ELECTION SPECIAL

CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

The Estates at Mirehaven Homeowner Association is conducting an election for three open Board seats. One ballot will be sent to each household the week of March 16, 2026. The voting period is March 16 through 5:59 p.m., April 6, 2026. The ballot also includes a question about a Landscape and Trails proposal.

Mirehaven News asked each candidate to respond to two questions. The responses of those who chose to answer are below. The questions were:

1. What, if anything, would you change about the way the HOA Board currently functions? What is your number 1 priority for your participation on the Board?

2. What is your position on the Landscape and Trials working group proposal for replacing non-functional turf areas with xeriscape and the onetime $130 special assessment?

EARL BROOKS

Question 1: I would like the community to be able to speak on each line item on the agenda during the time the Board members are discussing that item instead of at the beginning of the meeting.

Top priority would be to go for public bidding for work and items that have to be bid out instead of by invitation.

Question 2: I feel the community vote will decide the life or death of the proposed project. I personally like the grass by beautifying the neighborhood and is better for the environment, it gives off oxygen and absorbs carbon monoxide and is much cooler for the environment than rocks. Financially it does not make sense or a good use of the community’s money. When the City of Albuquerque restricts the building of new homes and mandates water restrictions then we do the project.

CHRISTIAN HALSTEAD

Question 1: Overall, the Board seems to function reasonably well. Last year when I ran, I emphasized the need for greater openness and clearer communication with residents. I’ve been encouraged to see some progress in that area recently and hope it continues. My number one priority would be to keep improving communication and transparency, while making it easier for homeowners to find and understand important HOA information.

Question 2: When we first moved here, I appreciated seeing grass in the neighborhood. At first the xeriscape proposal seemed like an obvious choice, but after hearing different viewpoints I realized the issue deserves thoughtful consideration. Still, we live in a desert where water is limited, and replacing non-functional turf could save a significant amount of water each year. A one-time $130 assessment seems like a reasonable investment to support conservation without relying on reserves.

If the proposal fails, I would want the Board to gather feedback from residents to understand the concerns and address any misinformation. My goal would be to make sure the community clearly understands the options before deciding how—or whether—to move forward.

DAVE KRIEGER

Question 1: The first thing I would change is making board meetings consistently audible to the audience in the Manzano Room and potential Zoom audiences. This would require a sound system with microphones for each board member as well as the community manager.

My No. 1 priority is improving communication with members. For example, it would have been helpful for members to know how three projects proposed by the Landscape and Trails Committee for a special assessment turned into one project on the ballot.

Question 2: Special assessments should be rare and for the purpose of meeting large, necessary, unforeseeable expenses. Discretionary improvement projects should be part of the normal budget process. It is the board's job to rank capital improvement projects in order of priority and fund them over time from the reserve fund as balances allow. The board should issue surveys from time to time to find out which proposed discretionary projects enjoy the broadest community support. The problem in this case is the board did not provide backers of the turf replacement project with a viable budget option. Should the ballot issue fail, I would support including the project in a list of discretionary projects for a future community survey.

KEITH LONG

Question 1: I would work with board members to continue improving communications to homeowners. I think the monthly Community Chronicle from the board is a good venue to add some enhancements to communications. My number 1 priority is to continue to work with the current reserve study. This would include assuring we stay on track and make appropriate changes based upon the actual condition of our many assets.

Question 2: I support the one time special assessment to replace non-functional turf with xeriscape. I hope all homeowners are concerned about our current drought conditions and how doing our part helps everyone. If the proposal fails we would need to understand the reasons why. Did it fail due to lack of support for the initiative or due to the one time assessment. I would look into opportunities to implement this project over time that would allow the use of reserve funds. I would support a monthly increase in HOA fees for a predetermined amount of time to implement this project. I would not support any increase in HOA fees for a unfunded project that never ends.

NITA PANDIT

Question 1 My priority: Better resident involvement in planning and decision-making. We have residents with a wealth of professional experience and knowledge to tap into. We could

· change the member comment period at Board meetings to allow comments when an item is discussed
· add informal sessions for residents to meet with Board members
· hold structured working sessions or focus groups of residents on specific issues

Quesrion 2: I am not afraid of a one-time special assessment when it is resident-driven, democratically voted on, and transparent. It shows a community committed to its long-term future, and willing to invest money now to forestall future costs. Unfortunately, time was insufficient for residents to understand the proposal and debate it robustly before being asked to vote.

If the vote is no, I would like to see a discussion among members of the LTC, Finance Committee and Board to look at other options. There may be creative ways to raise some funds and do a pilot project this year. We could come back next year after more discussion for another vote.

I don’t know enough yet to have a position about using monies from the Reserve Budget, or to comment on a potential dues increase.