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Many hope election is turning point

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By KATHY STEELE

ksteele@tampatrib.com

Published: November 4, 2009

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - No one received a clear mandate last week, but the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association has a new president and a reshuffled board of trustees.

Newly elected President Bill Duvall hopes to reopen communication with friends who in recent years have split into bitterly divided camps.

"It's got to be the top priority," said Duvall, who served as association president nearly five years ago. "It's not pretty. We need to address it immediately. Otherwise you can't function."

The more than 20-year-old association represents one of the city's largest and most active neighborhoods.

In the past two elections turf battles have become the norm. Divisions emerged during the 2008 election but seemed to end on a sweet note with polite speeches and, for a moment, hope of reconciliation.

This year's election heated up again. On one side was the "other guy," or the brand identification for candidates who wanted a clean sweep of a board they said was secretive and unresponsive to its members. On the other side were board members who said they were tired of the sniping from a dissident group that found fault with every decision they made.

The executive board hired an outside company to run the election via computer from California - a first for the association.

Outgoing association President Jeff Harmon lost the election by 11 votes. Afterward, he struck a conciliatory note: "I'm willing to work with anybody and everybody, always have been," he said. "I just hope we can get some civility next year. People have got to understand everyone's feelings."

Voters re-elected three to the executive board: Evan St. Ives, vice president; Bill Hunter, secretary; and Cathy Simon, treasurer. The treasurer's election was decided by one vote.

Five members were elected as trustees: incumbents Doreen DiBona, Shawn Hicks and Eric Krause. Also elected were Stuart Hess and Sherry King.

Among the issues Duvall hopes to address quickly is the association's bylaws, access to the group's membership list and the status of three people stripped of membership by the past board.

Two of the three members - former President Susan Long and crime watch coordinator Christie Hess - tried to reapply as voting members for last week's election, but were denied. Past President Randy Baron is the third member who was removed. He did not attend the election meeting.

The past board took their action after Long, Hess and Baron set up Seminole Heights Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on funding community projects. The board accused the three of stealing a Web site domain name from the association, and it hired an attorney and took the issue to ICANN, an international arbitrator for Web site disputes. The association lost.

"We've lost three talented people," Duvall said. "If it were up to me, I would bring them back immediately."

But, he said, the bylaws give guidance on expelling members but say nothing about reinstatement. Term limits also should be considered, possibly with four years as the length of service, he said.

The membership list and who has access to it was an election divider. A trustee candidate complained to the city's neighborhood liaison office after being denied access to the list. The issue was referred to the city attorney's office.

"It can't be sold or used for solicitation," Duvall said, but it should not be a secret. Organizations often provide directories for their members, he said.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.

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