management experience may be desired due to island-
wide projects in the near future. Part-time property
owners may be under-represented, leading the
board to direct the Nominating Committee to seek
representation from a part-time property owner.
Recommendation Philosophy
Candidates can be recommended based on one
of three basic philosophies: the committee can
recommend all candidates who are considered
qualified, recommend the best of the candidates, or
recommend only as many candidates as there are open
seats. All three philosophies have merit and the board
of directors has left the nominating committee latitude
in deciding its philosophy each year.
Going Through the Process
The committee meets with each prospective candidate
who wishes to go through the interview process.
Any KICA member can run for the board and no
member is required to sit down with the Nominating
Committee to do so. A significant purpose of the
committee interview is to have the candidate verbalize
and confirm the information shared within the
written application. The committee also evaluates each
candidate based on objective metrics. A candidate’s
ability to advocate for the good of the entire Kiawah
community is a key factor. A big picture view helps
set apart these candidates from those whose personal
causes are a primary focus. The committee develops
a sense of whether candidates have the interpersonal
skills to work in the board setting. Individual
perspectives are critical for a strong board, yet to
be effective, the directors must be able to disagree
without being disagreeable. This process also ensures
that prospective board candidates are considered by
their peers.
After the evaluation, the committee makes its
recommendations to the board of directors. The board
reviews the recommendations and either accepts or
returns them to the committee for further review.
(Since the committee’s formation, the board has
never returned recommendations.) Potentially, more
candidates will run than there are seats available. This
year, five members submitted applications to run for
the board but all of them may not choose to run.
Submitted information is confidential until candidates
are announced in November.
Nominating Committee chair Sue Schaffer notes
another important facet of the committee’s work.
“85% of KICA property owners are not full-
time residents. The Nominating Committee’s
recommendations are crucial for people who haven’t
had the chance to meet the candidates or aren’t
clear on what issues the community will be facing
in the next few years. The nominating committee
process gives committee members better insight into
the candidates than voters can glean from a written
statement and short video, enabling us to compare and
evaluate as objectively as possible.”
All candidates, regardless of whether they go through
the Nominating Committee process, are presented
to the community through a biography and video
interview (conducted by staff ). The committee will
not express opinions on candidates who choose to run
independently.
The slate of 2020 candidates will be finalized and
announced with an email in November 2019.
Make sure you receive this information as soon
as it’s available by signing up for KICA’s email
communications at kica.us/signup.
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