A Thoughtful Reflection On Our Community.

One of the most fascinating aspects of sobriety happens early on in the journey. Alcoholics are asked to take a "fearless moral inventory." No easy task for a person who is often badly broken to look back and try and understand what happened and why to get to that point in their life where they reached out for help.

As years pass, careful and thoughtful reflection is always helpful to keep us grounded and growing. Looking in the mirror at ones blemishes openly is invariably difficult. Now stop and think about doing it not only on a personal level, but as a collective group of nine board members, or as a very large organization with more than 450 employees with an asset value of roughly 150 million dollars. And to make it even more interesting, how about an open analysis of how 32,000-33,000 members did?

By now, just two paragraphs in, i suspect many of you are questioning my sanity. Feel free, but over the years i have come to value doing an honest appraisal of myself and organizations i have been associated with. I know many see it as a waste of time; i believe it is the very essence of our ability to improve what we do and how we do it.

We don't need a grading system, public humiliation or mass floggings for perceived failures. None of that helps. Obviously the larger the numbers involved, the harder the process. A board of nine could easily reflect back over the year. The management team is in an interesting position to be candid about how things shook out over the year. The membership's most recent measuring tool can easily be the number of votes cast in this election.

For anyone who was at the Exchange meeting the other day, or watched it online, it was painful on many levels. And to be blunt, not a whole lot different than so many of the other open meetings many of us attended during the year. The angst was palpable and ever-present.

Suffice to say it was a tough year; all around. Oddly i got an email from a member i respect and has been intimately involved at the clubs level for years. He wrote he felt the organization had turned the corner and in spite of the glaring mistakes they were doing far better.

One day we will sit and have coffee, because as i watched 2024 unfold, i was tragically disappointed by what i saw. On its face, the potential was enormous. In reflection the outcome could not have been much worse. There-in is the problem, judging the organization by whether they were catching up on the much needed maintenance, or hiring a lot more employees or painting buildings and trimming trees misses the most important aspect of Sun City's future success (in my humble opinion).

We failed miserably to begin to restore and rebuild that sense of community we were founded under. For every measurable/visible step forward, we saw two steps backwards on the human and emotional side of the community's expectations. There is not a better example of that than the library fiasco. But let me be clear, that was far from the only one. We'll do a deeper dive later.

For now, let me give you an example of what i am saying about evaluations. We formed the Sun City Advocates when Karen McAdam was fired (June of 2021). We were a ragtag group with roughly a dozen of us who banded together. We argued over what our goals should be, and ultimately decided to just focus on electing board members who supported the members having a louder voice.

Over the next 3 years (22, 23 and 24) our nine endorsed candidates all won. By the end of 2023 (following the election) we were down to 6 members and we kind of disbanded. Most of us felt our work was done. We had driven the members interest levels and we had elected those 9 candidates committed to the membership.

And then it all went south. Jean and John left the board and both were staunchly pro-member. The new board members were good people, but the process had gone sideways. Here's how (in my opinion): The Strategic Alternatives Committee (SAC-2023) ) had been the most aggressive restoration of membership involvement in all my 20 years of living in Sun City.

As disjointed as some meetings were, once they brought in Marlene (the architect) she focused on developing a plan that met their objectives and amazingly reached consensus. Following that, we sat through multiple town hall meetings gathering community input that was bizarre to watch. The group's work was eroded by proposals that were odd at best.

By years end one thing had become apparent, several of the board members were not happy with the decision Marlene had developed (plan M) and as the new year started, the process started anew. Somewhere along the way, Tri-arc was brought in and shortly thereafter we lost the two board members (April if memory serves me) and we were off to the races with an entirely different agenda.

The golden ring was to be the PAC and the location was the bottom line. I will avoid postings rumors or passing on my concerns, suffice to say, the shit hit the fan when the board tried to shove through the Performing Arts Theater sitting atop the Lakeview lawn bowling greens. When many of us heard the proposed site, we were dumbfounded. Where the hell did that come from?

I mentioned Karen's firing in June of 2021. I did it for a reason and here's why: The 40-50 million dollar WAG (wild ass guess) on the 8 year build-out project for the massive rebuild at MV was initially proposed in May of 2021 (first reading). The second reading was in June with the third being done in Sept. The board waved the third reading knowing that all hell would break loose by the time they reconvened. Many of us took exception to that.

I raise that, because the fiasco proposed by the board for the PAC at Lakeview began on Oct 31, 2024 and their goal was to have it all done and passed in two readings by November 21, 2024. Three freaking weeks...are you kidding me?

I know, this has gotten long, but if the new board is serious about listening to the membership and helping build a sense of community, where members voices matter, they best look back at 2024 and take a serious moral inventory of how we got to where we are. Without it, i fear we will see more of the same.

Start here eh: 1200 plus total votes cast this election. The scary part of this will be the rationale i know will be coming: "members didn't vote because everyone is happy." Which is exactly why i will come back later and we can talk further about 2024 and how flocked up it has been.

Stay tuned.

 

I agree with your assessment of the events of 2024, not the finest year in our long history. I often wonder if Karen would have stayed fired would we have avoided the MV quagmire after the plan for the overpriced redo unraveled, instead IMHO it was Karen that attempted the biggest land grab in Sun City history to build her pickleball palace and her ally Kat was willing to grab the auditorium for the indoor dog facility she coveted while both stating the existing facility had reached it's end of life and needed to be torn down.

 

Which brings me to the good news regarding these past three plus years. Members have been turning out in large numbers. While some bemoan the angst that has come from these actions, i see the "activism" as both educational and stimulating. I can't tell you how many times the general manager and the board made rash decisions and almost irrespective of what they were doing, we seldom saw more than 20 members in attendance. I often reported the staff and board well outnumbered the members in attendance at the monthly meetings.

The heightened interest is a really good thing.

It shows us there is a path forward and it should be apparent to anyone paying attention what that is. We need better communication, more effective technology and low and behold, one of the current candidates even suggested comprehensive training for board members. Good God, what a great idea. We've only floated that boat about a hundred times over the years.

BPearson, Monday at 6:53 PM

So is this a false statement? I saw no more than 30 on Monday, and here are the stats from the minutes for the past 3 years. It can't be both.

---2024---2023---2022

1---53-----78------320
2---77-----115-----145
3---72-----135-----91
4---68-----54------58
5---43-----39------35
6---26-----45------35
9---n/a----242----102
10---------67------58
11---------61------83
12---------70------102

 

I may not have my timeline correct, but as I remember things; it seems to me that after several long months of weekly SAC meetings, everything was headed in a somewhat good and finalized direction. The committee was happy with Marlene's presentation, sure, there were a few minor items of concern but, all in all, things were moving toward completion and it looked like everybody was finally on the same page and getting ready pull the trigger. Suddenly, out of nowhere, and long into the process, somebody comes up with Option 2, and from that point onward, the train has been off the rails.

So....here we are, three architectural firms later, and at a cost of several thousands of dollars paid to each, we are really no farther down the road than we were even before the SAC committee held their first meeting!

Just my opinion!

 

Yea, I’m thinking of reviewing the last couple SAC meeting videos. I do remember things got real convoluted towards the end of the meetings.

 

The better question would have been had the board not fired Karen in June, where would be now? Would the board have been compelled to hire 3 armed officers for the Sept meeting? Would the Sun City Advocates even been formed? Would Sue, Dale and Allan quit? Would Bill Cook still be the general manager? Would Mountain View be half way finished?

In the immortal words of George Jones, "Choices."

I try hard not to level personal attacks at board member's decisions; i'd rather focus on why i disagree with them. Which brings me to Karen and Kat. They both gave 110% in their time on the board. Nope, i'm not agreeing with their actions as they are going out the door. I will say, i understand their dilemma. Few people who have been so involved want to leave feeling they failed to deliver. They both have been passionate in their beliefs, and until the three week PAC fiasco i was firmly supporting them as they tried to find solutions.

The SAC experience was the classic example of timing being almost everything in life. The pickleball club started out with wanting 20-25 total courts at Mountain View. Sadly, at almost that exact moment in time, indoor courts were opening around the Phoenix area and everyone's eyes got way bigger than our budget. Even the covered pavilion for 8 courts was doable, with another dozen outdoors. It would have meant the lawn bowling green going away; a suggestion i made at the SAC which angered many of my lawn bowling friends. Losing a single green would not have hurt the lawn bowling community.

Everything got really nuts at the end of 2021 going into the RCSC elections, requests started pouring in with the most difficult for an indoor dog arena and the word was they wanted 10,000 square feet. Rather than saying no, the board just started agreeing to everything; i suspect to try and insure they get votes?

The problem was, as John alluded to, the loudest voices tend to get the most attention. Over the years, the RCSC has tried to acknowledge their shortcomings regarding members and their pets. The first recognition was to buy Duffeeland and all the problems that came with it. The second was once Fairway opened and the dog clubs grassy area getting too hot, there was a year-long battle to get some kind of sun shade. It was a challenge because green grass needs sunlight. We finally got it done, but now we've come to understand, they want more.

All of which is problematic for us as we now see so many wanting more. Indoor pickleball, indoor dog arena; how about indoor lawn bowling greens and why not a gorgeous Top Golf setting for members to enjoy between rounds? How about a drop dead lakeside setting for a free-standing PAC with spectacular lake views?

My challenge hearkens back to the architects drawings we saw for the Mountain View theater. It was stunningly gorgeous and it looked like it belonged in Scottsdale or downtown Phoenix. It also was realistically foolish on a 6.5 acres parcel with such limited space. Worse yet, the two story pickleball structure they were talking about in the third phase of the 8 year build-out was never going to happen. They wanted to shut members up, knowing full well they were never going to meet the county's parking code requirements.

I want to get back to the discussion but i have long held belief our community needs to meet our needs, not our wants. We need function over form. The classic example is comparing Sun City Grand's (now known as The Grand) amenities to ours. Yes, they are stunning, but at what cost? By now, we all should be mindful of how the cost of everything is increasing.

We'll dig in tomorrow on how to move forward, or not.

 

Hi Bill, I appreciated your words here. I think we all know we are not The Grand and will never be, however we have some original charms that we can keep and I agree with you, with some well thought out ( with some facts), analysis, I don't see why we cannot come up with an affordable plan to add some new amenities, plus keep all the current Rec centers current. We still have more rec centers than any other community. Maybe we just need to analyze more of the present needs that the majority wants and simply do affordable updates to our community without destroying some of our original features. I think we can. I don't think anyone in here can afford a $1200 dollar a year assessment, so we have to be able to keep our wants and needs within a reasonable budget, but let's not destroy some of our truly natural beauty...since we have so few of it around here, since we have become very urbanized. We may not need to keep throwing up buildings. It could be we need something 'special' at Lakeview. Okay, I think everyone would be open to it, if it does not take away the lakefront charm we have. We still need to give those folks near MV a new fitness and outdoor recreation area. We will have to stay within a budget and we need to think of enhancing our physical landscape as well. I believe we can do it.
Have a wonderful holiday!

 

I thought the Marlene presentation and all the work SAC did was admirable and feasible. It should have been moved forward. It is still baffling to me, how all that work got thrown away. No one has really answered that. How did that happen? We really started to go downhill after that. Then...meetings became endless...I want this, and I want this from members, like dog arenas and stuff. I don't know but that board completely lost there way.

 

The patio overlooking the lake at Lakeview Rec Center is lovely. However it doesn't get used that much. Same with the gazebo at the top of the hill. Are there suggestions of how those could be utilized better as they are? No expenses, or minimal.

 

Many of you won't remember, but not all that long ago, anyone (non-members) could walk the Meeker Mountain without checking in with the monitor at mini-golf. The problem apparently was homeless sleeping at night under the gazebo. I recall vividly the nurses from the hospital being disappointed they couldn't go there on breaks and lunches. The solution was massive iron fencing around the property. Not all changes are good; although sometimes necessary.

The Lakeview remodel has been a long standing point of interest. Anyone who has spent time there knows the impact the setting has. Almost everyone i know that lives in Sun City brings their family members and visitors and walks to the top to show them the spectacular view in the middle of the desert. Long range planning committees have been lusting after what to do with the setting since at least 2010.

At no point in all my years of involvement did i hear or see anyone with a proposal to put a large PAC on the lawn bowling greens. I heard a rumor a board member around the time of the pandemic wanted the lawn bowling greens, but never stating what would go there. From my perspective, the entire site, from 10 pin bowling to the lawn bowling greens should fit into a master plan that shapes the Sun City story for the next 50 years.

It can be magnificent and the one time i would argue, don't be cheap. There's too much at stake to do it half-assed. Viewpoint Lake, the Lakeview rec center and the hospital launched Sun City's growth into phase 2 and 3 and produced record sales over the 8 year period. That center, which is centrally located can once again be the crown jewel.

All of which triggers my ire because had we bought the Lakes Club in 2012/2013, Sun City would be a wholly different community. The Grand center would never have been built, Mountain View would be remodeled with the theater at the Lakes club (Theater Works was there for a season or two) in the back portion. In conjunction with that, we could have created an incredible walking path from the Lakes Club, up and down the mountain and winding around to the lawn bowling greens. The massive community center would have housed the corporate offices, visitor center, and with ample space for meeting rooms, card rooms, class rooms and social gathering spaces with a bar and restaurant with a gorgeous lake front patio.

By now, we could be making the rest of the site fit our futures needs. The old round building could give way to an entirely new setting with an infinity pool at water's edge, massive patio and workout facility facing the waterfront. When Carole Martinez and i were trying to get the board and general manager to at least consider this, we had one perspective we pushed: Let the member's see it and let them decide if the proposal made sense.

Everything to me, once the opportunity has passed us by, becomes little more than a teachable moment. After watching the 2024 mistakes being made, i'm not convinced we have learned anything from our mistakes...because we just keep making them, over and over again. It all begs the question; have we learned anything from our mistakes?

 

I agree Bill, let's make it a crown-jewel, keep open lawn bowling, but recreate the 'jewel"!

 

I love it when you validate my past statements. Evidentially we have learned nothing from past mistakes.

Sambo said: ↑
How is it considered self-governance if the majority of members may want to spend all the available money at one place yet the board says no? They don't officially know what the majority of members want. Was anyone at the least keeping track of comments and tallying anything? Maybe the majority doesn't mind older technology and would rather spend it all on a PAC. Not saying that is the correct way to handle it but asking how is that self governance. It's been allowing more opportunity for comments which is good but I wouldn't consider it self governance if a majority vote isn't taken.

No matter how badly you want it, it will never be 1960, 70 or 80 again. From everything I have read it appears board members are consistent with the definition of insanity…..doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Josie P, Jan 21, 2024

BPearson said: ↑
I'm always fascinated by comments inferring my dream is we return to our past: Yikes! Let me say it for about the hundredth time: History matters because we can LEARN FROM IT. Yes, i know, i shouted it, my apologies to those of you who get it without the caps.

History does matter. I don't like the fact that history is being erased in our schools, historical statues are being removed, but that was not the point. We obviously are not learning from the past. The board members have the same complaints year after year on this site. I did a word search and the results prove that. 'This board is different' seems to be the general theme until it isn't. I can't cite anything because I am not allowed to, however they are saved. One thing I did like about this meeting was the member who told Jean it was not the board's turn to talk or try to explain, it was member time.
Josie P, Jan 22, 2024

Tom Trepanier said: ↑
Personally I don’t believe any of the new fee or assessment increases are needed. The board has not shown to me the reason for increases. I need to see a 15 year plan showing projected revenues vrs projected expenses for a logical rationale.

They have proven over and over it doesn't matter what the residents want. Insanity definition. I gave up long ago when I first addressed this on another platform.
Josie P, Feb 1, 2024

Larry said: ↑
This to me is another example of the half-assed way that the former board and management handled every major project. Who in their right mind would expect anyone to use that facility during 110°+ weather? And as mentioned, where did the money come from for an air conditioning dog park and where will it be located?

And this surprises you because? Since around 2000 RCSC management and board members have operated according to the definition of insanity. It's not an air conditioned dog park, it's a room with A/C for purposes of dog training.
Josie P, Feb 25, 2024

old and tired said: ↑
I've always been against snowbirds being on the Board. I won't vote for them in club or condo elections either.
Now if they were here say 7 1/2 months with Sun City as their primary residence, I would change my mind. That means they vote here, have their car registered here, their primary physician is here, their bank is here, and hopefully they plan to be buried here. Otherwise, Sun City will never come first with them. We will always be second in their life.
Directors have been missing quite a few meetings. Those meetings we know of. Maybe many more when you count committees. They should give at least a vague reason when one is gone.

People do have the ability to run businesses from other states. People do have the ability to be objective. But you think Einstein's definition of insanity will fix things?
Josie P, Mar 15, 2024

Larry said: ↑
Sun City is no longer a self governing organization and hasn’t been for years. I don’t care how many times you you want to proclaim it is, it has morphed into a good ol’ boy network that has had a GM as the ringleader. Favoritism has been rampant and those in the inner circle got served, those that weren’t got lip service at best, but mostly ignored. It’s way past time for actual leadership. We need to start by applying strong principles and financial control and develop long term strategies instead of just continuing to try and catch the latest trends and build them. Remember how we got here and plan for a better future.

100% agree Larry. I don't know how anyone could not agree when all we have heard for years is things started to get bad in 2006 and look where we are at now??? 18 long years. I said before it's the definition of insanity on steroids. The powers that be recommend members they want appointed to the board. the loyal followers vote for them and surprise! Yup, the good old boys. We get more of the same. I started voting for whoever was not on "the list" a while ago. The events of the past few years have clouded the wonderful memories I have of my home that go back to 1980. Yeah, I know, not a fan of purple prose so onward to better times! ☮️
Josie P, Apr 8, 2024

John Fast said: ↑
OK continuing watching the video - Karen said the right words!!!!!!! The decisions the board makes always must align with the mission, vision and value statement.

John they all say the right words in front of a camera. Most elected members are the definition of insanity. The ex politician back peddled so quickly when confronted I was waiting for Wiley Coyote's hole in the wall.
Josie P, Jun 7, 2024

 

It is an enormous opportunity Eileen and one we dare not squander. The biggest question we/they have to face is; does the board understand just how bad 2024 looked for them? My best guess is not. We'll see after the new year.

One of the advantages of living here and being involved in so many aspects of "big picture" Sun City is how much easier it is to know/understand how Sun City works. I have no interest in recanting my involvement, but i would argue it is on par with anyone else with 20 plus years in the community. It doesn't make me smarter, it just means i better appreciate how we were built and why we were successful...and how we are supposed to work.

Oddly, over those 21 years, i have come to know virtually all of the RCSC board members. Most of them i was on a first name basis with and several served on committees, on various organizations together or as liaisons to those organizations. To a man or woman, i have not found one to be corrupt, or unwilling to do their job. Some have been smarter than others, some have spent far more time than others trying to get it right and some were just happy when their term was up (including me).

What i have found is a remarkable lack of knowledge when it comes to "big picture" Sun City. Hell, i had one board member when i served tell me he thought he was running for the SCHOA board. Most of those running for the RCSC board come with valuable knowledge learned from being a club member or on one of the many RCSC committees. That helps with the "small picture," but does little for getting their head around how vital a role the RCSC could play in the community.

We know the argument; all we deal with is the RCSC and associated amenities. Okay, i guess. But understanding the community as a whole and the membership in total would help them do their job far better (IMHO). I can tell you, before 2006 when we hired a GM and gave her more responsibilities we dramatically changed the organization dynamic. Board members were far more hands on in the community. We became inward focused, and it wasn't by accident, it was by design.

If you think i am wrong, let me give you the best example as to what i am saying: Our sister city, Sun City West, adopted Title 33 in the early 2000's. They, like us, functioned under state statute Title 10. There was an amount of hostility in the community regarding how open/transparent they were. Their rec board (RCSCW) resolved it by agreeing to follow Title 33. The animosity died almost instantly.

It was massive shift in their governance with every meeting (other than topics protected by law) being open. The potential for lawsuits under Title 33 increases dramatically compared to Title 10 (much of Title 10 is flexible, while obligations under 33 is mandatory). In retrospect and watching from afar, they have done a better job of governance (although membership participation isn't much better than here).

But, here is the significant difference between us and them: Shortly after they started following Title 33, they came to understand a formal education process for community leaders and activists would be invaluable. They created what is called the TORCH program and they run two sessions every year. The run almost 100 members through the program a year, with each attending 6-7 sessions to "graduate." They cover the gamut of organizational structure along with the community's history. It was truly a brilliant move.

Of their 9 RCSCW board members this year, all had attended TORCH. On top of that, many of their club officers, committee members and outside organizations boards and volunteers have attended the program. While serving on the RCSC board we tried to start a similar program but the GM and board members had little interest. I won't speculate why other than perhaps an additional time commitment?

The question facing us all in Sun City...will 2025 be better? Will we take a giant step forward and begin to restore the members faith in the RCSC? I Know this much; if there are board members "gloating" about getting elected (a pretty low bar with 5 spots and 6 candidates), or if there are board members looking for retribution for not getting the PAC atop the Lakeview greens, 2025 will simply be more of the same.

As i write often; almost everything in life is a teachable moment.

We'll see eh?

 

Hi Bill,

I did not know of a lot of the things you've shared here. I did not know of the Title 33 vs. Title 10. I think most folks living here have no idea of this.
That sounds like a better way to at least run the sessions with that lawful protections in place.

I think even if you watch municipals like Peoria and Surprise, you are always going to have town activists and opposing viewpoints in any forums. We will continue to have the opposing viewpoints, but I think a majority-rule always needs to be in the foreground. With us, we need to have some real world data before fiduciary decisions such as constructing more buildings happen.
You also need to have a good time of show and tell out here...with maybe taking a community vote before a major change, like building and tearing down features and amenities.
I do hope that this board will 'introspect' as we move into next year.
I do see improvement and change is a part of our lives, but we need to get consensus before we just say.....now, we're doing this. Now were doing this, is not going to work in here.

Peace of the Season!

 

There's lots of things we could do better Eileen, none more important than our community/member outreach. I've written it dozens of times, from my perspective it all starts at point of sale. It is the one most obvious opportunity to begin the education/contact process. I've argued this for years and if anything we went the other way in our outreach. I used to argue the former, former GM preferred them dumb and in the dark...albeit happy because their life in Sun City was simply about moving here and having fun.

It should have/could have worked if every decision she made was perfect. It wasn't. I would and have argued the failure was more about the organization looking inward rather than outward, but obviously it goes way deeper than that. Sun City was built in and around volunteerism. Our tenets were clearly grounded in a structure of accountability, responsibility and ownership that forged that sense of community.

Theoretically she was right; many boomers weren't interested in giving back or even being part of those values. Instead we focused on being and staying cheap and affordable. It came at an ugly cost, and i'm not just talking in monetary terms. By pushing members away, we created a vacuum across the entire spectrum of organizational needs.

Sure it gave the RCSC leadership a more free hand to just do things without much push back, but that too was an ugly outcome that resulted in many of the problems and challenges we face today. 2023/2024 has been a classic example as the board often asked members opinions and were stunned often by their answers. If you don't have your hands on the pulse of the community, you do dumb stuff that results in anger and frustration.

2025 has to be a turning point; we either get in sync with the members or simply tell them "we don't care what you want or think." In addition they (the RCSC) needs to enhance their point of sale outreach to a much more sustainable outcome that results in better two-way communication. The new website might be a good start, but i suspect when the dust settles it will be just another static site with little or no interaction.

I hope i am wrong.

 

I agree Bill. A new website, while needed, is not going to help. It would take daily updates and interaction to make the website usable for the members. I hear of no such involvement being built or solicited. Throwing a website out there that is not being kept static and viable is, in my opinion, a waste of time. It will be old news, or the old adage, garbage in/garbage out. If the website isn’t updated daily with news and relevant information, it just becomes another obsolete form of the one that existed.

 

Bill, Something I have often thought about is how to fundamentally and genuinely change the point of view of a diverse populace from negative to positive. Reading your accounts has really educated me on some of the demographic dynamics at work in Sun City. Rick Gray by virtue of being the Arizona representative for the district of Sun City and being married to the GM of SCHOA also has keen insights into the population is another I have learned some things from him. I have also spoken confidentially with employees and that has provided me with even more perspective. Being on the Board has given me additional insights. With all of these reference points the only thing I can conclude is that folks in Sun City love free entertainment although there is a small group that even complains about the quality of that.

That is the lighter side of my observation. On the other side is how to channel individual/group greed into community spirit. I have seen it done but it takes a rare individual who is 100% committed to selflessly volunteer to lead the effort. If I can add a bit of self-reflection, I realize that there are a lot of I's in this post and not many We's. That rare leader of which I speak must always put We before I.

Best Regards,

John

 

I would agree 100% regarding Rick Gray is one of the more interesting and potentially dynamic and influential candidates we have ever elected to the RCSC board John. He comes with an enormous amount of organizational experience and understands the pitfalls of the structure we are built around. The downside is he is one of nine and all too often new board members are treated as if they know nothing.

I'm almost always leery when board members feel compelled to tell us over and over and over what they did for a living. While all of us have had a career, not all of it is created equal. I have in fact argued sometimes ones work experience doesn't translate at all. In Rick's case it clearly does. Hopefully the board quickly embraces that, rather than treating him like a leper.

The other part of your discussion is one i am fascinated by: Who, whom can lead us out of the abyss and the darkness? Okay, that's obviously hyperbole on my part. The source of my frustration is when i am told point blank by management, "2024 was a great year," i shudder. Yup, they spent a boatload of money, hired a bunch of new people and the amenities look better.

My bad is my measuring stick is different than others. I know the one over-riding component that has been missing in Sun City for far too long has been anyone associated with management or the board who truly grasps the importance of building a sense of community. I know so much of what made Sun City the unique community it became started with those of us living here feeling like the community existed for them.

Sun City has never been one thing. We have always been an accumulation of many things, the first being a community. Start there and our potential is unlimited. Ignore it and risk becoming less relevant by the day.

 

I wholeheartedly agree, but after speaking with certain unnamed Directors, it appears to me that he will, in-fact, be treated like a leper.

It's my hope that he would even be elected as the Board President but I fear the fix is already in and you will continue to see Tom Foster as President? I have no problem with the way Tom has presided, I think he's doing a good job, my only objection is how he was elected and the Board using a Bylaw that did not apply to the situation!

Anybody who uses the excuse that Rick hasn't served enough time on the RCSC Board to warrant being elected President needs to look back no farther than Tom Foster who not only was an appointed Director, but became Board President after serving less than one-year. Kinda makes me wonder if there needs to be a Bylaw that says an "appointee" can't serve as President? Hmmm?

I believe that if Rick is not elected as President, or at least Vice-President, the Board is being very short-sighted and self-serving by ignoring the type of experience Rick has gained by serving in the Legislature and the things he could offer and teach to the rest of the Board!

We will see!

Just my opinion!

 

The leadership experience Rick Gray brings to the RCSC is the best example of continuing to give to the community. His past experiences will surely help to inspire Sun City to become the best it can be. The knowledge he has about the workings of the county along with his practical skills learned of leadership and governance is sorely needed for the board. I suspect he will be a major contributor to the evolution of this community.
Here is hoping the current board and other incoming members offer the position of leadership to him, as there is a strong need for someone to help lead us to a better future.