Was this how it happened? Was this the moment that had been denied to her the first time around?

Reuven Stagler had spent decades selling fitness equipment to gyms and health clubs. He knew what was a must-have, what was a stylish add-on, and which machine would remain untouched in the corner. Treadmills were boring, but you could never have too many of them, he would tell clients, and they would be used year after year. As new condominiums rose all over, he saw the wave of in-house health clubs in every building and he found a specialty in creating custom plans based on available space.

It was appropriate, he felt, that his first real decision would concern the Alameda Gardens fitness center.

The words “first official move as president” played in his mind, even though he wasn’t president of anything. He had created a new email address, Alameda.Council@gmail.com, and he set out to write his initial email to the list of addresses the main office had sent him, called “All Residents.”

He deliberated whether or not he was allowed a personal reflection, and decided to go with it. If you’re going to lead, then lead.

Dear Friends,

Some of you may know that I’ve been in the fitness equipment industry for decades, and as a new arrival in our wonderful neighborhood, I have to say that I was very impressed with the fitness center. Top-of-the-line equipment (even if they didn’t order it from me, lol) he actually laughed out loud as he wrote this, pleased with the joke and imagining husbands repeating it to their wives, spacious facilities and ample changing rooms. But asking around informally, I learned that many residents don’t avail themselves of this resource — not because of lack of interest, but because of lack of motivation.

Bolding the words, Reuven felt, was another leaderly move, a way of conveying that he had identified the problem and also had a solution.

To that end, we are considering hiring an instructor to lead a formal men’s fitness class three times each week, creating both the motivation and convenience that seems to be needed. If we can get 25 confirmations, we will move forward, with Hashem’s help.

Thank you,

He considered adding another line to his sign off, something about working together to improve things, maybe, or speaking in one voice, but that was too much. Instead, he just signed his name.

Reuven Stagler, Council Chairman, Alameda Gardens