Election 2026 in Focus

The Desert Breezes Casas Board works best when qualified homeowners take the time to get involved. Some will attend meetings and keep track of issues, some will join Committees, and some will make the commitment to run and serve on the Board.

Last year, we asked homeowners to vote for two of the most qualified candidates to come along in years: Valerie Liautaud-Watkins, a professional in home construction and remodeling; and Janet McKnight, a retired Accountant with 30 years of professional experience, and 10 years experience as an HOA Treasurer.

This Year’s Candidate – Tom McClay

We are pleased to announce that another highly qualified candidate has stepped forward this year. Tom McClay has spent 37 years in Senior Management roles with the US Navy, both enlisted and as a civil servant. Early on, he earned a Master’s Degree in Information Technology Management/Program Management.

Tom & Ann McClay, Ari Gaskin, and Stephen McClay in Seoul, South Korea

Tom was formerly a member of the Community Watch of the Villages in Florida, working to keep his community safe. Last July, as a member of the Finance Committee, he started a water monitoring system in Desert Breezes, identifying leaks and wasteful practices. This program has saved us thousands.

Why Does It Matter?

Yes, there are three candidates for three positions. Why bother to vote? The answer is: this is your chance to show your support for highly qualified candidates running for the Board. We’d all like to see more of them, and we need to encourage them to participate. Because Tom ran and was supported, it is our hope that more talented and highly qualified Homeowners will do the same.

What Can I Do?

First, attend the “Meet The Candidates” event on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 2 PM at the Clubhouse. Zoom link is here. Listen to what they have to say. If you agree that Tom McClay is the kind of candidate we need, then give him all three of your votes when filling out your ballot.

Book Club – Spring Update

On March 3, readers met for the monthly Book Club meeting. Linda Demetrick lead our discussion of the book we had read, “Buckeye”, by Patrick Ryan, Amazon’s book of 2025. We all enjoyed the book as it dealt with the themes of long-term secrets, war era trauma, the impact of physical disability on personal identity, and complex generational relationships. The novel was set in small town Ohio, the buckeye state.

Linda raised questions about duty, forgiveness, and consequences of moral choices. Everyone joined in the discussion. We rated the book a 9 out of ten, a high rating for this group.

The next meeting of the Book Club will be held Monday, March 16th and the book we will be reading for the meeting is “The Correspondent”, by Virginia Evans. Barbara Crawford and Janice deWolf will lead the discussion.

For more information about the Book Club, contact Sherry Carnevale at sherrycarnevale@gmail.com.