Residents of Boca Lago voted Monday against a measure that would have imposed mandatory club membership in their community.

Opponents of the 1,700-home community's conversion to mandatory membership exulted in a victory they say will preserve property values by attracting buyers who aren't interested in paying fees to maintain the community's club.

Supporters say the move would have protected the financially strapped club from deteriorating and dragging down the community's overall value.

"I'm delighted that ordinary people could stand up to this organized group," said resident Art Jacobson, who was instrumental in the opposition movement in a months-long campaign that paralleled that of a contentious political election. The "organized group" referred to the community's leadership and its attorneys.

Jacobson said residents, mostly senior citizens whose homes are their primary assets, worried they would be unable to sell their properties if the vote were successful.

The measure, which would have imposed thousands of dollars in club fees to incoming buyers in the community west of Boca Raton, needed 1,131 votes to pass, but got 1,020, Jacobson and other observers of the ballot count said. "Once the people understood the consequences of this, they decided that it was not to their benefit," Jacobson said.

Bob Schulman, who served as chairman of the campaign to pass mandatory membership, said voters made "a terrible mistake."

"The people who voted against it are nonmembers of the club who do not accept the understanding that mandatory membership would have raised the value of their homes," Schulman said.

He said the club's membership has waned because of the resignation of aging members, a reality faced by private community clubs around the state. To ensure its survival, the club will consider other options, such as selling a portion of its golf course land to a developer, Schulman said.

"If this club goes into decay, it'll affect the entire community. But we're optimistic that we'll be able to protect the club's survival," he said.

Opponents say they aren't wishing for the club's demise, but think there are alternatives.