President ‘s Report - Andy Sarkisian It is amazing how fast the time flies. Sharon and I have now lived in Lake Sherwood for 13 years. When we first moved here, we had a toddler and a 1 st grader. Now, we have a sophomore in high school and sophomore in college. Time flies by when you are busy and/or having fun, and certainly both have been the case for us.
How fast has time been flying for you? I recognize there are stages of life and career that can be overwhelming. But when the pendulum swings and you find things slowing down, it is time to start thinking about recapturing that energy and edge – channeling it toward new adventures. It is this re-channeling that keeps you young and mentally sharp.
Of course, the Association has opportunities to help you keep young and mentally sharp. It begins every year with the Annual Membership meeting in January. Your level of involvement can be as simple as your vote at the meeting, or you can supplement that involvement by either running for an elected position or volunteering for a committee. Whatever your choice, the experience will be as satisfying and fun as you make it to be.
As you will read elsewhere in this issue of the VIEW most elected positions have only one person formally running. This may look and sound like a November ballot for certain judgeships where the ballot said “vote for no more than 2” and there were only two names listed. The difference here is that we are a small community wherein a write-in campaign can be successful. So, it is not too late to run for office.
You don’t have to be in an elected position to make a contribution. The budget has provisioned for maintenance, beautification, and other improvement projects. These provisions have previously funded the Ledgewood and Commerce Bridge projects, the multipurpose court in Kendall Park , and sea walls around the main lake islands. Our new annual surveys indicate you have an appetite for more improvements – a bike path along Commerce Road , new entrance signs, further improvements in water quality, etc. These are your opportunities to make a difference and leave your legacy. If you are looking for more pragmatic motivations, these volunteer-based improvement projects simultaneously help improve property values while holding down annual dues.
Elected or volunteered service can be as much fun as you make it. At a minimum, you meet new people. You will also learn new things about local and state government. And if you are really making a difference, you’ll learn that 98% of the people will love or accept the results of your contribution. In a world with national leaders receiving barely 50% of the vote and less than 50% approval ratings, 98% is very satisfying.
I know that prior paragraph may sound overly boastful, but LSA is doing things right. Hardly a month goes by when other associations call us for advise. At first I wondered how some of the out-state associations learned about us. Then I realized our first rate communications (www.lake-sherwood.org and the VIEW), our progressive involvement in lake management classes, and our vigilant and constructive involvement in local government have earned us quite a reputation.
Be a part of it and beam with pride.
