9 candidates line up for 6 seats on SCHOA board

This week’s election for the Sun City Home Owners Association board is bucking a trend: There are more candidates than open seats.

Nine people are running for six openings on the board.

"We actually had 10 candidates for a while there, but we had one withdraw," said Bill Szentmiklosi, SCHOA compliance manager. "We attribute the interest mostly to the changes we’ve made in the organization."

Over the past two years, Szentmiklosi said SCHOA has garnered positive publicity.

"Our financial assistance program, the community intervention program, they’ve been really successful," he said. "We’ve accomplished a lot in the past 18 months. I think people see that, and I think they want to be a part of it."

The election will be Friday and Saturday at the SCHOA offices, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. A vendor fair will be up and running Friday, and candidates will be present that day to speak to voters.

MEET THE SCHOA CANDIDATES

Jim Stark is a retired attorney from private practice in the Phoenix area and also retired from Charles Schwab & Co. as vice president – Institutional Compliance. Stark was involved with other major corporations as legal counsel and litigator. Retired from the U.S. Air Force at the rank of lieutenant colonel after 20 years of service, he grew up in Prescott, graduated from law school at George Washington University School of Law and has degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of Nebraska. He and his wife have lived in Sun City since 1996.

Marie Weekley is a Michigan graduate and attended Walther Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago. She moved to Sun City in 1995 and has volunteered as a parish nurse. She also served five years in the Sun City Posse, serving on the board for one year and volunteering for special assignments. She has served on the golf ad-hoc committee and has advanced training in business and management.

Tom Stolt has been an active member of the Sun City community since 1998. He served as member and president of the Sand Hills Condo Association, and served three years on a previous SCHOA board, with the last year of his term as president. Stolt retired after 34 years as marketing representative for 3M and served as one of its division managers. He graduated from Illinois State University.

Kay Bush retired from Woodhaven, Mich., after 25 years as a city assessor. She served as deputy treasurer and finance assistant. She has experience in all aspects of municipal government, including zoning and building.

Dale Simerson has been a resident of Sun City since 2001. His career has been working as an electrician with continued education at the Phoenix Electronic Institute, at Second Class Communications for licensing through the FCC. He was responsible for organizing training. He has taken several classes in the area of computer, drafting, blueprint reading and animated graphics. Simerson has been a member of the Elks, Phoenix Jaycees and South Phoenix Riding Club.

Ben Roloff and his wife have been residents of Sun City since 1997. He retired after 33 years in secondary education in Green Bay, Wis. A former SCHOA board member, he served as president and was active in all SCHOA committees. He has been on the board for the Condominium Association, RSCS Long Range Planning and the Golf Advisory Committee. Other past experiences include being an elected government representative for 24 years, chairman of the county park commission, chairman of the Emergency Medical Services Council and Regional Planning Commission and chairman of the Rescue Squad B.O.D.

Roy Logan and his wife have been residents of Sun City for three years. He was vice president of engineering with a company in Goodyear. Logan was active in the U.S. Air Force as a flight engineer. He is a graduate of University of Missouri in the field of mechanical engineering and has an MBA from the University of Washington. Logan is a volunteer with SCHOA’s Financial Assistance Program and serves on the Compliance Committee.

Jim Powell and his wife have been residents of Sun City since 1998, starting as winter visitors and moving here full time in 2005. He is a graduate of Fullerton College and California State University, with degrees in police science. Retiring from police work, he served on the traffic commission. He also has been involved in the Rotary Club, Moose Lodge and Snowmobile Club of West Sweden in Wisconsin. Powell is on the RCSC bowling property committees and SCHOA’s compliance committee.

James Fitzsimmons has lived in Sun City for the past seven years. He is a graduate of the University of Washington, with a degree in international trade. He has been a store manager for Sears and Roebuck, a beer and wine distributor and a small-business owner. He is active on the Greens Committee for Lakes East and West and on the 2004 Ad Hoc Committee. (No photo available).