RSFA Board Candidate: Ted Butz

Author: Phil Trubey

Date: July 02, 2020

This article is part of a series of interview articles we are doing for the 2020 RSFA Board election. 

Ted Butz wants the Association to get more things done. And the right way of doing that is not to micromanage, but for the Board to establish priorities, insure the right people are in place on the staff and committees and focus on the larger issues in the community. Butz believes that the Board needs to hold staff accountable for results and resist the temptation to micromanage. He thinks that micromanaging results in a reactive staff that slows progress on key initiatives.

Butz would also like better communications from the Association. While he likes the weekly Association email blast, it is dry and doesn't give information on what the Association is currently working on. For example, he'd like to see the Association General Manager (Christy Whalen) write a regular column in her own voice about Association projects and priorities. He also believes the Board should better communicate the priorities for the year and report periodically on their progress.

And for broad policy direction, he would rather the Association gather input directly from members to better prioritize what to work on. "I'd like to see a survey or surveys asking members their input". Butz saw the effectiveness of this first hand during his stint as the head of the Garden Club. A well crafted survey found out what the membership wanted, and just as important, what they didn't want, so that resources could be channeled in the right direction.

Butz is a proponent of enforcing existing rules and would like to see the Art Jury adhere to the Protective Covenant and properties maintained to existing regulations. He'd like to see stepped up enforcement of traffic violations like speeding. "Excessive speeding is the most common complaint I hear from people" he says. He believes stepped up police enforcement will improve the situation.

Over the longer term, Butz believes that revitalizing the business district is important to maintaining a vibrant community and property values. He believes that the Association has a role to play here even though the issues are complex and likely to take time. “Broadening participation across the community in looking at the options and challenges and what has been tried before is a good first step in the process”.

Click here to read Ted Butz's official campaign flyer that the Association mailed to all members as part of the official election packet.