BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION
Kenneth D. Colen, Chairman
Leslee R. Colen, Vice Chairman
C. Guy Woolbright, Secretary/Treasurer
James F. O’Neil
Virgil Ratliff
Sharon Licata
Gail Sanders
Charles McAllister
Michael Spodeck
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BOARD MEMBERS
JAMES F. O’NEIL
On Top of the World-Clearwater
JAMES F. O’NEIL
On Top of the World-Clearwater
Jim and his wife have lived at OTOW-Clearwater for more than 15 years now after retiring from a career in the New Hampshire Court System. Prior to serving as a Security Manager and District Court Regional Manager in New Hampshire, Jim spent 22 years in the US Army serving in counterintelligence and security operations. In his retirement, Jim continues to work as a security consultant for the National Center for State Courts, conducting courthouse security assessments across the country. Jim and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married for 55 years and have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.
Q & A
Why did you decide to join the On Top of the World Board of Administration?
My wife and I bought a condominium here in 2004. In 2005 I retired and we moved down. We’ve been full time residents ever since. It’s a great place to live. That’s why I was interested in the board of administration. I was aware of an opening on the board – this was less than a year ago – and was approached by one of the board members who asked if I would be interested in doing this. I said I was thinking about applying. About a month after submitting my resume I was contacted, went in for an interview, and was quite impressed by the other board members. I love it here and want to keep costs down including minimal increases during the year. I’ve done this sort of thing before in my other life and I wanted to take part in management. I have a lot I can share.
What do you hope to accomplish on the Board/what is your vision for the future of On Top of the World?
I want to keep improving the conditions here at OTOW. I want to make sure we do this in a fiscally responsible manner. Since the board of administration is responsible for the budget I want to make sure we keep costs down and improve services to the res
idents.
What are some of your favorite things about living at On Top of the World?
There’s a number of things I really appreciate here – the amenities we get by being residents. The social atmosphere as well. My wife is the president of the entertainment committee and the committee brings in quality entertainment for the residents.
We do shows, we do dances. We haven’t been able to do that for the past year and I really miss it. When everything gets back to normal we’ll start it up again. I love the social aspect of it. We had quality entertainment come in for the residents and we enjoyed it. The pool is also great.
We have a newspaper that comes out once a month that covers everything from activities to profiles on residents that go places and report back on what they’ve done.
What has surprised you most about serving on the Board?
I don’t have anything bad to say about serving on the board. My experience with the board is that these people are dedicated. They are very intelligent. Ken Colon is a very approachable person. He listens to everything you say. He may not always agree with you but he listens to what you have to say and so do the rest of the board members.
We’re all volunteers – that’s the most important thing. No one is getting paid to do this. We do this as volunteers.
What one message would you like to share with the people who live at On Top of the World that we may not have covered?
It’s a great place to live. I call it the best kept secret in Florida. OTOW is one of my favorite places. I want to tell people that.
We just recently got permission to give the vaccine shots here at OTOW. I can’t tell you the quality of the people who volunteered to help. We had people who were helping people fill out forms, helping people get up stairs, helping people get seated, and get them through as fast as we could. These were all volunteers and residents.
The upkeep is great. The grounds are kept beautifully. I love it here.
CHARLES W. MCALLISTER
On Top of the World-Clearwater
CHARLES W. MCALLISTER
On Top of the World-Clearwater
Charles (Chuck) McAllister dedicated his life to serving our country. He retired in 2010 as a Chief Warrant Officer Five after 35 years in the U.S. Army.
Chuck entered the Army in 1974 in a program called “Stripes for Skills”. In 1980, he attended flight school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama and became a Warrant Officer aviator.
After retiring, Chuck developed an interactive Air Traffic Control program used in all unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) simulation across the Department of Defense.
Chuck holds a bachelor’s in business from Excelsior College, and a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in educational technology integration from Penn State University. He resides at On Top of the World with his wife, Theresa, and has been a resident since 2014.
Q & A
Why did you decide to join the On Top of the World Board of Administration?
My wife and I have been owners at OTOW for 7 years and the Board has done an exceptional job maintaining and updating the community over the years. I see it as an opportunity to serve the community, participate in the inner workings, and have a positive impact on the day-to-day operations of the community as we move forward. Things are good—as we move forward, we want to make it better.
What do you hope to accomplish on the Board/what is your vision for the future of On Top of the World?
One of my biggest priorities is to speak on behalf of the residents, as a resident. My wife and I make a point to get input from others in the community as well. We volunteered at the COVID-19 vaccine event hosted here and that gave us an opportunity to speak with many of the residents as 1,600 received COVID vaccines over three days.
We have a great bunch of people here and the community is well maintained with top-notch amenities. To me, serving on the board is about taking what we have and continuing to update and improve it as we go along based on the people who live here.
What are some of your favorite things about living at On Top of the World?
The people are great: once you get to know them, you see how great they are. It is a very close-knit community where people look out for each other. Everything is exceptionally well maintained: the buildings, the streets, all the facilities. As an example, within the past few years they have changed the fitness center and it is top-notch – the layout and the equipment.
There are so many different things here that are excellent, but they all require maintenance. I want to take what we currently have to offer and continue to update and improve it based on the people moving in. As a younger group of people move in, we need to make sure we offer a community that meets their needs and desires too.
What has surprised you most about serving on the Board?
The Board is very forward-thinking and constantly working to improve the structure and operation of the community for all residents.
I have also been surprised by the boundaries some residents will cross to express their discontent. With so many residents in the community it is not a surprise that someone might be unhappy, but it has been surprising that anyone would go so far as to personally threaten me and my fellow board members.
What one message would you like to share with the people who live at On Top of the World that we may not have covered?
OTOW is a great place to live. Being aware of some of the other communities in the area, we have some of the best facilities, activities, maintenance, and opportunities available to us. We live in paradise. In a population of close to 10,000 residents, you cannot please everyone with everything, but I am happy to be here and proud to be serving on the board.