LOXAHATCHEE GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION 2024
All Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group members are encouraged to participate in the annual election to fill seats on the Group’s Executive Committee.
For 2024, there are five two-year terms to be filled and there are six candidates. Each member may cast up to five votes. Casting more than five votes will invalidate your ballot. Brief statements from each candidate are below.
Voting opens November 15 and closes December 15. You will need your Sierra Club Membership Number to cast your ballot. Joint memberships use the same membership number. All members were mailed or emailed a notification of this election. Your membership number appears IN THE EMAIL you received or on the address side ABOVE YOUR NAME on the postcard you received.
If you have any questions contact Ron Haines (ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net) and include your full name and address.
BELOW ARE SHORT STATEMENTS FROM EACH OF THE SIX CANDIDATES, LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
TAP HERE TO GET TO THE BALLOT
Gail Ladd
After retiring from the education field in 2019, I decided to become more active to support my Sierra Club membership and joined the local Loxahatchee Group. I was enthusiastically embraced by the members to get involved in the Ag Reserve and other local issues. I have helped with tabling events, and the annual fundraiser, now known as the Annual Gala; accepted the Vice Chairmanship of the Conservation Committee; worked toward the Sierra Club endorsements of a couple of candidates; and recently completed a two year membership on the Executive Committee. I hope to continue working for the benefit of our environment in the future.
Maria Pizano-Balatovis
I have been a member of Sierra Club since 2020, and an active member of the environmental committee the last 2 years, and the political committee more recently.
I am passionate about wildlife and native flora and have been active with the Florida Native Plant Society, and as an ambassador for the Right to Clean Water movement. I have also participated with Sierra Club to prevent development of the Agricultural Reserve, in advocacy for Milani Park, Park West, Bedner's Marketplace and others.
One of my dream goals would be to ensure that accomplishments after "long fought battles" cannot be changed or re-evaluated for any purposes that would diminish or affect negatively their ecological value. For example, I would like to find ways to stop changes like those made after the passage of Amendment 1 in 2015 (for which I was a petition gatherer), or the ongoing reevaluations to develop our local agricultural reserve and infringe on valuable natural areas. A second goal is to see Sierra Club develop a multi prong approach to combat the spread of and eradicate non-native species that threaten our native fauna and flora. Thank you for your consideration.
Andre Rajoo
I have had the pleasure of being a Sierra Club Loxahatchee member since 2020. While it is only 4 years, it has felt much longer. I have enjoyed volunteering with our local group by managing our social media pages, creating emails, advocating for change as a part of the political committee by endorsing great candidates, and much more. This past year I have been fortunate enough to give my time and talent to our group as an ExCom member. I have travelled around Florida for quarterly state chapter meetings representing our group and being a liaison for information I learn about in these meetings. I have always felt welcomed to our group and I hope you will vote to welcome me to another term serving our group as an ExCom member.
Sylvia Sharps
Rev. Dr. Sylvia L. Sharps is an ordained Minister, book author (Could Jesus Be Your Roommate? and The Adventures of Little Sylvia), a national speaker/facilitator, former Education Director and current Grants Manager, CEO & Founder of Michaels’ Voice dba Worldwide Community Alliance Corporation, a non-profit that finds solutions to assist domestic violence victims & survivors. She also works with communities to become sustainable and encourage livability efforts one household at a time. Her engaging, charismatic, and sense of humor deliverance of her experiences combined with facts, makes her sermons and speaking engagements well worth the delivery time. She also serves on the Loxahatchee Group’s political committee.
Linda Smithe
Linda Smithe has been a long time Sierra Club Member, over 35 years, current Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee Chair, and servings on the Communication, Conservation, Gala Committees.
Linda has a BS in Environmental Design and Master’s in Architecture. She kept busy for 35 years raising a family, working as an Architect, and a USGBC LEED AP BD&C Green Building consultant. She volunteered professionally as President, Secretary, and Education Chairman of the Palm Beach Construction Specification Institute, Education Chairman with the Palm Beach National Association of Women in Construction and evaluated applications for Green Schools Program for FAU Pine Jog.
Since retirement, Linda has been become more active volunteering. Focusing on Sierra Club, first working on committees then taking a more active leadership role. Coordinating meetings, agendas, minutes, and general organization. She writes letters to the editor, and elected officials. She speaks at local governmental meetings and meets with elected officials.
Richard Stowe
Richard Stowe earned a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Science. Mr. Stowe has penned commentaries published in newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hartford Courant, Greenwich Time, New Britain Herald, Stamford Advocate and San Francisco Examiner and wrote a column for the New Canaan Advertiser called EcoMan.
Shortly after moving to Palm Beach County, Mr. Stowe was elected in 2013 as Chair of the Lake Worth City Tree Board and as Chair served as primary organizer of the Lake Worth Festival of Trees from 2014 to 2019.
In April 2020, Mr. Stowe and Heather Danforth (and other CNU - Congress on New Urbanism - of the Palm Beaches board members) co-organized two Live Webinars to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Transportation & Ecology <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7tCbM6e4_se> was the title of the April 18th webinar.
Richard began serving on the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee in January 2023. He represents the Loxahatchee Group as an alternate to the Everglades Coalition. At his request, Dr. Mario Motta gave a Zoom presentation at the April 2024 virtual Loxahatchee Group monthly meeting; and recently author and photographer Roger Hammer accepted Richard’s invite to speak at Mount Botanical Gardens in January 2025.