2022 Elections

Voting Closed December 19.

We met our quorum target of 498 with 605 participants. Results to be announced. Nominate a member for next year.

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Optional Background:

Electronic Ballot

This ballot uses “score voting,” which produces higher voter satisfaction than “pick one” systems. For candidates, score your choice on a scale of 0 “strongly oppose” to 5 “strongly support”.

Votes are tied to your authenticated account. Click "Submit" below to have your votes recorded. If after clicking submit you wish to change your vote, you may do so while voting remains open: simply update this ballot and click "Submit" again.

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Question One: Director

Thank you to Rich Merlino for serving on our Board of Directors. The 2023 Board of Directors will consist of the following individuals:

  • Through 2027: To Be Determined by this Ballot
  • Through 2026: Patrick Sullivan 2025: Steffen Landrum-Alves; 2024: Michele Kasabula; 2023: Alec Bewsee

Nominees had the option of running on name recognition alone or submitting a biography and vision statement.


Russell Sabadosa

Biography

I founded Premier Choice Realty in 1993, which has grown from a property management company to a full-service real estate brokerage. I am president and oversee all aspects of the rental and sales on a daily basis. I am the owner of over 100 rental units across multiple LLCs with property sizes of 2 units to 28 units. I have brokered over 50 million in multi-family units across several multi-million-dollar and or multi-property transactions. Other positions held adding to my management and leadership skills were project engineer 1989-1995 for large corporate Raytheon aerospace, IT director for small private company Commonwealth Packaging 1995-2002, and public sector for the state of Connecticut Manchester Community College as full tenured professor 2002-2015. Since 2015 I have been focusing solely on Premier Choice Realty growth and community service. I served on the board of directors for: MassLandlords 2019-2021, member since 1995,

Realtor Commercial Alliance MA since 2018 - President 2021 & 2022

MA Association of Realtors since 2017

President Rental Housing Association of Greater Springfield - 2008-2015

The Meadows Masons - Assistant Treasurer since 2015 - Board of directors since 2018

I enjoy mentoring young entrepreneurs and encouraging them to engage in volunteering and leadership positions at professional and community organizations. Personal interests include travel, skiing, and motorcycle riding.

Personal Statement:

I enjoyed supporting the board and association in the past and look forward to doing so again. I am the broker owner of a small independent firm and believe I can offer good leadership and perspective to the board.

Your Rating of Russell Sabadosa:


Jo Landers

Biography

I moved from Lawrence to Western Mass in 1988, when I was accepted as an Ada Comstock Scholar at Smith College, after attending Northern Essex Community College while working full-time.

At Smith I chaired the Association of Low Income Students, assisting with financial aid applications and helping off-campus students access resources like fuel assistance. I also served for six years on the board of the Hampshire Community Action Commission, which managed LIHEAP, Head Start, eviction diversion and other low-income programs.

I purchased my first investment property in 1999. It was the lowest-price building sold in Holyoke that year, so you can imagine what kind of shape it was in! I’ve rehabilitated two other buildings since then, helped manage a 46-unit apartment complex for three years, and currently own and manage six residential units across four properties. I’m active in the MassLL facebook group and frequently attend meetings and webinars. I also own and manage a 3-person bookkeeping firm that works with about 30 small businesses, landlords, and nonprofits.

Personal Statement:

As a former low-income renter myself, I am dismayed by the adversarial relationship the media and various organizations promote between landlords and tenants. As landlords we are frequently labeled villains but in reality the landlord-tenant relationship is a partnership; we depend on our tenants and our tenants depend on us.

I support MassLandlord’s landlord education and certification programs, but would like to add tenant education, which could be as simple as a resources page on the website or include articles written from the tenant’s viewpoint, such as how to apply for RAFT or how security deposits are handled. In my experience tenants who are aware of both their rights AND their responsibilities are more understanding of the challenges we face as landlords.

I also support the MassLandlords legislative agenda. The Statehouse has recognized the need for major changes in housing and zoning policies. We need to be active and vocal to ensure those changes improve housing availability in Massachusetts without putting landlords in the untenable positions we’ve experienced the past few years.

Your Rating of Jo Landers:


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