I got an email this morning from a friend and as we typed back and forth i was reminded of this treatise i wrote to the board and general manager while serving on the board (2012-2014). It was initially posted on TOSC in 2015 and as i read it again i was stunned at how "timeless" the words were. Here's the set-up from 2015: It would be easy to think my recent tirades about the PIF increase or the boards lack of understanding of the historical process is simply an effort to diminish the board's authority. In an effort to refute any claim, I went digging through my digital files for an article written for the board just over two years ago. It was during that time where the board and management team was considering rewriting board policies covering committees. I presented this treatise to them in advance of what I had hoped would be meaningful discussions. Silly me. Unfortunately, it appeared , we were more interested in flushing some people than we were in finding logical solutions. Really, why bother wasting time analyzing problems when you can rewrite policies and be done with those who stand in your way. Suffice to say, I voted against the committee changes, but alas I was again in the minority. Here is what I wrote to and for the board. It was one of the better pieces and I have crafted, but it may as well have been in Greek. Warning: Very long so I will separate it and place it in the next post.
Sun City and its Future. Committees…The good, the bad and the ugly: “A committee is a group of the unprepared, appointed by the unwilling to do the unnecessary.” Fred Allen Seems Fred Allen had a somewhat nasty perspective on the role of committees and even a more jaundiced view of those foolish enough to appoint them. I suspect those of us who have had the misfortune of living in a world surrounded by committee-dumb have come to understand just how challenging it is to get things done. Organizations by their very structure are slow moving but when you bog them down with a dozen committees, one quickly comes to appreciate the concept of working alone and just getting things done. With that vitriolic overview out of my system, it must be said that most assuredly committees have played an integral role in Sun City’s evolution. I suspect from its earliest days the powers that be turned to the old standard of committees being used to help shape and guide the community. It was standard boiler plate fare for the “greatest generation.” It also should help motivate us to look at any changes we may consider in a highly questionable light. It would be easy if Sun City was in shambles and we knew for certain committees were the reason for it. Certainly not the case, but does that mean there may not be a better way to approach the future of Sun City? And therein lay the fabulous self-examination potential we have before us. Rather than begin to think we are a group of nine who have been granted some sort of omnipotent powers, we need consider what has happened when we have acted in haste and without input from the community at large. Suffice to say; too often we have ended with the proverbial egg on our face. Before we go there however, let me quickly review what was one of my most pleasant experiences in the 10 years I have been in Sun City. I have had the joy of serving on a half a dozen boards, working with any number of committees and have come to appreciate how we are uniquely different than so many other places I have worked at or lived in. We are self-governed and that of unto itself is a blessing (yes I said blessing). Almost everyone that buys in Sun City is transferred through ownership the right to speak their mind about what we do and how we do it. Sadly, we have morphed into both a society and a community where complaining is far easier than acting on those issues we find troubling. We need change that and therein lay our challenge. As usual, I regress; let me get back to the matter at hand. On April 22, the Sun City Foundation board engaged in an exercise that was exceptionally good. Approximately a dozen of us gathered to look at the future of the Sun City Foundation. To do so, we needed to look at the bigger picture of Sun City and the changes we ultimately will be facing. There is little doubt the pressures of a society where people will work later in life and be facing the economic impact where defined pensions will fall by the wayside will seriously change Sun City. We quickly came to understand the challenges and rather than agonize over them, we felt our best hope was to try and manage them with some careful and speculative thinking about what those changes would bring. The difficulty was we were working in the vacuum of a small group (perhaps a good thing) and with a fairly narrow perspective (the role the foundation would play going forward). The experience was eye-opening to say the least. Following the session I had the good fortune of having coffee and a brief internalizing of the meeting. Out of the process of picking it apart, I came to believe we were on the right course, but for certain, a far more aggressive analysis of our future was imperative. What brought this to light was the simple question: “Has the RSCS Board ever done this kind of exercise?” Great question eh? Let me say, my answer was based solely on what I know and that was no. I have to believe somewhere along the line boards did a down and dirty 10 years from now scenario, but if they did, I have never seen or heard about it. The question brought to mind one of those really awesome presentations I attended along the way where the presenter suggested the successful companies always did 10, 15 and 20 year planning so they could properly position their company for the future. If we did so, what would Sun City look like in the year 2023? What would the impact be to a community filled with more boomers and less people in their 80’s and 90’s? How would the community be impacted when better than half the population is still working and has less time for golf, joining clubs and becoming an active participant in the self-governance? Can we even begin to fathom the affect and begin to shape the future by coming to understand what new buyers will bring to the table when they move here? It truly is a daunting challenge for most of us. Long range planning in Sun City has almost always been short-sighted. In age restricted communities the tendency is often just living in the moment. From the beginning, it’s been a more hedonistic lifestyle predicated on getting the most out of the incredible number of options we have here. I would argue that in fact our sense of giving back by volunteering was an effort to counter-balance the idea we need to have more in our lives than just a life of fun and games. That’s a topic for others to examine; my effort here is to try and get us to shape our actions around those yet to buy into Sun City. I think it’s safe to say past boards have been more interested in making decisions based on those living here (and quite often for very long periods of time). The leadership by its very structure looks to longevity (at least two years as a resident to be on the board) and often those in attendance to be long time residents. Part of the problem was new people haven’t been welcomed with open arms. I see that changing and would argue if we do the right things before and as people buy, we will continue to bridge that gap between long term and short term residents. More to the point, if we ask those living in Sun City for years, we will undoubtedly hear an outcry about doing away with committees. It will inevitably bring about the cliché “if it isn’t broken, why fix it?”Of course that begs the question…”is it broken?” For those of us on the board who sit through never-ending committee meetings trying to make it look like we are doing something of value, the answer is easily answered. Which ultimately takes us back to the opening quote from our leaned Fred Allen; what is the purpose of committees? My past life has taught me the absolute value of feedback/input from those I represented. It also proved to me that often long-standing committees are almost always a drag on an organization. Unless they have a clear purpose with defined objectives, they tend to flop about like a fish out of water. If that’s true, then we need look at what committees fit into a specific need and which are just there for “show.” Let’s be blunt, that gets ugly; hell, who wants to admit they are wasting their time by sitting in a room doing little more than filling a chair. I know I am being somewhat caustic but for clarity purposes, this is where we need take a careful and concise inventory of the role of committees. In my humble opinion, this isn’t an action to be taken on solely by the board of directors. While we may have the best handle on which committees are essential and which aren’t; it’s a decision that affects the community at large for years to come. At the very least committees should be involved and I would argue the larger body community may even want to weigh in. One only has to look back at the decision to do away with the legal committee to give cause to pause and ponder. From that process we then may consider how we replace those committees. I know many of us like the concept of ad hoc; some may like “town hall” type calls to action and maybe there are even more ideas out there we haven’t considered. The fact of the matter is committees are there to help us gain insight and suggestions as to what the community is thinking. In reality, it often becomes a place where a person’s personal agenda is being promoted (nope nothing wrong with that, it’s often how self-governance tends to work). Through all of these ramblings, my most overriding comments are this: 1). Move slowly. 2). Seek committee/community input. 3). Use this as an opportunity to begin engaging in the education process of the changes Sun City will be facing to help people understand why we are looking to the future and what that impact may be. Perhaps no one will ever read this, that’s fine. My purpose in committing thoughts to writing is it helps me understand the challenges we face. Bill Pearson. Sun City=Community before corporation, people before politics.
Bill, I am worried that we may lose our age overlay as time goes on. I don't understand some of this on activities. I went into Marinette yesterday to go on treadmill. There was a gang of 4 people all looked under 40, waiting at check in to use pickleball. How does that happen? Not one of them looked like residents here from the youngness of there age. How does pickleball work anyway?? Can one member-resident bring in a gang of outsiders. Sorry, but it concerned me. I feel we are letting the place turn into the YMCA. The womens showers and bathroom could of smelled cleaner. I am not talking here about grandkids visiting over spring break. I'm talking about 35-40 year olds who where dressed in high fashion gear plowing in. If we are going to be so liberal on usage of our facilities to non-residents, why bother with this place. We are no longer a retirement community. Just asking...?? Does anybody know how pickleball comings and goings work. Thank you.
I believe a person over the age of 19 can live here as long as the owner of the home is 55+. They can also get a rec card. A neighbor's son lives with him, he looks 30ish. I moved in with my parents to take care of them when I was in my late 40's and had a rec card. It wouldn't surprise me if we begin to see more of this as not everyone can afford a Royal Oaks or Grandview Terrace. Seems like as a society we are getting back to multigenerational living which can provide safety, security, financial help etc.
Don't be alarmed Sun City will lose their age overlay Eileen; not even a little bit. Most likely the 35-40 year olds you saw at pickleball were visiting their parents or grandparents and they would have purchased day passes or used a punch card for access. There was a time when pickleball players had access without entering through the Marinette lobby and that was stopped. The RCSC does a pretty good job of monitoring activities, with only a few locations not having a monitor on duty. As far as the age overlay, SCHOA has to file the supporting data (more than 80%) yearly of the community being age qualified. The last numbers i saw were in the mid-90% range. We've long struggled with rental property owners not caring who they rent to, which used to be the highest percentage of violations SCHOA dealt with every year; and why members reporting those violations being critical. It is a slow convoluted process to evict them, but it does work. There's a lot of things you can worry about, the age overlay isn't one of them.
Bill, It’s safe to say the deconstruction of the core values of Sun City was systematically accomplished through careful planning by a single person. It started to get uncomfortable when these changes were proposed, more importantly, endorsed by fellow board members. Having to sit through the meetings that offered up these ideas made my stomach churn. The worst part, was not being able to stop what was happening and knowing it wasn’t in anyone’s best interest except for the authors. So yes, your treatise is most relevant today as it was when written. There are so many things that could have been accomplished, but most items actually completed are still having a negative impact on the overall effect on the community. This board has the ability and desire to create a positive impact for the future. I have confidence with the right impetus, they will step up and make the hard decisions for the betterment of Sun City.
Bill, It did not look like someone's kids...to me. That's all I can tell you. Do you know how they are getting in to play pickleball. If it is by a day pass, how does day passes work? Just would like to know. It appears to me that pickleball is not being treated the same way as other activities in here. I have asked for definition before from BOD in the past couple of years. No one seems to give me a clear answer on this. I just feel that if one person who lives here can get passes for 5 or 8 people, for hardly no money at all. I feel we are getting abused as a private rec center. Only my opinion, but it appears everytime I go to Marinette, that the place is turned into the kingdom of pickleball...the word is out, and hard to believe all these folks are residents. I wouldn't of said anything but I've seen big crowds coming in. Just would love to know how that is being run. If we want to incur more money in here, we should be charging all the visitors a lot more. I feel we are being hugely taken advantage of. Just my opinion on this matter.
I don't believe that comment is completely accurate. It's my understanding that a person 55+ must also live in that house along with the underage person.
I have always disagreed with the way they handle guests. In many, if not most places, to be a guest you must be playing with a member. So, if the person plays golf the member must be part of the group. If the guest is playing pickleball the member must be playing with them.
That sounds reasonable. The exception would be a family member visiting, but the resident/Member is unable to participate. I think that occurs frequently with the elderly Members.
There are old people everywhere that does it the way I described. In your example the relatives just don't get to participate. I have no problem with that. They have the entire Phoenix Metro Area to entertain themselves. Are they coming to visit grandma or looking for a cheap vacation?
I used to feel like most people about guests. That changed when someone's guests vandalized the billiard room at Fairway. I think that is thew first time we had to get tokens on our rec card.
Agree, If I remember correctly if Grandma and Grandpa are too old and the kids, greats and grands were visiting they just had to go sign them in at the pool or mini golf, just as long as there was an adult present like the mom or dad of the kids. Older people look forward to seeing their littles, however littles have an abundance of energy and need an outlet for a while.
