Below is a final list of candidates who are running for the 2021 OTTA Board. As noted in a previous correspondence to membership, the Nominating Committee put forth its slate of candidates for all open Board positions. Two additional candidates submitted petitions for inclusion on the ballot and those petitions were verified by me, the OTTA Secretary. Each petition included signatures exceeding the required 35 voting OTTA members to be included on the ballot per the Association’s bylaws. The final ballot is as follows:
President | Vice-President | Secretary |
Dee DeCarlo + | Chris Nelson* + | Darius Tandon* + |
Karen Pfendler* | John Postel | |
Treasurer | Director (2 openings) | |
Ed Sokolofski*+ | Zac Bleicher + | |
Carly Jenkins + | ||
+Submitted by Nominating Committee | ||
*Currently serving on the 2020 Board |
Short bios of all candidates are found at the end of this message.
Due to COVID-19, the annual Members’ Meeting will be held virtually on January 28th 2021. Follow-up correspondence about the virtual annual meeting will be sent out via email to membership in the coming weeks.
Each voting member will be sent a ballot for the upcoming Board election on January 6th, 2021. Members will be able to return their completed ballot by mail or drop it off in person to the Triangle office at 1763 North Park Ave. Members will have until 3PM on Thursday January 28th to return their ballots, at which time an Election Committee will oversee the counting of ballots. If you believe you are an eligible voting member and do not receive a ballot, please contact Barb Guttmann at the Triangle office at 312-337-1938 to verify your eligibility and have a replacement ballot issued to you, if necessary.
We wish we could be together for our annual Members’ Meeting, but are certain that the virtual meeting and election will go smoothly.
Sincerely,
Darius Tandon
Secretary, Board of Directors
Old Town Triangle Association
Bios of candidates on the 2021 ballot:
President:
Dorothy DeCarlo
Living on Cleveland Avenue in the shadow of St. Michaels since 1980, Dee quips: “I am the ghost of Ogden Avenue!”. Dorothy brings strong managerial skills developed at ESPN as Director of Marketing and as international liaison for Underwriters Laboratories. Displaying strong leadership abilities, she was elected first woman president of the Illinois Restaurant Association and served as Chair of the of the Museum of Science and Industry’s President’s Council. Dee retired last June from DePaul University where she taught Integrated Marketing, Branding, and Ethics, but remains active with DePaul’s Women’s Network and St. Vincent DePaul community. Mother, mentor, and lifelong runner with boundless energy, she is ideally suited for the challenging role of President of OTTA. Levering executive experience, business expertise with determination, Dee is 100% prepared. She has served the OTTA as a Director, Events Chair, First Sight Chair and Grants Chair plus working on any other program that needed her. She is honored to be slated for this important position and looks forward to serving the community.
- 55-year OTT Resident
- Retired Teacher/two master’s degrees
- Faculty member (20yrs) American Youth Foundation specializing in Leadership Development
- Owned & operated property management company focusing on budget & property compliance
- Loves sailing, playing bridge, poker
- Parent to 5 rescue animals
- Current President and Historic District (HD) Chair
- Past Positions include: Board Secretary (5years), Chaired: Membership, Art Fair Gates (4years), Continued Education, Capital Improvements.
- Member both current & past of: Neighborhood Improvement Committee (NIC) HD, Art Fair, Bylaws, Continuing Education, Gallery, Community Relations, & Events
- Established Finance Committee 2019
- Facility upgrades from 2012-2020
- Developed NIC budget; initiated a NIC brick buyback program for members for repairs/replacements to sidewalks/parkways
- Garnered free tree planting from the city; oversaw trees/parks infrastructure maintenance
- As HD Chair, working with City to prevent de-classification/demolition of historic properties by developers in the OTT.
Karen is seeking to resolve precedent setting historic and legal challenges that emerged during her tenure. Please support her continued efforts with your important vote.
Vice President:
Chris Nelson
Chris Nelson and family have called the Triangle home since 2005 and he has been extremely active with the OTTA ever since. Chris has served the Triangle in a variety of roles including 15 years as Art Fair Gate Captain (2006-2020); Chair, Membership Committee, 2015-2020; Chair, Communications Committee 2018-2020; Art Fair Gates Co-Chair 2018-2020; First Sight, 2018-2019 presentation and technology support. As an Executive Creative Director overseeing a staff of incredibly creative people, Chris is well-suited to assist with the needs of the OTTA in his current role as a Director. Chris was honored to have been nominated to serve as Vice-President. If elected to that role, Chris hopes to work with the board, members and neighbors to position the OTTA not only as a steward of the Old Town Triangle, but as a source to build a better, inclusive, and welcoming community. He hopes to help foster involvement from even more neighbors, friends, and family in this wonderfully creative community we’re so fortunate to call, “home.”
Directors: