Another showdown within the Foothills Club West Community Association began brewing last week as a Maricopa County Superior Court judge set a schedule for a potential showdown against the future of Club West Golf Course.

Nine homeowners, including the former president and current board members of the nearby HOA, have announced their candidacy for four of the seven seats on the HOA committee.

The latter showdown will be resolved at least a week, and perhaps six months before the court battle comes to mind.

The election will be on March 20th.

In a lawsuit by Club West Conservancy against the owner of the course, Judge Susanna C. Pineda set two important dates.

The first is March 31, when Pineda discusses “final exam management” and rules Edge’s move to dismiss the lawsuit.

If she denied the motion, the judge set August 4-7 and August 11 for trials on the claim of the right to declare that the right of the declarant to govern the use of the 164 acre site can only be used for golf.

That argument was partially hit by Pineda after she dismissed two Shea Homes entities the sanctuary targeted in the lawsuit.

The conservancy had claimed Shea and its predecessor builder, UDC Homes.

The four partners that make up the Edge were not parties to either the advertising or sales agreement, but the conservancy maintains the terms of the declarant’s rights.

However, Edge’s lawyers point to other clauses in the same document that several years ago warned that land was not always used for golf.

Shortly after purchasing the course from Wilsongie in 2019 for about $750,000, Edge had the idea of ​​selling three pieces of the course for the construction of 164 homes.

There was a temporary agreement with Taylor Morrison about its impact, but the company dropped out after some homeowners protested the move.

While lawyers on both sides are preparing for the March 31 hearing, the Club West Hoa Board elections are beginning to heat up.

Among the candidates are two homeowners who are active in the nearby Foothills Community Association as board members.

One is Rob Doherty, who has just completed his five-year term as board president. He lives in the hills, but he and his wife own a home in Club West and are eligible to run for the board of directors of that community.

The same applies to Nick Adamakis, a current member of the Foothills HOA Board of Directors, who is listed on the Design Review and Erosion Committee.

(Both candidates submitted letters to Ahwatukee Foothills News, which will be displayed on page 40.)

The other seven candidates are Bill Atkins, Devin Berner, Amanda Holt, Vanya Marchal, Steve McGrone, Kathryn Moros and Zoe Lane.

Doherty led the kind of uprising that preyed on the then-long-time president of the Foothills HOA Committee.

He said he is seeing similar issues with the way Club Westboard operates, as seen in the hills.

“This board is trying to wait for people to finish the board before holding an open forum for questions,” Doherty said. “It may not sound like a big deal, but it sends a message to homeowners that they don’t matter.”

He also accused the board of directors of not using monthly financial statements prior to their monthly meetings.

At the Foothills meeting, homeowners’ questions and complaints were first made on the agenda, with all financial statements posted five days before the board’s monthly meeting, adding that Doherty also suggested term limits.

Adamakis, who is also president of the HOA board of directors for the Phoenix condo community, has raised questions about open meeting law violations, particularly during the vendor selection process, and has complained for months about the board’s business conduct.

“Most importantly, our community deserves leadership that listens, accountable, engages with homeowners, operates transparently, and ensures sound finances and operational management,” he said.

The outcome of the election will not affect the lawsuit, as the land use rights governing the golf course are not part of the contracts, terms and restrictions (CC&R) that govern the approximately 2,660 clubs west homeowners.

However, Doherty complained that there is clear information the current board will provide homeowners in cases that have a significant impact on the community.

“To have inside information about all legal opinions, you need to be on the board,” Doherty said. “I don’t know that. I know that. I have experience with it because when I was the president of Foothills, I successfully litigated on a golf course.”

Some candidates, including Doherty and Adamakis, introduced themselves at the Club West Board monthly meeting last week.

“I want to help this community become more efficient, more transparent and more responsible,” Adamakis said.

Atkins, who is currently seeking reelection as a board treasurer and seeking reelection, said he is “part of the board’s group that has acquired the new management company for HOA.”

“There are a lot of changes. I would like to see some of these changes, and part of next year will be up to two years.”

Marshall said she “represents all young families the changes that affect us to all young families, and has committed to bringing “creative ideas” to the board if elected.

McGrone, who was appointed to the board last April and seeks maturity, pointed to his experience “for a very large national general contractor” for 41 years before he retired.

“I’m very used to working with bureaucrats. I work with people who don’t have the ability to work together and people who still need to work together to get the job done,” he said, adding, “I’m everything about working for the homeowner.”

McGlone also cited the recent fire in Los Angeles, saying it “want to lead the effort to obtain a comprehensive fire management plan.”

Moros, whose husband had been at Club Westboard for over a decade before 2021, promoted her ability to multitask and her willingness to devote herself to the time she needs to become an effective board member. She also said she is involved in project management and business development worldwide in the SPA industry, with extensive experience in vendor, budgeting and management supervision.

Three other candidates – Burner, Holt and Lane – did not attend the meeting.