HSVPOA GM Kelly Hale’s Final Report to the Board

At the December 18, 2024, Board Meeting, Hot Springs Village POA General Manager Kelly Hale made his final report as GM to the Board of Directors and community. Hale addressed how he came to take the GM position, expressed appreciation to key players, and discussed the issues with social media and how it can hurt communities.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As I have stated many times over the last three years, the last thing I wanted to do was take another job after already working a 37-year career.

It was due to a gentleman named John Hollansworth who explained to me how critical this moment in time was for our community. John talked to me for hours about the history of the community and how many times we had gotten it wrong as a group. John would talk about the community as if he were John Cooper himself, taking pride in how beautiful and meaningful it was for not only him but many other members of our community who have been here for years. John always talked about how important this time now is. And if we did not make changes for the future, many people would move away.

These members have had enough of the selfishness and lack of focus for the better good of the community. My role, as you guessed, was a change agent. And that is precisely what I felt I was tasked to do in this role – to bring change and long-term stability to the POA team.

Appreciation Given

I want to thank my wife, Mary Ann, who waited for me for years to get off the road and be able to spend together. She did not want me to take this role. She knew what it was going to take out of me and her. She knew what I was going to do – engage in 100% in fixing everything that we could. i just want to thank you.

I want to thank my mom, Linda, for her support and help all the way through the last three years. I am sorry if I ever embarrassed you, Mom.

I want to thank Joanie Corry. Joanie allowed me to have the flexibility to do what needed to get done in a timely manner and got out of my way to engage in the real issues that we found. She didn’t lack in her role as a chair. She was a true partner at every turn, and questioned me and challenged me. Every day was for the better good of the community, and you will never have another board chair of her quality and commitment that will sit in that seat.

I want to thank Ken Unger, who came out of retirement to help the community. He stepped up and helped me on this journey. He was there from the beginning. Ken, that will be the last time you will ever tell somebody, ‘If you need anything, give me a call.’

Ken has lived in the village for over ten years; few people realize that, and he came and said he would help me with anything. He wasn’t looking for a role. He just said, ‘Let me help you anywhere I can.’

Ken and I met when we were building our houses together and just started a conversation, and he came back later. I can’t thank him enough for helping out and helping me and the community.

I want to thank Jama Lopez. Jama resigned from the board to take a position as controller, to rebuild and clean up an accounting department that had been allowed to go astray for many, many years. Phyllis Shaddix is now the new controller. She is the fifth controller in the three years I have been here. We would not be where we are today with structure, quality of work, and knowing the true numbers of what’s in our systems without Jama doing what she did. She sacrificed, and she was a true friend to not only me but to this community. She deserves a lot of thanks for the work that she has done. She did an outstanding job building us a strong team.

I want to thank General Jeff Lofgren, General Tom Arwood, and Colonel Keith Keck for their tireless commitment to the community and for being a big part of giving me the background and ideas for getting our community a vision that will last into the future. These three veterans have helped not only the community with veteran affairs but also outside the village with our roads, including the bypass. Their tireless support for our community cannot be overlooked, and I want to thank all three of these gentlemen for standing with me every step of the way.

I want to thank Chief Bennett. Kristi came out of Texarkana, Arkansas. She had been there for 20 years. She was the chief of police there. She saw that with Chief Middleton retiring, we would have a need. She has brought our group in the community here to a new level and has brought lots of changes and ideas that have enhanced the support of our community. Kristi, I can’t thank you enough for what you have done, leaving your role there in Texarkana and returning home. If you don’t know this, folks, Chief Bennett is a Jessieville girl.

I want to thank the POA leadership team. These are the people who directly report to me. You have all been wonderful to work with and watch grow. I told them to focus on two things – safety and staffing. They did a great job with world-class safety numbers, getting off the Rule 32 for the state we have been on for over 15 years. We have created an environment of trust and inclusion that is going far beyond where we have been.

I want to thank all the POA employees in every one of their roles – their commitment to trusting me that I would bring change and create an environment of trust and listening to their ideas.

I want to thank Ray Barber of the VCA and their partnership at the Woodlands Theater. They have been outstanding partners, and the community now has an actual venue that we can all enjoy, and it is world-class.

I want to thank the CPA or the Citizens Police Academy for all the hard work they do to support the community and our police department. They do more than that. They help with the training of folks at the churches. They are there for security. They help with fraud in the community. They work well with Chief Bennett. They do a lot for our community and have helped, and I want folks to continue to help support them.

I want to thank all the committee members for their time and service to our home. Without you, we would never be what we are.

I want to thank all the clubs that are in the community and your never ending love for what you do. All these clubs make the community what it is.

Moving Ahead

Volunteering

I want to speak to the community about moving ahead. Be aware of false comments about our home and those who take joy in living in chaos. Some people enjoy that, and they wake up every day looking to be miserable. All communities have these same dynamics, so don’t think we are any different. I ask the community to pray for these poor souls and refer to them as my grandmother used to say, ‘Bless their little hearts!’ If you are from the South, you know what that means.

I encourage the community to volunteer. It not only controls costs and creates engagement and ownership within our home. Find something you like and get involved. It doesn’t take much to pick up a piece of trash, sand a divot, or fix a ball mark. All these little things add up to countless amounts of money down the road. I have seen many volunteers out there and we will not be successful without continued support. I know we are all retired, but every little bit helps. We have to look at this as our home, not just a city that is here to serve. It’s our home, and it’s a co-op; at least, that is the way I look at it.

Social Media

People ask me who they should vote for in the upcoming board election. I tell them to see who is on Nextdoor and Facebook all the time and don’t vote for them. It’s really easy. They are easy to see. They are always on there – always running their mouth, but they don’t do anything. They are insecure and should have gotten more hugs and cookies when they were a kid, I guess.

Speak positively about your home. Social media has become a medium for a complete lack of sense and respect for each other. I tell people all the time. ‘I don’t do social media because I am an adult, and I make my own decisions in life and don’t need your approval to make myself accepted. These same people that seem to think they have all the answers, that are online all the time explaining how smart they are, I can’t find anything in the records that they are on any committee or volunteering or doing anything, except wanting to support their ego.

Let me assure you of this: if you are a brain maniac guy or gal, if you have all the answers to the budget, let me tell you this: I don’t think you have ever engaged with General Jeff Lofgren and his phenomenal committee. He’s got two master’s degrees and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He had a key role in NATO. I am pretty sure he is pretty competent. And it is rather insulting to that committee. If you do have all the answers, then come sit with that committee and share those with them, which is what a true partner would do – not looking to grandstand and receive accommodations for tearing down your own home.

The Board, POA, and members of this community are not perfect. If you have the true solution, there are ways to get there, and they are called ‘committees.’ Everybody wants to talk to the GM; everybody wants to talk to the board. Go through committees, just like anything else. Let’s vet it out. Everybody’s time is important, so let’s help with that. These are key things, folks. Go look at yourself in the mirror. Enjoy your life and help your neighbor.

I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to serve this great place my family and I call home. Please have a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Madam Chair, that is all I have.

Transcribed by Cheryl Dowden