FNA board positions open, candidates discuss qualifications

The Fairmount Neighborhood Association board has a few positions open that will be filled via vote of the membership at the upcoming General Meeting on Tuesday, August 23. The open positions are for Communications, Finance, Preservation and Safety. You can learn a little more about each candidate and their background below. If you are a current FNA member that has been in good standing 10 days prior to the meeting date, please attend the upcoming meeting and vote.

Director of Communications – Betty Spitzberg

I have been a resident of Fort Worth for 25 years and a resident of Fairmount for one year. My husband, Nathan and I have three children, three dogs, three cats and a pond in the backyard full of fish. After my husband’s mother passed away, we made the difficult decision to uproot our children from the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw area and move them into his parents’ home here in the neighborhood. I am so happy we did and love the sense of community this neighborhood provides. You will often see all of walking the neighborhood in the evenings as a family. I work full-time as an accounts payable manager for a highway products company here in Fort Worth. I recently started volunteering my evenings to help trap feral cats with GNAR. One of our three cats was adopted from GNAR and I love that we have such a great resource in this neighborhood.

I am seeking a board position for Communications. I look forward to keeping the community aware of upcoming events as well as bringing back a monthly newsletter to our FNA members in addition to the big publications printed for Festivus and Home Tour. I am a part-time photographer and am familiar with working on social media and utilizing CS5 software. I am confident with Stacy Luecker’s help, I will be able to fulfill the requirements for this position.

Director of Finance – Melanie Dotzour

Melanie has served as the FNA director of finance since 2015 and is rerunning for the same position for the next two years. She lists her qualifications as:

* Fairmount Finance Chair 2015-2016

* BBA in Business Management

* Owned a fitness franchise for 5 year and kept the financial books for it.– Quickbooks saavy

* Realtor Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s

Director of Preservation – Susan Harper and Roxanna Latifi

Susan Harper
Growing up warming my frozen bum on bungalow radiators in Iowa winters or sliding down the bannister in Granny’s diamond and fish scale clad Queen Anne, and swinging in the porch swing on the full front porch made the brick ranch houses in the Texas burbs seem kind of plain vanilla. Add a chance purchase of Home Tour tickets in 1995 or so and that began my campaign to move to the Near South Side of Fort Worth.

In 1998 we moved into our bungalow in Fairmount. Magnolia Avenue wasn’t nearly so cool then and Arts Goggle and Open Streets weren’t even a gleam in Fort Worth South’s eyes. But there was an active and engaged neighborhood association and a whole list of things to be done. So, I started with the Board and served, in one capacity or another from 1999 thru 2007. In 2004 I opened a business on Magnolia and joined Fort Worth South thus adding another source of both information and input.

In 2008 and 2009 I worked on the Updates and Revisions Committee for the Fairmount Standards and Guidelines to better define and strengthen our historic neighborhood. During that time I worked with Jerre Tracy at Historic Fort Worth as well as Randy Hutchison and other Historic department staff members. Later I helped gather and sort the FNA archives scattered throughout the neighborhood and which are now available to all at the Fort Worth Public Library. In 2010 I reactivated my real estate license to help save 1405 Fairmount which is now a beautifully restored asset to the ‘hood. Some time in those years I had the privilege of working with Fort Worth South, TCU, and Joel Burns to create our Community Garden.

Additionally, over the years I have also worked on projects with our new HCLC representative for District 9, Susan Kline and three of Fort Worth’s Historic Preservation officers: Shannon W., Julie Lawless and Liz Casso.

It would be a pleasure to work with Murray Miller for the next several years. The Historic Preservation Director has the responsibility to oversee the Fairmount Standards and Guidelines as well as serving as the liaison to the Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission, Historic Fort Worth and other historic agencies. Additionally, together with the Historic Committee, he or she serves as a resource and facilitator for Fairmount residents as they restore, update and maintain their historic houses and buildings as well as providing reports and programing to the general membership at the monthly meetings.

Now that I no longer have one foot in the corporate world or other time-consuming occupation I have the time, the energy and the ability to identify and research our homes and help provide those services.

I would be privileged to serve as our next Director of Historic Preservation and would appreciate your vote.

Roxanna Latifi
It is with great pleasure and humility that I submit my nomination for the Historic Preservation Chair for the 2016-2918 term.

I recently completed my 2.5 year service as an Historic Preservation committee member under Martin Dahl where I was able to learn a great deal of what the responsibility of Historic Preservation entails.

This position requires one to know Fairmount’s HP Guidelines, speak to those who have grievances, request waivers or COAs. This position needs one to be unbiased, educate other about and enforce the guidelines. It is also vital for the person in this position to be able to speak to neighbors who may be anxious and to educate and encourage them all while not compromising a neighborhood’s or City’s Historic Guidelines. These practices and skills require discernment and the ability to look at every situation uniquely which is vital in mediation that would serve the preservation and  community needs well.

Professionally, I have worked in mediation within my current role in Human Resources where it is my role to come to a joint understanding between employee and employer. Additionally,  as a Talent Aquisition Coordinator my role requires me to constantly work with the public and speak in front of large audiences. I am also expected to know Educational and State Laws, review applications and respond accordingly to the policies in which they are subject to.

Personally, I am a native of Fort Worth who loves this city and this neighborhood. I grew up within a multicultural home where it cultivated my ability to be open minded and objective when working with people from all backgrounds.

These skills, knowledge bases and experiences will serve well as the HP Chair.

I feel called to serve and protect this special place we all call home. I hope you will consider me for this opportunity and provide me with the opportunity to serve.

Director of Safety – Geri Cotten

Currently serving as interim director of safety for the FNA, Geri Cotten is running for the upcoming two-year term. She lists her qualifications as follows:

Fairmount Neighborhood Association

1st Vice President…1985~?

Safety Director…(Served during Sean Lynch & during Robert Wedding’s terms)Citizen’s on Patrol (Code Blue)….21 years

Fairmount Code Blue Captain…16 yrsFort Worth Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni (CPAAA)…19??-present

Director 2000-2004

Director 2009-present

FWCPAAA Delegate to the Texas CPAAA yearly state convention 2012-2016

FWCPAAA Representative to the Citizen’s Police Academy of North Texas (CPAANT) 2009-presentFort Worth’s Citizen’s Emergency Response Team (CERT)…11 years

(Disaster relief) Fort Worth’s Citizen’s Fire Academy Alumni (CFA) – class 9 – 12~13 yrs

I was honored to be on the search committee for Chief Fitzgerald and on the committee for interviewing police officers for placement as Neighborhood Police Officers (NPOs) for FWPD Central Division

Wish we could get some younger folks in COPS to commit.  We Urban Pioneers need some rest.  Nobody really wants to hear from the old fogies.

If you live in Fairmount and are interested in running for any of these board positions, please contact Steve Halliday at rdsxrool@sbcglobal.net or Pat Bradley at president@historicfairmount.com