Vindication? Maybe, but honestly i don't really need or want it. Beliefs on what we think are just that, what we think was the right way to do things. Anyone who has been forced to make decisions over their lifetime know there are always multiple directions to go in. Sometimes we make good choices, sometimes poor ones. Moving to Sun City was one we will never regret; never. We found our place in the sun. It will ultimately be our final resting place. We won't be going back anywhere; Sun City is it. Nope not being morbid, just realistic. Perhaps that why when we moved here, we immediately became invested in the community and all that it offered. Sure we enjoyed the amenities and clubs and pools and fitness areas. Hell, i even played golf a fair amount. As my wife told a foreign interviewer; "it was like we were kicks back in the play ground." Given my previous life experiences, i was familiar with organizational structure. I ran a non-profit and in fact reshaped it while serving as president for 9 years (3 terms elected). I had taken dozens of courses in leadership and all other matters relative to governance and so i immediately became involved. Along with it, i became a student of Sun City's history. I came to understand early the value of learning from others mistakes. Why repeat them if you could help it? More importantly, as i read from the archives of the first 50 years, i realized our predecessors had created a nearly perfect organizational structure. Safeguards were built into our documents that insured there was a shared responsibility between the membership and the elected RCSC board of directors. The third component, management, was given a lessor role. Their primary function was the day to day operations. It all worked in harmony until 2006. A decision was made to hire a general manager who was going to assume more responsibilities. I suspect in part it happened because baby boomers were different from the greatest generation. From that day forward, with each turn of the calendar year, the board gave away the authority that had been built into our documents. Both for them and worse yet, for the membership. It's easy to understand how and why; being involved and committed was hard work and letting management do everything was way easier on everyone involved. Here's the question everyone reading this need ask themselves; was it the right choice? When i ran for and was elected to my three year term on the RCSC board (2012-2014), i tried to argue against our direction (as did Carole Martinez). As i've written too many times, we were simply speed bumps. We slowed them a little but were run over none-the-less. I know ancient history, but here's why it is so important today. The choices made starting in 2006 set us on a path that actually traced Sun City's first 5 years of mistakes. We repeated the same dumb ideas that DEVCO built into their marketing strategy...CHEAPER IS BETTER. Had anyone from management or from recent boards been even acutely aware of our history, they would have known the three DEVCO employees behind the cheap philosophy were all let go by 1965. John Meeker came in and built the most successful age restricted community in the country by spending money, not hoarding it. It truly is tragic for all of us to have lost sight of our incredible history and the lessons they should have taught us. The good news is, we're never to old to learn from our (or better yet others) mistakes.
Are you questioning our need for a general manager and leaving all major decisions up to the board with input from the Membership?
Nope. History showed us the need for a general manager; one who ran the day to day operations. I don't know if we asked or expected the GM hired in 2006 to become more than that, but the evolution to one who made every decision and removed the membership from the equation was folly at best. I've been saying and writing this for years but what the hell did i know?
There is a need for an experienced GM to be involved with the managing of the day to day operatins of our community. This area needs a common sense approach on how to move forward and stay the course, now and for the future. What this community never needed and should not ever need in the future is person in charge of what Sun City is and what it should become. That should be decisions made by the membership and the board. No more egocentric single minded people need apply. Been there, done that and as a community decided that is not the direction we ever want to take again. It has removed the power of the members, and stripped the common sense brought forth by our founding fathers right out of the equation. As the search moves forward for a new GM, we must be vigilant to the community needs, the skills and abilities of any new manager hired, and a definitive scope of duties to be excpected and performed. That scope should also include mention of what is off limits and the direction to be followed for the future. It is going to take time to get our member benefits back in line with what we should expect from our governing documents as well as the board. As a former board member I am most concerned with the next steps for our community and membership. The new GM has to be on board with the new direction this community needs to adhere to
We are all going to see what happens when the general manager forgets about the day to day operations and tinkers with the boards obligations and oversight. Like i have written often, had she been Pope-like and been infallible, there wouldn't be a problem. In fact as a non-practicing Catholic, i might argue the exercise we have gone through was about as effective as how several Pope's have handled the abuse scandals. Hiding crap seldom works. Let's be really blunt here and just say straight out, running the day to day operations of an organization the size of the RCSC is a really difficult proposition. It takes focus and dedication to know exactly what is happening across a wide breath of venues, clubs and events. Anyone with an ounce of brains in a leadership position understands the importance of hiring capable staff and letting them manage their departments. On top of that they often become the face and the voice of the organization. Jan was good at a lot of things. Employees for the most part liked her. The management staff loved her and many members found her endearing. As Carole pointed out above, she wanted to make every decision. She convinced board members that loyalty to the corporation was the same as loyalty to the general manager. I watched in horror as board members simply let her do what she thought was best. She was smart enough to give a board member a win now and again as long as she had total control. Sorry, but nobody that would apply for the GM job here is that good. It is exactly why our documents were built around the concept of shared responsibility. Removing that concept came at an enormous price. The more the GM got involved with determining our future, the further removed she got from running the day to day operations. I blame boards as much or more than the actual GM. The more responsibilities she took on, the more they threw at her. Sun City residents need to start paying attention. The next GM will play a critical role in how our community is shaped. If we stay the course of member involvement, we have a chance.
