Heward wants to represent
Property Owners Association Board of Directors candidate Sheila Heward explains, “I like to work from the positive.”
She doesn’t have specific issues she plans to address if elected to the board, instead she wants to represent members. She and her husband have friends from all different demographics, she said.
“The demographics have changed,” she said, referring to Bella Vista’s origins as a retirement community. “We need to keep that in mind.” But retirees are still the core of Bella Vista and can’t be overlooked.
“We need to look for balance,” she said.
Heward retired after spending much of her career in health care as a quality control professional. That experience gave her skills she can use on the board, including the ability to manage fiscal responsibilities.
One goal she believes the POA needs is a longterm plan that includes assessment increases.
While she has supported increases in the past, it would be easier to justify smaller increases at regular intervals.
Looking closely at the governing documents may be necessary going forward, she said.
“I know it’s not easy, that it takes a vote, but we have to get with the times,” she said.
She’s not against new trails in the Highlands, but she’s not sure she’s in favor either.
“I need to understand what the plan is and where they are going to go,” she said. She also said she needs to be convinced that Bella Vista needs more trails since there are already so many available.
She is in favor of the plan to update Riordan Hall. The building is old and needs help, she said. The plan to renovate seems well thought out and should address the type of activities that members want, like the indoor pickleball courts.
A member of the POA since 1997, Heward and her husband moved to Bella Vista from California. She has been serving on the Golf Committee since 2019.
“We love Bella Vista,” she said. “We’ve never lived anywhere that was as wonderful as Bella Vista.”