By Kathryn Reed

It will be a busy first week in office when the directors of the South Tahoe Association of Realtors take office Jan. 1.

They must appoint a president and vice president because the incoming leaders who were elected to the positions (both ran unopposed) resigned before they took office.

Mike Phillips resigned before taking office as president of STAR.

Mike Phillips, who was to be president, told Lake Tahoe News, “I need to pull my reins in and focus on my family and business. Sometimes you have to put yourself first.”

He said the time commitment would not allow him to do the job adequately. Phillips added that he has enjoyed his time as an officer (he was president-elect this past year) and that he intends to stay involved.

In a statement given to the association, Jill Stanton-Bricker who was to be vice president, said, “After long and serious consideration of how I can best serve the South Tahoe Association of Realtors, I am stepping down from the 2010 vice president position. I will focus my efforts as Local Governmental Relations chairperson.“

The next president and vice president could be one of the eight directors or any member of the organization. Two of the sitting directors – Davey Pavia and Theresa Sours – have been president before and therefore might be able to step into the positions easier than someone who has not had a leadership role.

STAR finalized the vote counting for the directors positions on Dec. 1. A second vote was needed because a glitch with the fax machine the first time didn’t allow for all the votes to be counted.

All 97 ballots – 10 more submitted than the first time – were legible. The four incoming directors are Pamela Francis, Judith Hanson, Michael Mulligan and Kathy Southern.

Amanda Adams is president-elect and Jill Teakell secretary-treasurer.

The installation dinner is Jan. 8 at Edgewood Tahoe – a primary reason the eight board members need to pick leaders in the first week.