Somersett’s Most Valuable Asset

As we approach the upcoming SOA Board election, homeowners will select the volunteers who will establish the Association's direction, policies, and priorities. These Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of the Association and its homeowners.

The Board determines much of the “what” in Somersett's future.

But there is another side to that equation, one that receives far less attention. Our professional management and staff provide the “how.” They turn policies into programs, manage the finances, maintain our infrastructure, serve homeowners, and perform the daily work that keeps a community of our size functioning successfully.

Board members come and go. Our professional management provides continuity, institutional knowledge, and expertise that allows Somersett to function effectively from one election to the next. In my experience, that has become one of Somersett's most valuable assets.

Five Years of Remarkable Progress

At the end of October, our Community Manager, Nancy Kerry, will celebrate five years with Somersett.

I had the privilege of working with Nancy from the beginning of our transition to professional self-management, and I've watched firsthand as she assembled an entirely new organization and guided its development into the professional team that we have today.

Nancy came to Somersett with extensive experience in municipal and state government, including serving as City Manager in South Lake Tahoe and in the Aspen area. Her career included managing communities through significant economic challenges, natural disasters, and the unprecedented disruptions of COVID. We were fortunate to attract someone with that depth of experience.

But what matters most isn't her résumé. It's what she and her team have accomplished for Somersett.

Much of that work has occurred quietly, behind the scenes, without fanfare. Board members, me included, often receive recognition for programs and improvements that would never have been possible without the people responsible for implementing them.

Some examples deserve particular recognition.

Building a Professional Organization

When Somersett transitioned away from outside corporate management, there were legitimate concerns about whether self-management could succeed. Our former management company departed before the end of their contract, leaving an enormous organizational challenge.

Nancy built an entirely new management structure, including staffing, human resources, training, operational procedures, financial controls, and the administrative systems needed to manage a community as large and complex as Somersett.

What emerged was not simply a replacement for outside management. It was a more accountable, responsive, and capable organization. The results have been substantial, including a reported reduction in homeowner complaints of approximately 90% over the past several years.

That's a remarkable achievement in a community with thousands of residents and many competing needs.

Improving Operations and Financial Performance

One of the most important changes was the approach to budgeting and financial management.

I remember earlier budget meetings when the process largely consisted of reviewing the previous year's line items and applying estimated increases. That may have been conventional practice, but it offered little opportunity to improve the underlying operation.

Nancy approached budgeting differently.

Rather than simply adjusting expenses, she examined the operations behind them. Every major expenditure, service contract, asset, and potential revenue source became an opportunity to ask whether there was a better way.

Some outside services were brought in-house. Other operations were reorganized. Financial systems were improved, and resources were redirected where they could produce greater value.

The results are reflected in healthier operating finances, strengthened reserves, improved services, and assessment increases averaging approximately 1.4% annually during a period when inflation was substantially higher.

This is not simply the result of spending less. It is the result of managing better.

Better Stewardship of Our Infrastructure

Another important improvement has been a more thoughtful approach to maintaining our infrastructure.

Historically, major assets were often scheduled for repair or replacement based primarily on predetermined time intervals. But infrastructure doesn't necessarily deteriorate according to a calendar. Our management introduced a more practical approach, using professional engineering assessments and actual conditions to help determine what needs attention and when.

This allows the Association to address genuine maintenance needs while avoiding unnecessary or premature expenditures. The objective is straightforward: better streets, roads, trails, and common facilities, supported by a healthier Reserve Fund.

Good management isn't always about doing more. Sometimes it's about knowing what needs to be done, what doesn't, and making informed decisions accordingly.

Supporting Our Sub-Associations

The success of Somersett's management model eventually led to requests for Team SOA to provide management services to the Village, the Vue, and most recently Sierra Canyon.

Each community presented different challenges.

The Village was experiencing particularly serious financial difficulties when Team SOA became involved. Nancy and her staff worked with its Board to establish a practical recovery plan, restore financial stability, and put the Association on a sustainable course.

Similar operational and financial improvements have followed in the Vue, with work now underway in Sierra Canyon.

These are separate Associations, each governed by its own Board. Yet they benefit from the experience, resources, and institutional knowledge of a professional management organization that has demonstrated its capabilities and taken on the challenge of offering the same to each and every association. We should recognize the value of that expertise, particularly when it benefits multiple communities.

Securing the Multimillion Federal Fire Grant

One accomplishment deserves special recognition.

Somersett successfully secured a multimillion USDA grant to support wildfire mitigation and community protection. This grant sets the directives, goals, and work schedules. Our fire-fuels budget now contributes as matching funds, which has nearly multiplied the overall effort by 4–5 times.

These federal grants are highly competitive and often pursued by cities, counties, and other governmental organizations with considerable resources and professional grant-writing support. Nancy drew upon her extensive government experience to prepare the successful application.

The result was a substantial investment in wildfire mitigation, benefiting both Somersett and Sierra Canyon, while reducing the financial burden that would otherwise fall upon homeowners. The value of this work became especially apparent during the Hawk Fire in August, when the importance of wildfire preparedness and defensible space was brought home to our community.

This is an excellent example of professional expertise producing a benefit that extends well beyond ordinary administrative duties.

Protecting the Association's Legal and Financial Interests

Before Nancy arrived, we had already begun resolving several longstanding legal disputes, including matters involving the golf club and the original developer.

Those efforts helped establish a new direction for Somersett, emphasizing prudent resolution of disputes and careful stewardship of homeowner resources.

Nancy continued that approach.

I worked alongside her through extensive depositions, mediations, and litigation involving disputes in which the Association's interests needed to be protected. These were difficult, time-consuming matters, often requiring considerable preparation and persistence.

Our management worked closely with legal counsel to protect the Association while avoiding unnecessary expenditures and unfavorable outcomes. Over time, Somersett's legal expenses have declined by more than 95% from their previous levels.

This reflects a broader philosophy: protect the Association's legitimate interests, resolve disputes when practical, and avoid allowing litigation to become an unnecessarily expensive way of settling disagreements. This takes Somersett from an easy target to a difficult one, and the result is that our insurance premiums were recently lowered.

Professionalism, Ethics, and Accountability

Beyond these measurable accomplishments, there is another quality that deserves recognition.

Our management team understands that its responsibility is to the Association and its homeowners, not to any particular Board member, candidate, or political faction.

It is expected to operate within the law, follow established policies, provide professional advice, and implement lawful Board decisions. The elected Board establishes policy and direction. Management carries out those decisions within its professional and legal responsibilities.

Not every Board decision will be popular. Some will be controversial. Homeowners have every right to disagree, question those decisions, and seek changes through the democratic process just as Board members should make every effort to listen and understand homeowner concerns. But disagreement with a Board decision should not automatically become criticism of the employees responsible for implementing it.

Similarly, management is not above criticism. Mistakes can happen, questions deserve answers, and accountability is essential. The appropriate measure is whether concerns are addressed professionally, transparently, and in accordance with the law. In my experience, Nancy and her team have consistently met that standard.

At the same time, recent attacks and allegations made against management have not proven to be fair, balanced, or even true. That’s a tragedy and it risks one of our greatest assets.

A Word About the Current Election

I want to raise one concern as we approach this election, because I believe it deserves thoughtful consideration.

Over the past year, our management team has faced an unusually persistent series of information requests, formal complaints, allegations, and public criticism and frankly this is undeserved and misdirected. This management team is arguably Somersett’s greatest current asset, and it deserves to be valued and respected.

Some of these efforts have coincided with disagreements involving Board members and candidates in the upcoming election.

Let me be clear: Homeowners have every right to ask questions, request Association records, challenge decisions, and hold their elected representatives and professional management accountable. Those rights are important. They should be respected and protected. But there is a difference between legitimate oversight and sustained confrontation that produces little constructive benefit.

Responding to extensive requests and repeated allegations requires substantial staff time, professional resources, and sometimes legal assistance. Those costs are ultimately borne by the homeowners.

I have personally attempted to encourage more constructive dialogue and resolution of these disagreements, including direct meetings with the parties involved. Unfortunately, those efforts have not always been successful.

My concern is not that people disagree. Disagreement is inevitable in a community of our size, and often healthy. My concern is that our professional employees have become targets in disputes that properly belong in the realm of Board governance and homeowner elections.

Our management staff are not political candidates. They do not stand for election, establish the Board's political priorities, or represent competing homeowner factions. They are professionals employed to serve the entire Association, regardless of who wins an election. There are also hired employees with employee rights.

We should expect them to answer legitimate questions, provide excellent service, and be accountable for their performance. They should answer legitimate questions about performance and accountability. Yet the distinction remains, management should be protected from unsupported personal accusations and inappropriate political pressure

These expectations are not contradictory. They are essential to a well-functioning community.

Let's Recognize and Protect What Works

Elections come and go. What should remain constant is our commitment to professionalism, responsible decision-making, and the respectful treatment of those who serve our community.

Nancy Kerry and the entire Team SOA have earned recognition for their accomplishments. More importantly, they have demonstrated the value of professional management that remains committed to the Association beyond any single Board or election.

We can disagree about the direction of our community without turning the people who serve it into adversaries. That is not simply a matter of courtesy. It is a matter of decency, responsible leadership, and protecting Somersett’s most valuable assets.