Rossmoor to Fill Leadership Vacancy Following Reluctant Departure

Shannon Hough landed on the Rossmoor Community Services District board of directors in 2008 on a wave of anti-incorporation sentiment.

After joining the heated battle over cityhood, Hough spent three years helping to lead a divided community forward. Recently, her husband’s out-of-state transfer forced her to resign, and the community once again struggles to control its future while resisting county pressure for Rossmoor to merge with Los Alamitos. Still, she is hopeful that the community will keep up the fight to preserve what makes Rossmoor a special place to live.

When Hough arrived in Rossmoor, she immediately felt at home. With its tree-lined streets and unique houses, she said, Rossmoor reminds her a lot of Elizabethtown, KY, where she grew up. 

“It’s so quiet, there are people saying, 'Hi,' walking their dogs,” Hough said. “I can't explain it; it’s just like home to me.”

Hough reluctantly left the board in April after her husband got a promotion with General Dynamics, a government contractor. The promotion moved her, her husband and their two teenagers to Tomah, WI, where, she reported, it was snowing in early May. 

When Hough first arrived in Rossmoor, in January 2008, the community was embroiled in a debate about whether to incorporate as a city. She opposed the move.

At the time, she thought that Rossmoor was going to be her family’s permanent home, since her husband had recently retired from the Army and they could finally settle down. So she decided to run for the Community Services District board in July 2008 and won. 

Hough felt that the proposed utility tax was an unsustainable way to incorporate. It would also hit hard the residents who live on fixed incomes, she said.

“Even that couple hundred dollars a month would really impact them,” said Hough. 

“She was always mindful of residents that were perhaps not economically as well off as others,” said fellow board member Alfred Coletta. “I thought that was very admirable.” 

Hough was a very capable leader on the board, taking on the first vice presidency and then the presidency, said Henry Taboada, general manager of the Rossmoor Community Services District.

“I think she had her head screwed on right,” Taboada said. “She was a bit emotional sometimes, but that's expected … all of our board members get emotional over a certain issue.” 

Another of her strengths is that she “has a very engaging personality. It was that personality trait that gave her the ability to bring different points of view into convergence,” Taboada said.  

Hough leaves during a time when the community is again embroiled in a fight. However, this time the community has the opportunity to unite against outside forces pressuring Rossmoor to give up its independence.

She lambastes the idea of a “super city”—of Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and Rossmoor merging into one municipality.

“All three areas have stated multiple times that they don’t want to be one area,” she said, adding that she understand the budgetary considerations, but that “telling these three very distinct communities to merge …  and make it work, that’s not how you run a government.”

Local control is very important to Rossmoor, she said. For example, with police services, the board has been able to directly request that deputies assigned to Rossmoor have to spend a year on duty in the community instead of three months, as they had previously done. She feels that if police services were assigned to the Los Alamitos Police Department, they would get fewer patrols and an overall lower level of service. 

But she is hopeful. “I really hope we get the latent powers,” she said, referring to police services, animal control and planning. The Community Services District board of directors will consider applying in June to take over those services from the county.

As for her successor, she hopes that another woman will replace her on the board.

“It adds a different dynamic. It brings that emotional side. While I can be very unemotional about certain topics, it brings a certain dynamic to the board to not be all one gender,” she said, adding she would make the same statement if the other board members were all female. 

So far, 10 residents have applied to replace Hough, Taboada said. The person who is appointed will be seated at Tuesday's meeting and serve until November 2012.  The remaining four board members will interview each of the candidates during a special meeting 3 p.m. Saturday in the East Room next to the auditorium, 3021 Blume Dr., Rossmoor. 

Hough figures she may eventually run again for elected office, especially since her new home, Wisconsin, is in a lot of turmoil. Before she runs, she'd have to find an issue that inspires her as much as the fight against incorporation did, she said. 

However, she might consider catching her breath before diving back into the fray of community politics.

“Part of me wants to rest,” she said, describing her time on the board as a “95-mile an hour” pace. Right now, she's looking forward to decorating her house, sitting by the lake and just relaxing. 

She misses Rossmoor terribly but is adjusting.

“If I could have Rossmoor weather and Wisconsin prices, I'd be in the perfect spot.”