Homeowners group elected officers and board at first meeting

By Greg Smith
Sun Staff Writer

THE FEDERATION OF Madison County Homeowners Association (FMCHA) had their first public meeting and elected 11 board members and four board officers. Of the total 44 delegates that FMCHA has, 22 of them were at the meeting.

Al Sage was elected president; Ray Butler, vice president; Jane McGill, treasurer; and Lynette Hegwood, secretary.

The number of delegates a community gets is based on the number of homes in the development, but no community is allowed to exceed five delegates.

“At least 3,482 lots are represented in this association,” said Melissa Dempsey, who served as acting FMCHA president until officers were elected.

At the end of the meeting, board members were elected for the city of Ridgeland, the city of Madison, Madison County, six at large board members and two honorary board members. All of the board members had to be residents of their respective regions and had to have been nominated either by their fellow community representative or by the temporary FMCHA board.

Lamar Warnock of the Brisage subdivision was elected as the city of Madison board member; Mike Smith of Dinsmor, city of Ridgeland board member; Hegwood of Lake Caroline, Madison County board member; Guy Bowering of Whisper Lake, Butler of Twin Cedars, McGill of Countryside Plantation, Woody Middleton of Cherry Hill, John Moore of Annandale Estates, and Sage of Ingleside, at large board members, and D.I. Smith of Dinsmor and Doug Jones of Northbay, honorary board members.

“I am excited about the federation,” Jones said. “I do see this as a lobbying group. When we get to full strength of representing 30,000 to 40,000 people we will really be a force to be dealt with.”

FMCHA HAS BEEN in the process of organizing for more than three years and became active in June. Since then, the organization submitted their papers for approval to the secretary of state. Now the FMCHA is recognized as an official nonprofit organization.

“We are growing. Since June when we really put the word out and tried to get information to residents we have got 11 more communities who have applied,” said Lynette Hegwood.

“This is an opportunity to be a part of something that I believe is going to impact the entire community and benefit it as well,” Sage said. “It’s all part of a process, you have to work together to get work done with everyone and I am just part of the process.”

All elected officials and board members serve a one year term before they are up for re-election or a new delegate is elected to take their position.

The FMCHA’s next meeting is November 27 at 6 p.m. at an unknown location.

“The committee has kind of been trying to meet at no designated area, we are just moving around and basically the next meeting will be held wherever someone opens their doors to us,” Dempsey said.