On July 31, I sat at the board table for the first time.
After seven months of campaigning, conversations, and community-building — I walked into that room ready to turn a page.
I didn’t run to be in charge. I didn’t run to blow things up. I ran to bring transparency, facts, and fairness into the light. And honestly? I was proud of the campaign I ran. It was bold. It was loud. It was factual. And it was necessary. People rallied behind it — and people pushed back, too. That’s politics.
Another newly elected board member brought decades of public service and board experience to the table. His campaign was quieter — but his credentials spoke volumes. I always saw him as someone suited for board leadership — and I still do.
But that’s not what happened.
At the first meeting, the outgoing board president — who had barely been re-elected with a fraction of the community’s vote — was nominated and quickly reinstated. The vote was taken with no real discussion, despite the fact that a candidate with significantly more community support had been nominated as well.
In that moment, it felt like everything I stood for — the community’s voice, the demand for change, the overwhelming desire for something new — got brushed aside. And I’ll be honest: I froze. I didn’t speak up. I was stunned.
The community spoke. But the board didn’t seem to listen.
One of the new members raised it plainly: election results matter. They reflect the will of the owners. And when leadership roles are decided without acknowledging that — without even a conversation — it sends a tone-deaf message.
I didn’t vote for the reinstatement. I couldn’t. It didn’t align with what this election represented to so many of us. But I also understand the structure. The board elects its own officers. That’s how it works. And now that I’m in the room, I plan to keep showing up — and speaking up — for the people who put me here.
So no, I didn’t leave that meeting with a title. I left with clarity.
I saw how easily systems protect themselves — even when change is banging on the door. But I also saw people in the room, in the audience, and on the Zoom call who were paying attention. Who raised real concerns. Who echoed what I felt in that moment:
We want better. We want more. We want forward.
And I still believe we can get there. But it’s going to take work.
That work begins now — and I’m here for it.