Conflict? Or Opportunity?

Let’s Talk About Conflict of Interest—and Opportunity

Dear Big Canoe neighbors,

Let’s talk about what some are referring to as the “elephant in the room”. I understand that some of you may see a potential conflict of interest in my candidacy. I want to be clear: I hear you—and I agree that conflicts of interest must be taken seriously. Ethical leadership means knowing when to step back, and I’ve been clear from the beginning: If elected, I will recuse myself from any Board discussions involving confidential or sensitive matters related to Food & Beverage operations.

That’s the standard I’ll hold myself to. And I believe every Board member should be held to the same standard—whether their background is in real estate, law, or finance.

Remember: The Board shouldn’t be involved in operations The discussions that would involve any details, plans or other operational information about Big Canoe F&B Operations should be handled by those teams. We have a General Manager, an Operations Manager, a Food & Beverage Manager, and an Executive Chef. If we trust these people to do their jobs properly and we hold them accountable for doing so, no decision or information that could be considered a conflict of interest should ever make it to the board. More on that here.

Amenity or Business?

My question to the current board was: “How does the Board view relationships with other local restaurants? Are they regarded as collaborators in serving the community—or as competitors whose success potentially comes at the Clubhouse’s expense?”

Their answer (via Rich McLeod) was: “THE BOARD IS FOCUSED BIG CANOE GOVERNANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN. WE ARE FOCUSED ON GIVING PROPERTY OWNERS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE.”

If the clubhouse is truly an amenity, then there is no competition and therefore no conflict. If they are going to claim there is a conflict, does that mean the Clubhouse is a business, and if so, why is it allowed to be chronically unprofitable?

Of course conflict of interest is more nuanced than this, but we have to address the broader picture first and agree on how we will decide if and when recusal is needed.

A Broken Track Record

According to the POA’s audited financials, Food & Beverage brought in $2.4 million in revenue—but spent over $3.1 million. That’s a loss of more than $721,000 in just one year.

And it’s not an isolated event. Over the past five years, the F&B operation has generated $9.7 million in revenue while spending nearly $12 million, resulting in cumulative losses of over $2.2 million.

Some will explain this away with phrases like “Big Canoe is a 501(c), we’re not supposed to make money.” or “It’s an amenity, we’re supposed to subsidize it.” That might be true, but it deflects from an issue that’s costing the community real money.

Even more concerning: during that same time, there have been four different Executive Chefs and several others in leadership positions. Why so much turnover? Why is it so hard to retain talent? These aren’t just HR issues—they’re signs of deeper operational and leadership problems that need attention.

Michael Parks (interim): Nov 2019 → ??? – POA Newsletter
David Bakitis: Dec 2019 → Aug 2022 - LinkedIn
Albert Rosa: Jan 2020 → late 2020 – POA Facebook Post
Kawaun Covile (interim): Aug 2022 → mid-2023 – POA Newsletter
Michael Gogolin: Jul 2023 → Feb 2024 – POA Facebook Post
Hector Camacho (interim): Feb 2024 → May 5, 2025 – POA Email
Russell Sleight: Jun 2025 → present – POA Email

This is the Opportunity

The POA Board should be seeking out people with relevant expertise to help fix this. I’ve spent my career building and operating successful businesses. I’ve built three successful Food & Beverage brands in the last 5 years alone. That experience doesn’t disqualify me—it makes me uniquely qualified to ask better questions, understand where the gaps are, and help guide the Board toward sustainable solutions.

But instead of welcoming that opportunity, the current Board’s recent email is trying to reframe my qualifications as a liability—despite previously telling me that no broad conflict exists.

Besides, they say “privy to information that they otherwise would not have if they were not on the Board, and which could be used for the Board Member’s personal financial gain”. Given the broken track record above, there’s no financial gain to be had.

So why bring it up now? Right in the middle of the election?

Let’s be honest: This isn’t about ethics. It’s about politics. It’s an attempt to disqualify me in your minds because they know I’ll challenge the status quo. That’s what they’re afraid of.

Big Canoe deserves better than business as usual. We deserve real transparency, real accountability, and real results.

This community needs leaders who will put the community first, not personal agendas. That means recusing yourself when appropriate—and contributing when your skills and experience can make a difference.

That’s the kind of leadership I believe in. And I trust you can see the difference.

Thank you for reading my platform. I hope you found it informative and helpful in understanding my vision for our community.

Have a question or something to say? Send me an email: jcfortheboard@gmail.com

Prefer to talk? Book a time with me.

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J Cornelius — Candidate for the POA Board
jcornelius.com/poa

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead