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It has been a very busy month for members of the Marco Island Civic Association. MICA members received ballots in the mail and were asked to vote for four candidates for the MICA Board of Directors. The election took place, ballots were counted and candidates became board members. Now the real work begins!

The Board of Directors of the Marco Island Civic Association is a hard working group of individuals. The board meets on the first Thursday of each month and consists of 12 full-time island residents elected by the membership body.

According to the bylaws, at each March meeting officers are elected. Last week the MICA Board elected Howard Jordan as president, Jim Johnson as vice president, Bernardo Bezos as treasurer and JoAnne Youman as secretary. Kathy Sullivan, who had served as president for the past two years, will continue to serve on the board and various MICA committees.

In addition to the above named individuals, others who donate their time and talents to serve the MICA membership are Jim Arnold, who is also a past president, Shirlee Barcic, Ed d’Alessandro, Lynne Minozzi, Linda Shockley, Steve Stefanides, and Beverly Trotter.

You may be familiar with many of these individuals as most are involved in other island organizations as well, such as Knights of Columbus, the Police Foundation, Christmas Island Style, Marco Island Shell Club, Upon a Star Foundation, the Kiwanis Club, Marco Island Foundation for the Arts, and many other worthy causes.

Committees of the board also meet, some on a monthly basis and others on an as-needed basis. Committees are composed of MICA members, some on the MICA Board and others not on the board, but members who want to get involved in their community. When MICA’s Nominating Committee meets, they first look to the various committee members, to see if anyone wants to take the next big step in committing even more time to the membership.

The Architectural Review Committee has been an active committee since 1986 when the Deltona Corporation turned over enforcement of the deed restrictions to MICA. The committee, composed of architects, engineers and informed citizens, reviews building plans prior to construction to ensure they comply with the deed restrictions. Deed restrictions help keep our community orderly and beautiful.

Another vital committee is the Residents’ Beach Advisory Committee, which meets on a regular basis. As the biggest asset of MICA and a true gem on Marco Island, the protection and improvement of Residents’ Beach is the goal of this committee’s members.

Residents’ Beach has often been referred to as “The Crowning Jewel” of Marco Island and this couldn’t be more true to the members of this committee. Their concern for the Residents’ Beach and Sarazen Park properties is evident in the thought they give to making decisions about the parks.

MICA’s Community and Government Affairs Committee members attend various meetings including Marco Island City Council, city committee and Board of Collier County Commissioners’ meetings as necessary. At present, they are monitoring the city’s Rental Committee in addition to other various committees. MICA is looking forward to working with the new City Council members as well as those previously elected.

The Membership and Events Committee has had a very busy year arranging numerous events at Residents’ Beach for Residents’ Beach members. Entertainment this season has included Music of Marco Big Band, Little Eddie and the Fat Fingers, the Jet Set, Jim Long, The Coasters, and the movie, “Bye Bye Birdie,” on the green. Some of our members were lucky enough to attend all of these events! Even if you attended just one, you know that the events sponsored at the Residents’ Beach are first rate!

Speaking of events, members, mark your calendars for April 6, 5 to 7 p.m. Local entertainers, Magic Moments, will take you back to the fifties with their melodic tunes. Look for more information on Magic Moments and this wonderful concert in next week’s column.

What I have not yet mentioned in this article is of great significance. All of the individuals on the MICA Board of Directors and all those on MICA’s committees are volunteers. What they do at meetings and behind the scenes is done with the best interest of their fellow Marco Islanders in mind. You may not know their names and they may not know yours, but you can be rest assured that they are working their best on your behalf.