Board candidates talk local issues at RSF Association annual meeting

It was a full house at the RSF Golf Club for the Rancho Santa Fe Association’s Annual Meeting on May 9, an opportunity to meet the four candidates vying for two seats on the board.

Members were introduced to the platforms and perspectives of candidates Anthony Alario, Skip Atkins, Richard Clotfelter and Mark Simpson, who are looking for votes to replace outgoing directors Dan Comstock and Lorraine Kent.

After 30 years running his own construction business in the Bay Area, Mark Simpson retired in Rancho Santa Fe in 2018. He and his wife Cheri foster rescue donkeys and mini horses and Simpson has volunteered his time in the community.

He is a member of the Association’s Infrastructure Committee, served on the RSF Golf Clubs greens committee during the intensive course renovation and has gotten involved with the Santa Fe irrigation District, advocating for fair water rates and to avoid unnecessary rationing. That evening, he took time to encourage residents to sign up to the district’s water portal, to monitor their individual water usage and identify any leaks.

“We have an incredible staff,” Simpson said of the Association. “We have an opportunity to really get some things done here that don’t require some of the pain and suffering.”

Some of the goals he has are getting the Del Dios roundabouts built, the refurbishment of the golf club restaurant, and to continue with utility pole removals, which will help lessen the community’s fire risk. He said this is particularly important due to what is happening with insurance companies declining in high risk fire areas.

Simpson also sees his role as being a strong voice and building better relationships at the county level to access the community’s tax revenue that could be used on needed Covenant projects.

“Most of the stuff we’re doing and have done is really good,” Simpson said. “ I think we’ve done great things and we’re primed to do even better…I think we’re on the right path.”

Richard Clotfelter was born in Rancho Santa Fe as one of the community’s first families and has been involved in operating Ranch properties for 50 years, despite spending some time away living in Washington and Montana.

“Most recently I made a very strong move to help retail (in the village),” he said. Clotfelter Real Estate sold their building next to Wells Fargo on Paseo Delicias and he personally interviewed buyers to guarantee that they would not put in a bank or anything non-retail—Clotfelter said a new women’s boutique would be opening on June 1.

As a board member, he said he would approach the role by listening and building trust, respect and relationships. He has goals for improved capital budget planning, better communication and following the Protective Covenant.

Of the candidates, he was the most critical of the current board.

“I’m not very comfortable with where we are,” Clotfelter said. “The present staff has to walk and talk gingerly to the board that is not working cohesively, that is heavily focused on their own interests that don’t necessarily meet the requirements of the full Rancho Santa Fe Association.”

Clotfelter said he would like to see groups like tennis, golf, Osuna and the Art Jury get on the same page and for staff to have a clear, focused direction on how to move forward.

‘Things should be a lot better, run in a more prudent, sound financial way and in a less almost war-like atmosphere,” Clotfelter said. “The current board is not operating in a professional, respectful manner and this needs to change.”

In his comments, Clotfelter also endorsed candidate Anthony Alario.

Skip Atkins was unable to attend the meeting as he was proudly attending his granddaughter’s graduation from the University of Texas. As she is the first of his grandchildren to graduate college, he “wouldn’t miss it for the world” and sent a recorded video statement to be played for the forum.

Atkins and his wife Margo moved to Rancho Santa Fe nine years ago and he has been active in community volunteerism since his first year living in the Ranch.

He was part of the Fiber Optic Committee which helped get the Rancho Santa Fe Connect network installed (under budget and ahead of schedule, he noted). He also has served on the Infrastructure Committee, helping to lower speed limits, install flashing crosswalks for pedestrians and equestrians and new sidewalks in the village. Atkins was also on the Association Finance Committee for five years and has been on the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club Board of Governors for three years, serving as treasurer and now chair of the house committee.

“I’m running for the Association Board of Directors because I have a passion for our community,” Atkins said.

He said his goals include safer roads; more flashing crosswalks; maintaining village parks, horse facilities and ball fields; strong communication with the county supervisors ; and making the golf club restaurant and snack bar a community gathering spot.

“Everyone in our community has their vision of what The Covenant should be doing for the future,” read the quote at the top of Atkins’ election mailer. “My goal is to work with all of you to make sure these visions are listened to.”

Anthony Alario , a retired veterinarian from New York, moved to the Ranch with his wife 13 years ago.

For last eight years he has volunteered his time in the community, serving on the Osuna Committee, the Trails Committee, and the Forest Health and Preservation Committee He has been involved with efforts such as a fly mitigation program at the Osuna Ranch to help horse properties and non-horse properties peacefully co-exist and creating the Association arboretum, a “living library” of trees that will thrive in the Ranch, off the golf course.

With his community involvement, he guessed he knows 150 of the 185 Association staff members: “I have a little work cut out for me.”

“I’m running for the board because there are a few initiatives that are in the planning stages that will be dealt with in the next few years. I want to put my knowledge of the community, my negotiation skills and my strong belief in compromise and civility to work to move these initiatives forward,” Alario said.

One of Alario’s priorities includes moving forward the 2018 Osuna master plan which envisions horse facility improvements, a community park around the adobe, and a community barn for events. His goals also include fire mitigation efforts and improving insurability for Ranch homes, getting the restaurant remodel project done in cooperation with the golf club, enhancing transparency in operations and governance, and better relationships between the board and committees.

“I will judiciously use our resources to preserve, enhance and improve all of our amenities with the scope of doing the greatest good for the greatest number of members," Alario said.

He said he would like to see a return to the old “Jolly Rancher” days: “I’d like to bring that joy back to everyone.”

Candidates quizzed on community issues

During a candidate forum, Manager Dominique Albrecht peppered the candidates with questions generated by the audience. They were asked about their community involvement, the cost of running the golf club restaurant and their experience with infrastructure projects as the community may have several in the coming years.

All of the candidates bring varying experience in infrastructure projects: Alario worked on undergrounding utilities in Long Island New York, Clotfelter developed a commercial project in Bozeman, Montana, working with local, state and federal government and Simpson helped get a fitness center built at his country club in the Bay Area, a feat he was proud of as it involved cooperation with the golf club and an HOA more than twice the size of Rancho Santa Fe.

Per his candidate flyer, in addition to serving on the Association Infrastructure Committee, Atkins spent his professional career working with service providers and public utilities, including utility poles in Southern California.

The candidates were also asked if they supported selling the Osuna property. The Association is currently considering a community advisory vote on the future of Osuna Ranch with options such as investing $3 million to upgrade the site’s equestrian facilities, converting the entire property to passive open space or selling all 25 acres on Via de Santa Fe.

None of the candidates said they would sell Osuna.

Clotfelter has a unique personal history with the property: “My mother and father lived in the Osuna with my older brother…I’m very much for keeping that whole operation going.” As he stressed with many of his answers, he believed many things can be done in the Ranch as long as there is a detailed capital projects plan in place.

Simpson said that with the community’s equestrian history, the Osuna is too unique a property to sell. As he and his wife are “horse people,” he said his preference would be for the Osuna Ranch to be developed into a “world class” equestrian facility.

Alario, the only candidate who is a member of the Osuna Committee, reiterated his desire for the master plan to be carried through, developing a community park and gathering spaces around the near 200-year-old adobe.

“The Osuna is a jewel of our open space,” Alario said. “It’s been a shame that so many years have gone by and we haven’t taken the bull by the horns and turned it into a shining star.”

The election ballots have been mailed and residents have until Monday, June 10 at 5 p.m. to cast their votes.

This story originally appeared in Rancho Santa Fe Review .