When Frank A. Lancione decided to run for a seat on Community Development District 10, he looked back on his career as a senior vice president of operations in information technology.
In those days, when his company was trying to secure high-dollar contracts, it was about being all in, playing to win and knowing the subject matter inside and out.
Four years after moving to the Village of Antrim Dells, it’s quite clear that the 70-year-old Lancione entered the race for Seat 5 on CDD 10 with that same philosophy and drive in mind.
In fact, he’s spent so much time learning about the CDD form of government that’s he produced a presentation in cooperation with the Civil Discourse Club titled “The ABCs of CDDs” and has been asked to speak at several locations in the community, including a recent Villages Homeowners Advocates (VHA) meeting. And he’s put together a series of podcasts that he readily admits “aren’t perfect” but are designed to examine various topics of interest, such how CDDs start, amenity fees and quality of life, to name a few.
“What I realized is that most people don’t have any idea how The Villages actually works,” he said.
Lancione said he hears the old adage, “The Developer would never allow that” when residents are talking about things that actually fall under the purview of the various CDDs. In fact, he added, the average resident probably doesn’t understand that CDD supervisors set annual maintenance fees, oversee millions of dollars in reserves and are responsible for multi-million-dollar operating budgets on an annual basis.
“Those are residents elected by residents overseeing those things,” he said.
The same goes for the CDD boards’ responsibilities when it comes to enforcing architectural guidelines, he said.
“If you get turned down by the Architectural Review Committee, you appeal to the board of supervisors,” he said. “If you think the guidelines should be changed to allow some new things, you appeal to the supervisors. And if you defy a request to change or conform, you get penalized by the board of supervisors.”
If elected, Lancione said, his experiences of managing hundreds of employees and contracts through metrics and trends will prove to be beneficial. In fact, he added, he’d like to see CDDs operate with somewhat of a corporate mentality by looking at trends, exceptions and key performance indicators on major initiatives.
“I think it would be much better because if a constituent comes up, you’re not complaining about somebody’s personality. You’re not complaining about the Developer,” he said. “You’re saying, ‘OK, we’re working on it. Here’s the status.’ And you can actually say, ‘I’m on top of it.’”
Lancione, who is running against Steven Bova and Christine Bradshaw for a seat currently held by Joyce Edmonds, said CDD 10 voters also should know that he’s not afraid to get involved. In addition to overseeing his community’s resident lifestyle club, he cited several examples where’s he’s taken actions that have benefitted his neighbors:
- When Antrim Dells went through a “disastrous” curb replacement program two and a half years ago that left ripped-up landscaping and ditches full of water, Lancione said he got a petition signed by close to a hundred residents, worked closely with senior staff at District Property Management and “stayed engaged” until the issue was resolved.
- Following Hurricane Irma last year, he organized a meeting at Eisenhower Recreation Center for Antrim Dells residents to share information about their damage and the contractors they’d hired to make repairs.
- In August, he took measurements and photos of a variety of issues – 9-inch-high grass, weeds a foot high, big paint peels and rust – at his neighborhood’s postal station. He said he spoke directly with the person in charge of the landscaping contract and got the grass mowed the same day. And when there were issues with getting areas repaired and painted, he elevated it to the CDD 10 board.
“It was disgusting, very shabby and shoddy,” he said. “It was definitely not what we’re paying for.”
As a CDD supervisor, Lancione said he’ll focus on key initiatives, operate with a positive outlook and work hard to maintain the high standards residents of The Villages expect. And he promised that he’ll be engaged and well-informed during meetings – something he’s found lacking in the past at some meetings across the community.
“Sometimes, when you to go these meetings, the people at the front look like they’ve been invited to a dinner to sit at the front table instead of people who are there to work,” he said. “Sometimes, it looks like they’re reading the thing that’s under consideration at the meeting instead of having done their homework.”
Lancione, who said he’s been endorsed by the Property Owners’ Association and carries the support of the VHA, added that he hopes residents who have seen his presentations will become more involved in the community.
“I really think I have something to contribute when and if I get elected,” he said. “People don’t know much control CDDs really have. If they did, they would be more interested in how things work and they would take more of an active role and want to get involved.”
To learn more, visit frankalancione.com. Those interested in seeing Lancione make a presentation titled “What CDDs Can Do For You” are invited to attend the Philosophy Club meeting on Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. at Colony Cottage Recreation Center.