On July 23, six Leisure World residents went before the Golden Rain Foundation Board of Directors in a special session. Each had no more than five minutes to say why they should fill the board's vacant Mutual 16 seat. The 15 directors present then voted by secret silent ballot. LW Weekly reported that Forouz "Fran" Ertl won the seat with 8 votes, and the runner-up had 5.
Ertl lives in Mutual 8. She now represents Mutual 16.
When a GRF director leaves mid-term, the seat stays reserved for that director's own Mutual for just five days. After that, the decision passes to the board, and any GRF member can apply. In 2026 the board filled four seats this way, so a share of the community's governing board was chosen by the directors rather than by shareholders mailing back ballots.
Four seats, one calendar year
GRF's board has 18 directors. Mutuals 1 and 2 each have two seats, and every other Mutual has one. Here is what changed in 2026:
Seat | Departing director | Seat vacated | Appointed | Date appointed |
|---|
Mutual 16 | Janet Isom | June 9 | Forouz "Fran" Ertl, Mutual 8 resident | July 23 |
Mutual 7 | Pattricia Vienna | Sept. 22 | William Young | Oct. 2 |
Mutual 12 | Linda Herman | Oct. 1 | Charles Keller Jr., Mutual 12 resident | Oct. 9 |
Mutual 1 | Tim Kearns | Oct. 9 | Sharon Jacobs, Mutual 1 resident | Oct. 16 |
All three October seats were filled within about a week or two of each resignation. LW Weekly reported that Keller and Jacobs were each appointed "by acclamation," and both votes were unanimous. The Mutual 16 seat took more than six weeks and a contested vote. What separates the two outcomes is the five-day window.
How the five-day window works
LW Weekly's account of the Mutual 16 vacancy describes the steps GRF follows "in accordance with GRF's Bylaws."
- A five-day call open only to the departing director's Mutual. For Mutual 16, that ran June 17 to June 22.
- If no one from that Mutual applies, filling the seat "becomes the decision of the GRF Board." The call then opens to all GRF members, whatever their Mutual. For Mutual 16, applications were taken July 8 to 22, due at the Stock Transfer Office on the first floor of the Administration Building by 4 p.m.
- The board reviews the applications and hears a presentation of up to five minutes from each eligible candidate.
- The board picks the appointee. In July, that was a secret silent vote, and LW Weekly later published the full tally.
No Mutual 16 shareholder applied during those five days in June, so the seat opened to the whole community. Six people applied once it did. In October, the people chosen for Mutuals 12 and 1 were residents of those same Mutuals, and both votes were unanimous. LW Weekly did not report how many applied in October. When describing the Mutual 12 opening, it said only that if no one comes forward during the Mutual's window, "the call for candidates opens up to the entire community."
So a Mutual decides whether it keeps a voice in choosing its own replacement director, and it has five days to do it.
A thin bench on the ballot
Mutual 16's empty window makes more sense next to the regular elections. GRF elects directors from the even-numbered Mutuals in even years and from the odd-numbered Mutuals in odd years. For the spring 2026 election, LW Weekly's candidate list showed nine seats on the ballot:
- Mutuals 2 and 10 had three candidates each.
- Mutuals 8 and 14 had two each.
- Mutuals 4, 6 and 12 had one each.
- Mutual 16 had none.
The 2025 odd-year election looked much the same. Mutuals 3, 5, 7 and 11 each had one candidate. Mutual 17 was decided by a single vote, 30 to 29. In Mutual 1, which elects two directors, the two winners drew 247 and 237 votes. LW Weekly's results story is headlined "Directors elected for 2-year terms."
Mutual 16 went into the spring with no one on the ballot, and its sitting director's seat came open on June 9. When the call opened to everyone, the applicants were mostly familiar names. Ertl had been on the Mutual 8 ballot that spring, and the official roster lists Michael Banfield as Mutual 8's director. Three of the other five applicants had also run for GRF seats in 2025 or 2026. In practice, when a seat opens to the whole community, the people most ready to apply are often those who already ran.
What the new directors walk into
GRF does most of its work in committees, and the October appointees went straight onto them. Keller was placed on the Finance Committee and the Community Rules Violations Panel. Jacobs was placed on the Finance and Member Services committees. The timing matters. The Finance Committee had "2027 Budget" on its Oct. 19 and Oct. 27 agendas, and the board's Oct. 27 meeting agenda listed "Approve 2027 Budget." The calendar shows more Finance Committee meetings on Nov. 16 and Nov. 19, and a board meeting on Nov. 24.
Linda Herman described the job in a February 2025 director's column in LW Weekly, written partway through her first two-year term:
The best word I can find to describe being a director is consuming. ... The GRF is committee-governed, meaning things are discussed in a committee and then sent on to the full board. It is important to attend all committee meetings or watch on live stream at your convenience, so you are prepared at the board meeting.
In the same column she wrote, "It is difficult to have an 18-member board," and ended with a direct appeal to readers in the odd-numbered Mutuals: "I encourage you to run. You can make a difference." She ran unopposed for Mutual 12 in 2026 and stepped down from the board on Oct. 1.
Where shareholders still have a say
The appointment process is quick. The ways to stay involved between elections are regular and easy to find.
Board meetings. GRF board meetings are open to shareholders. They are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. in Clubhouse 4, according to the GRF Board meetings page. LW Weekly's October schedule also lists Zoom access. The next one is Nov. 24.
Livestream and recordings. The GRF livestream page links to meeting video, and earlier recordings are available through the resident portal.
Committee meetings. Committee meetings are open to residents too, and LW Weekly publishes the tentative schedule in its Government section.
The 2027 election. Annual meeting and election season runs from January through the end of June. The 2027 GRF election is for the odd-numbered Mutuals: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15 and 17. In 2026, GRF ballots went out May 1, the count was June 2, and the annual meeting was June 9, all in Clubhouse 4. Filing dates for 2027 had not been published as of late October.
The next vacancy. If your Mutual's director steps down mid-term, the first call for candidates is open only to your Mutual, and it lasts five days. LW Weekly encourages anyone thinking about applying to talk with a GRF representative first about what the job involves, and to be ready to give a short presentation to the board.
This post describes GRF procedures as LW Weekly and lwsb.com have reported them. It is general information, not legal advice. If you are thinking about applying for a seat, confirm the current bylaws and eligibility rules with the Stock Transfer Office or GRF staff.
Who represents your Mutual on the GRF board shapes the budgets and rules behind every Leisure World home. At Gasper Monteer Realty Group, we follow those decisions closely because our clients live with them. If you or a family member want to know how a recent GRF decision affects your unit, or what your home is worth now, request your complimentary Leisure World home valuation and we will go through it with you.
