Five hopefuls seek three seats on Twin Rivers board

By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
   EAST WINDSOR — Five candidates are vying for three seats on the Twin Rivers Homeowners Association board of trustees in December.
   Board President Scott Pohl and board Vice President Herb Felzer are attempting to keep their seats on the nine-member board for another three years, while former board President Marc Platizky, horseshoeing business owner Steve Commer, and perennial board critic Al Wally are looking to get themselves seated for the same period.
   Board Treasurer Aaron Sears is not seeking re-election.
   ”Everything I wanted to accomplish, we accomplished,” he said Wednesday, five days after the candidate filing deadline. “It’s good now to get some fresh eyes on the board.”
   As for the challengers, Mr. Platizky was board president in 1998 and said he left because of time constraints. He moved to Twin Rivers in 1985. He also sits on the board of the township Municipal Utilities Authority.
   Citing that position, Mr. Platizky, 51, of Avon Drive, said that if elected, he would be able to improve communication with township municipal officials.
   ”I have a good relationship with the mayor and council,” he said. “Twin Rivers will have a voice in the township again.”
   Mr. Platizky also said he’d like to maintain the current level of services the association offers.
   Mr. Wally, on the other hand, is not a former board member, but says he attends nearly every board meeting anyway.
   The 66-year-old retired merchandising manager who lives on Overton Drive has been living in Twin Rivers since 1972 and points toward his master’s of business administration degree from Baruch College at the City University of New York as giving him the knowledge and experience to be an effective board member.
   Mr. Wally also said he wants to curb what he called “careless and wasteful spending.” He cited $428,000 for liability insurance in 2008 and a $2,000 increase in workers’ compensation over the past year as examples.
   As for the incumbents, Mr. Pohl has been board president the past 10 years and board member for the past 12 after moving to the community in 1987.
   ”I want to ensure the community stays a positive and good place for people to live,” he said.
   The 50-year-old salesman adds that he will try to keep maintenance fees low, “but with so much of the things we do, depending on petroleum products, it’s hard.”
   He also cites his experience as a board member and that he has “guided the community through tough times over the past 10 years.”
   The Ithaca Place resident said he was referring to a lawsuit levied against the association by a handful of residents that accused Twin Rivers of restricting residents’ rights to free expression. The association eventually won the suit in a state Supreme Court decision handed down last year.
   Mr. Felzer, of Avon Drive, is the board’s vice president and has served as a trustee the past 14 years. He moved to Twin Rivers 29 years ago and cites his experience on myriad community committees. He specifically said he was one of the people responsible for cabanas being built at the community’s pools.
   Moving forward, the 77-year-old retired federal logistics and procurement officer for the U.S. Department of Defense said he would like to keep maintenance fees down by cutting back on the amount of street paving the association does.
   ”I am not a rubber stamp guy. I vote my conscience. More money needs to go back to the homeowners,” he said.
   Mr. Commer, of Robertson Road, who launched unsuccessful board campaigns in 2006 and 2007, could not be reached for comment.
   The elections will be held Dec. 11. Unlike municipal elections, votes are weighed by the assessed value of the homes from which they come instead of a one-person, one-vote system.