Glenbrooke News

Glenbrooke Board Candidate A. D. Dopson
Editor’s note: All Candidates have been invited to submit their Candidates statement using the five questions asked by neighbors/readers. A.D. Dopson is the fifth in this series on getting to know our candidates. All statements are also posted on navigational bar for review.

1. Why did you decide to run for the Board and what strengths/skills will you bring to the position?

We moved to Glenbrooke from the Bay-area in December 2009.   I would have  been here sooner, but I had to wait for my husband, Tom, to retire.  I strongly believe in taking an active role in organizations that I belong, as well as in my community. I was on the boards for both the Gehringer Swim Club and the Swim Team, I refereed youth soccer and I was on the Design Review Board for the City of Concord.   So I have experience in working within the community and with the general public.

I worked in the land development-subdivision design industry for almost 40 years before moving here.  In the first half of my career, I designed subdivisions, supervised & trained staff and processed plans & entitlements thru various cities.  During the second half of my career, I consulted for various city-clients, reviewing plans and co-coordinating projects with developers, engineers, attorneys and planning staff.  Consequently I am very familiar with construction drawings and accompanying documents (i.e. CC&R’s, final maps, etc).   To stay current with legislative changes, I also attended UC extension classes for “California Land Use & Planning Law”.

2.  Are you willing to hold monthly town hall meetings with residents to hear their concerns?

I think informal monthly meeting would provide residents the opportunity to voice their concerns early on and avoid the frustrations that come with having to wait until a regularly scheduled board meeting.  Also it provides the board members time to research any technical issues before bringing them to the entire community at a regular meeting.

3. Do you feel you can publicly voice the interests of the residents and not be intimidated by the majority three Pulte employees?

I would not be easily influenced or intimidated by Pulte.  I have worked with various developers during my 40 years in land development and I have developed a rapport.  As both a resident and a design professional, I think that I will be able to present the communities concern in a manner that Pulte- DelWebb can understand; I speak the same language and jargon.

4.  Have you reviewed the Associations’s finances, and do you think the assessments and funding for reserves are set at an appropriate level?

I have only glanced thru the financial statement provided with the governing documents at escrow, but knowing the reputation that Pulte has within the industry and the extensive experiences that Del Webb has with senior communities, I am sure that the current and future needs & expenses have been thoroughly evaluated.

5.Thank you for your willingness to serve and the opportunity to get to know you better.  Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you?

It is my opinion that the communication is part listening and part understanding.  I have found that most mis-understandings arise from semantics ---- it helps to define words in the beginning.