RANCHO SANTA FE — The results tallied on June 12 showed that Covenant voters elected Michael Gallagher and Sharon Ruhnau as Rancho Santa Fe Association board members. Parliamentarian Bruce Bishop and his team counted a total of 1,131 ballots at the monthly board meeting.
From that number, six ballots were deemed invalid — reasons included voting for too many candidates.
In the lead with the most votes was Mike Gallagher at 863, followed by Sharon Ruhnau at 731 and Fred Wasserman at 459.
Having served one term, Wasserman currently holds the position of board president.
According to Association Manager Christy Whalen, Gallagher and Ruhnau will start their three-year term seats at the next board meeting in July.
Whalen said she thought the voter turnout was very good.
“I think it (voter turnout) reflects the engagement of members of our community,” she said. “We want to thank Fred for his many contributions to the Association and our community.”
Gallagher was appointed last October after Mike Licosati resigned on Aug. 23, 2017 after moving his primary residence from Rancho Santa Fe to Solana Beach. Licosati’s seat was up for re-election this spring. Seven candidates stepped forward to fill the position (with one withdrawal) with Gallagher being chosen.
Gallagher, a retired chief executive officer of Playtex Products, has resided in the Covenant for 13 years.
Ruhnau, a longtime litigator, has lived in the Covenant for more than 20 years. She has served in a variety of Association committees including the Rancho Osuna Committee, Governing Documents and Review Committee, and Recreation and Trail Committee.
Whalen wants Covenant residents to know that regular monthly board meetings that fall on the first Thursday of the month will continue at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club throughout the summer months.
Wasserman, who was up for re-election, shared at the May 10 Candidate Forum that he hoped to have a seat for one more term to see the projects he helped work on come to fruition. One of those projects is RSF Connect, a $14 million 1-gigabit fiber-optic network to be built and owned by the Rancho Santa Fe Association.
In April, the Association entered into an agreement with internet service provider RACE Communications.
Looking ahead, Whalen said the Association is in the process of selecting a construction contractor. Construction can officially start after the county issues its final permits.
“RFPs (request for proposals) are out, and we are getting proposals back. We will be making a decision on who will build up the network in the coming weeks,” she said. “We look to break ground this summer.”
