Oakland Mills Community Association: Election 2007

The following statements were submitted by each candidate running for a position on the Board of Directors:
(There are 7 candidates running for 7 seats on the OMCA Board of Directors.)

Mary Kate Murray

Mary Kate Murray, OMCA Board of Directors

I have served on the OM Revitalization Executive Committee of the as the Co-Chair and direct manager of the Community Organizer for three years.

Highlights of my efforts:

Founded the Street Captain program
Meet monthly with OM principals to address how OMCA partners with schools for optimal performance
Effectively brought $13,000 to schools via business partners
Serve on the Village Center Master Plan Committee
Co-coordinated a Realtors Reception/Tour of OM
Serve on the Music and Arts Committee
Meet monthly with apartment complex management to address issues and to partner with complexes
Initiated several community building efforts: cookie swap, movie nights, art night, community connection gatherings, for example

With our Community Organizer Ben Hunter I partner with residents, community leaders, county officials, and local businesses to bring resources into Oakland Mills to support us in being a model of a community that is reinventing themselves while living into the Rouse vision.

W.H. "Kriz" Krizmanich

Kriz Krizmanich, OMCA Board of Directors

Let me first thank you for your support over the past 4 years. It has been a pleasure to serve you on the Oakland Mills Board of Directors.

It's that time of the year again and I am asking for your support in this year's upcoming election. Over the past year many exciting and positive things have occurred in your community. I will strive to make Oakland Mills the very best.

The Town Hall meeting are a great place for you to find out what is happening within your community. They are held at various times during the year. Also there is fun for all at the International Festival. A good place and time to meet new friends and have a day of festivity.

I encourage you to fill out your mail-in-ballot and return it by the April 25 deadline or visit The Other Barn and cast your vote on April 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

After all - you are the voice in the community and without your vote the village stands still.

Abby Hendrix

Abby Hendrix, OMCA Board of Directors

My name is Abby Hendrix and I would like to represent you as a member of the Oakland Mills Village Board. My husband and I made Oakland Mills (OM) our home five years ago, in large part because of Jim Rouse's vision of community and civility. Now that our roots are becoming deeper in OM, I feel compelled to also deepen my involvement in the decisions that affect us all.

I would like to see our village bring businesses that complement the character of our neighborhood and improve the quality of life for its residents. I want to participate, on behalf of our village, in the development of downtown to ensure that it becomes an attractive and vibrant area, but one that still furthers Rouse's vision of Columbia. I need your support on April 26th. I feel certain that with your participation, we can accomplish great things for Oakland Mills.

Karen Gray

Karen Gray, OMCA Board of Directors

Having served on the Oakland Mills Village Board for the last four years, I have come to truly value the warmth, diversity, and incredible talent that our community has to offer. I am excited that we continue to bring in new leaders and volunteers who really care about our community. I feel proud of the many accomplishments we have achieved. As Oakland Mills approaches its fortieth birthday, I feel we are definitely on the right track and the future is bright.

I would like to serve for another year to follow through on some projects that are particularly dear to me-the creation of a lovely and walkable connection to Town Center and Blandair, the development of Meridian Square, the completion of the R.O.P.E project, increased communication and cooperation between property owners in the Village Center, an enhanced Farmer's Market, and an increased music and arts presence.

Marcia White

Marcia White, OMCA Board of Directors

I have lived in Oakland Mills since 1997 and am a very active participant in the Oakland Mills revitalization effort. I am a school volunteer, chair of Oakland Mills Community Association's Music & Arts Committee, a Street Captain, and member of the Community Vibrancy, Robert Oliver Place Enhancement, and Oakland Mills Community Association's Steering committees.

I believe our village should sponsor activities that will inspire and energize its residents. Our village has excellent resources to host such events; its resources must continue to be catalysts for strengthening the momentum for positive change. These activities will, in turn, help the village center attract and retain new businesses.

I believe this is an exciting time to live in Oakland Mills. Many talented, creative and dedicated residents are working hard to restore our mature village to its more exciting times. I will continue working with them to continually improve our village.

Jim Alvey

Jim Alvey, OMCA Board of Directors

For 20 years, I have been a resident of Thunder Hill in Oakland Mills and have made volunteering a part of my life; including THES and OMHS activities, Pets On Wheels, United Way, St. John's Earth Stewardship team, and Leadership Howard County efforts. In January 2003, I joined the Oakland Mills Community Vibrancy Committee (CVC) and participated on teams that included the Merchants of Oakland Mills (MOM), Open Space/Beautification team, and OM Master Planning Committee. It has felt good to roll up my sleeves and get involved in everything from picking up litter to appearing before the County Council. I have seen many great things accomplished over the past 3 years. However, there is more work to be done, especially in the areas of resident communication, Village Center merchant support, and village appearance. My personal goal will be to make sure that every voice is heard on community issues.

Michael McKenna

Michael McKenna, OMCA Board of Directors

As an active Howard County resident, business owner and realtor for the past 5 years, I feel the need to start giving back to the community and more importantly my village center. I have lived in Oakland Mills for the past two years and I realize it is a great place to live and I welcome the opportunity to improve on what others before me have accomplished. It seems to me that Oakland Mills has become the "forgotten corner" of Columbia and as a business owner and realtor; the "revitalization" of Oakland Mills should be of great value to everyone! My experience and dedication should fulfill some of the needs of our Oakland Mills residents and hopefully heighten their wish to improve our neighborhoods. I look forward to working with our new board to make positive changes. If you should need to reach me, please email me at mmckenna@weichert.com

The following 2 statements were submitted by the two candidates running for Columbia Council Representative.
(There are two candidates running for 1 seat on the Columbia Council.)

Phillips Engelke

Phillips Engelke, Columbia Council Representative

My family has lived in Oakland Mills for 35 years, and we’ve seen our neighborhood grow from a muddy construction site to a mature village, with all the advantages and problems that growth entails. In the three terms I’ve served on the Village Board, I’ve had the privilege of being part of a dynamic group who are guiding Oakland Mills’ revitalization. If elected as Columbia Council representative, I will focus on building broader, stronger support for these efforts throughout the larger community. We are facing the same challenges that mature towns across the country are experiencing. As a vice president of an international architecture and design firm, I have spent nearly 30 years meeting these challenges in communities around the world.

By joining forces we can become a renewed and vibrant place that is attractive to young families, while maintaining the values that originally brought us to Columbia.

Alex Hekimian

Alex Hekimian, Columbia Council Representative

This is a crucial period in the history of Oakland Mills and also all of Columbia. Revitalization of our village center and a new Master Plan for Downtown Columbia are just two of the key issues we face. As your Columbia Council representative, I would work diligently to ensure that any decisions reflect residents' priorities.

I have lived in Oakland Mills for 30 years and have been involved in civic activities for many of those years. Having previously served on the Columbia Council and having led a Columbia-wide citizens advocacy organization, I would bring much knowledge and experience to this important position.

Residents deserve to get the most value for the payments they make to the Columbia Association. And, during these difficult economic times, I would like to find ways to give residents a break on their payments. I appreciate your support.

The Oakland Mills Community Association (OMCA) is a non-profit civic organization whose purpose is to promote the health, safety, common good and social welfare of all its village members (owners of property within Oakland Mills' (OM) three neighborhoods, Steven's Forest, Talbott Springs, Thunder Hill, and tenants, who reside on property within Oakland Mills under a written lease).

OMCA's Village Board of Directors and its representative to the Columbia Council are elected by the members to manage the business and affairs of OMCA.

So what are the village elections anyway?
On April 26, 2008 members of the Oakland Mills Community Association (owners and renters of property in the village, that's you!) will elect seven residents to serve one-year terms on the OMCA Board of Directors. OMCA Board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Members of the Board serve on the Architectural Committee and on various Board committees, advocate for village needs and create opportunities for residents to become active in the life of the community.

Also on April 26, 2008 members will elect one resident to serve a one-year term as Oakland Mills representative to the Columbia Council/Columbia Association (CA) Board. The CA Board meets the fourth Thursday of the month, and determines Columbia Association policies and spending priorities for your assessment dollars.

The following policy is effective as of this April 8, 2008. Please make sure that all campaigning for you are aware of the policy.

"Candidate’s volunteers who serve in any capacity for The Oakland Mills Community Association as elected members or as volunteers (with the exception of the members of the Election Monitor Committee) can actively campaign for or against candidates. This must be done separately from their volunteer roles for the Association.”

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT! Members holding 10% of the total votes eligible to be cast shall constitute a quorum for this election.

Ballots may be returned in person or by mail to the OMCA office at The Other Barn and must be received by 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 25, 2008.

Polls will be open for walk-in voting 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Saturday, April 26, 2008, at The Other Barn.

To ensure a valid election, please bring photo-identification to the polls. If your driver’s license does not show your current address, please bring a bill or other piece of mail that has been mailed to you at your residence.
If a property is jointly owned (by husband and wife, for example), the voting right is jointly held, so only one vote may be cast.
If a “fee simple” lot, condominium or cooperative unit is leased to a tenant, the tenant is also entitled to a vote.


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Oakland Mills Community Association 5851 Robert Oliver Place Columbia, MD 21045		Telephone: (410) 730-4610 or (301) 596-5237 Fax: (410) 730-4620 Web site: oaklandmills.columbiavillages.org Email: omca@columbiavillages.org
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