A former U.S. Department of Justice forensic investigator was appointed Thursday to the Community Development District 7 Board of Supervisors after interviews dominated by discussion about the Project Wide Advisory Committee.
The board chose Stephen Lapp of the Village of Hemingway to fill a vacancy on the board recently created by the resignation of Mark Gallo, who has moved out of The Villages.
Lapp was selected over two others applicants, John George and Gilbert Windsor.
Board members’ interviews with all three applicants were dominated by CDD 7’s troubled relationship with PWAC, which pools the money of CDDs south of County Road 466 for shared infrastructure costs.
CDD 7 supervisors are irked that 49 percent of their budget is dedicated to PWAC, which cedes ultimate authority to the Sumter Landing Community Development District Board, which critics contend is made up of supervisors completely beholden to the Developer.
“The residents of this community have a right to say how their money is being spent,” Lapp said.
