Out and About
I’ve written several times about how important water board elections are and how they seem to get very little attention by voters/members. Our water system is membership owned. Basically – that means that if you pay a water bill in 32566 and don’t live on Navarre Beach, you are an owner in the Holley Navarre Water System. As such, you should care – and care a lot. On the books (don’t quote me) the water system is worth at least $150 million, and the annual budget is more than 10 million. The value aside, clean water and safe water doesn’t have a price tag. On top of that, our water company owns a golf course, Hidden Creek Golf Course, and an Engineering Company, MESI. They will argue that you don’t, but since our membership owned water system does own them, I would argue that you do. I would also argue that you should be able to see the Golf Course financials and MESI financials – but that is a definite no-go as far as they are concerned. As a matter of fact, they don’t have to let you see much. They claim, and others would agree, that they are governed by State Statute 617 – Corporations Not For Profit. When we have asked for documents, they have quoted the portion that says the request has to be for “good faith and is for a proper purpose” (see Subsection 7) and they get to decide what is good faith and proper purpose. And, of course – many times in the past they have decided it wasn’t in good faith or proper purpose because it is subjective – not objective.
There are four seats open on the water board that will be filled on January 15. The three that receive the greatest number of votes will serve three years and the one with the least will serve one year. There are four candidates that I would recommend, and they are Yvonne Harper, Kevin Lanier, Mike Kennedy and Fred Teresa. I know Yvonne Harper because she worked at Navarre Press, I know Kevin Lanier from his work with the HBTS Board of Directors, I just recently met Mike Kennedy and Fred Teresa and I’ve asked them questions and I like their answers because they have the water system and the members as a priority. This isn’t about them…this is about Navarre. I’ve also done a little snooping because that is what I get paid to do around here. I can’t find anything that would cause me pause. In other words, I find them to have the capacity, the drive and the knowledge to improve our water company. And, they are for transparency and doing what it takes to bring transparency and professionalism to our water system. You can read what all four of them are about at their website: 4forHNWS.org.
Personally, I’m a little worried about the ballots that end up at the water system before the actual election date – January 15 – when you can vote in person. Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections, Tappie Villane, will be there on voting day and that adds 100% credibility and honesty to the process – but on that day alone. However, I’m afraid that if you wait until January 15, you will not vote at all because something may come up. But most of all, I believe it is highly suspect that the Holley Navarre Water System added this at the bottom of their mailer that was mailed to all water company members, “HNWS accepts no responsibility for lost, stolen, damaged, or late proxies / absentee ballots.” And, if you get a proxy – you are giving your vote away. It takes just as much effort to vote absentee – and it is you – and you alone who are voting. Voting process instructions: Contact the Holley-Navarre Water System by calling (850) 939-2427 ext. 244 or by email at election@hnws-fl.com to request an Absentee Ballot or in person between 7:00 am- 4:00 pm. Monday – Friday. The Absentee Ballot must be placed in the ballot box at Holley-Navarre Water System Headquarters, located at 8574 Turkey Bluff Road in Navarre, no later than 4:00 pm, January 11 for your vote to count (Maybe – according the Holley Navarre Water System themselves.) Or – you can vote in person from 7:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15, at the Holley Navarre Water System.