Directors
The Galt Mile Community Association is administered by a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board. The Board of Directors is depicted and briefly biographed in this section.
Board of Directors
Paul Sarelakos
Vice President
Fern McBride
Secretary
A veteran of the Broward Public School system, Fern is blessed with a proclivity for organization and excellent communication skills. Somehow, our soft-spoken former educator has been able to quietly compile the fast-paced Advisory Board activities into a coherent set of minutes every month. Fern’s organizational abilities were first recognized by her neighbors in Regency Tower, where she participates in several committees and serves on the Board of Directors – not surprisingly as Secretary! Her low-key demeanor and quiet charm disguise a tenacious commitment to improving our homes and our neighborhood. In addition to making consistent contributions at countless Advisory Board and Presidents Council meetings, Fern has traveled to Tallahassee to fight for the rights of condo owners. When the Broward Beach Renourishment project was being considered by the Florida Cabinet, Fern participated in a successful demonstration by a contingent of Galt Mile homeowners supporting the project. When initially appointed Secretary, the usual format of assigning the attendant executive responsibilities to a director were set aside to take advantage of Fern’s unparalleled competence as a communicator. Inevitably, she was also named to the Board as a Director.
Ed Hashek
Treasurer
Ralph Hamaker
Director
Hailing from Coral Ridge Towers South, Ralph Hamaker is the sole representative to the Board of Directors from a Cooperative. A past President of CRT South, Ralph is familiar with issues that impact our four members from the Coral Ridge Towers Complex in the western sector of the Galt Mile Community. Ralph’s contributions to improving the Galt Mile area are legion, including noise abatement, traffic control and beach renourishment. Intimately involved with the rebirth of the Galt Ocean Village Shoppes area, Ralph was instrumental in attracting the Beach Community Center and Il Lugano, two community linchpins critical for the neighborhood’s stability. Coral Ridge Towers, built just prior to to Condo Act of 1963, was the first hi-rise cooperative financed by the FHA to have a swimming pool. The Coral Ridge Towers (CRT) complex, later expanded to include the North, South (Ralph’s home), and East buildings, was a blueprint for developers prospecting for amenities to include in their offerings. The CRT Complex (four Cooperatives) could not have found a more effective pro-active representative than Mr. Ralph Hamaker.
Jim Madgett
Director
Born and raised in Canada and armed with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from McGill University, Jim has lived in Canada, Oman and the USA. Jim and his wife moved to the Fountainhead in 2014, becoming permanent year-round residents. Jim has been active on the Fountainhead Board of Directors, as well as the Building & Grounds Committee, and serves as a representative to the Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Town Commission, and Galt Mile Community Association. He is in charge of their Engineered Life Safety System (ELSS) project. Jim enjoys bringing the values of his work experiences to the GMCA, along with information and opportunities from his perspective as a resident of Lauderdale-by-The-Sea. Jim was elected to the Galt Mile Community Association Board of Directors in 2023.