Frequently Asked Questions
What is Friends of Ken Lake hoping to acheive?
Our main objective is to highlight our candidates for the board, and to showcase ideas for better way forward. However Ken Lake is also a unique community, with different needs than a traditional HOA. We maintain common properties, protect an urban forest, and share one of only two privately-owned lakes in the state of Washington. This group was founded to ensure we have open, professional, and efficient management of such a unique neighborhood community.
When is the election?
In a technical sense, the election for new board members takes place in person on November 15th, at the annual membership meeting. However mail-in ballots have also been sent to every homeowner, and you may vote by returning those ballots to VIS, or by sending them an email at info@vismanagement.com with all the same information as is contained in the paper ballot.
These include: your name, address, lot number, and your three choices (including write-ins) among the candidates for board member. You may find your lot number via VIS, your title documents, or at the Thurston County Assessor's Website.
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If you have a copy of the 2021 printed Ken Lake directory, lot numbers can be found there as well.
If you would like help locating your lot number, you may also call or text Friends of Ken Lake at 360-402-7340
Why do some candidates need to be "write-ins"
On September 14th, the LCC Board of Directors announced to the community that nominations for board member would be accepted from the 14th through the 30th of September. This was based on a policy that the board supposedly adopted in August of 2020. No other, more recent vote was ever taken to establish a deadline of September 30th.
However, this four-year-old policy included other deadlines (such as ballots being delivered in early October) that were clearly ignored by the board, since ballots were instead mailed out on November 1st. Further, it was discovered that VIS had never once been sent the policy containing the supposed September 30th deadline. In response to questions, the board declared the 2020 policy to be defunct and unenforceable.
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In light of this, several homeowners and one current board member challenged the legitimacy of the September 30th deadline, pointing to the lack of any recent vote to establish the deadline. It is true that the deadline was announced to the community, but it was announced without a vote of the board.
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On Friday, October 25th, VIS informed one of our write-in candidates, a Ken Lake homeowner, that their name and statement would be added to the ballot owing to the fact that the print deadline had not yet passed.
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Unfortunately, the following Monday the board reversed that decision in a 6 to 1 vote, choosing to require that anyone who didn't submit their statement by the September 30th deadline would be ineligible to appear on the VIS ballot, and would be required to run as a write-in candidate.
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Friends of Ken Lake retains its differences of opinion with the current board. However, in the spirit of turning the other cheek, we have elected to simply run our candidates as write-ins, and to make our case directly to Ken Lake homeowners.
When are the Annual Meeting Social and the Annual Meeting and should I attend?
Incomplete and incorrect information has been sent regarding these events.
The Annual Meeting will be held at 6:45 on November 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 2306 End Street NW (out Division) with a social hour beginning at 5:30. NO RSVP is needed if you just want to attend this.
Before the Annual Meeting there will be a social gathering with music, appetizers, a Ken Lake Trivia game, and a chance to share some of your thoughts about Ken Lake. Throughout most of the history of Ken Lake, this social event brought our neighborhood together to participate in the governing process.
Please RSVP if you can so that we can have food and beverage and space to accommodate everyone, but if you decide to come at the last minute without having RSVP'd, please come!
Please bring a finger food appetizer for ten to share.