Time to regroup: Jonathan board needs to fill seats

By Mollee Francisco 

An attempt to remove six of the nine members of the Jonathan Association during the annual meeting last Tuesday was legitimate, according to attorneys for the large homeowners association.

Following a motion by Jonathan Association member Mike Sibley, President Tom Davis, Vice President Tom Kerber, and directors Dan Weber, Dan Navratil, Cal Kuhlman and Joe Niedert were ousted from the board.

Mike Liebe, one of only three board members to remain, said that the board received a letter of determination from Jonathan attorneys Hellmuth and Johnson saying that they had “gone through the action, picked it apart and found everything to be legal.”

“Which is pretty scary,” he commented.

Liebe was named interim board president at that same meeting.

Now, the association will begin to retool as it works to fill the six seats on the board.

Two of those vacant seats, formerly occupied by Kerber and Weber, were up for re-election, and will now be filled through the annual election process. Incumbent Debbie Boe, who remains on the board, is also on the ballot.

Ballots for the six candidates vying for those seats were mailed to homeowners earlier this week. They are due back to a Bloomington auditing firm by March 20.

Candidates include Jacqueline Bensman, Boe, Jack McCauley, Dave Rome, Sandra Rossol and Katie Tierney.

Appointments

The four remaining seats will be filled by appointment through remaining board members Liebe, Boe and Maria Awes. According to Liebe, a two-page mailer was being prepared earlier this week including an explanation of what occurred at the annual meeting as well as an application for the board. (See attachment)

“We’re going to give people a chance in public,” said Liebe.

A special meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 6 at Chaska City Hall. Board applicants will have an opportunity to address the board and answer questions.

“After that we’ll weed through them,” said Liebe, who expects that the appointed seats will be filled before the seats up for election are determined.

“We want to make sure we have a quorum,” said Liebe. “That’s important.”

Liebe added that he is hopeful they will be able to get a geographical and philosophical mix of people on the board.

“Then we can hopefully move forward instead of continuing to beat up the past,” he said.

Two board members not up for re-election

* Two incumbents remain on the nine-member Jonathan Board of Directors and one incumbent is up for re-election.

Three candidates to be elected

* Ballots arrive in homeowners’ mailboxes this week.

* Voters have until 5 p.m., March 20 to return their ballots via mail.

* Ballots tabulated by Casey, Menden, Faust & Nelson, a certified public accounting firm in Bloomington.

Four candidates to be appointed

* A mailer, including board application, sent to all homeowners this week (see attachment)

* Special meeting Thursday, March 6

* Four board seats filled by March 11 board meeting