Massachusetts. There are a lot of reasons I have decided to run at this time. The first being is there should never be an uncontested election in this community. The owners should always be able to have a choice as to who represents them on the HOA Board. The second is, and this is not to disparage anyone who is or has served on any board or committee, is that I believe there should be a limit as to how many terms a person can serve on a board or committee. I have talked to many people who have applied to volunteer, and were not chosen, even though they had the qualifications. I would advocate for a policy that no person could serve no more than three consecutive terms in any HOA position and no more than four terms in total on any board or committee. The third reason I am running is change. Change is inevitable. Sometimes it is done by law, and sometimes by consensus. Policies, procedures, covenants, and standards change here in Herons Glen on a regular basis. I would work to make sure that any changes to the HOA regulations are not imposing an unfair burden on any homeowner, and that homeowners have a path to seek changes to existing policies if a change is beneficial to our community. If you would like an example of something I would like to see changed, I would say that the prohibition of “mixed media” in planting beds would be one I would change. Can anyone give me one good reason why you should not be able to have a landscape feature that incorporates both stone and mulch? I can’t. If you have a specific question or concern, please feel free to shoot me an email to JohnCSullivanJr@comcast.net. Thank you.
Ice Cream Truck captors could restrain it. Finally, with a rope around its jaw, the Skyler gator was subdued. Before they loaded the alligator into their van, Scharf had a rare opportunity to pet its leathery skin. Scharf now has two citations to add to his Reptile Wrangler credentials. A few years ago, he happened to be on the scene of the capture of the alligator that had wandered into a garage on Kaidon Lane. This time he was asked to hold the alligator’s leg as the captors hoisted it into the van. The flora and fauna of Southwest Florida are among the many reasons we enjoy living here. However, when aggressive fauna wants to share our dwellings, it’s time to call the Reptile Wrangler.
Scream For Ice Cream Who: Scoops on First ice cream truck When: Nov. 19 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Where: Herons Glen ballroom parking lot Why: Because we love ice cream