We lost another good one today!

For those of you who were not at the RCSC Board meeting today, Director Connie Richtmyer resigned as of the end of today's business day. She read a heartfelt letter stating her reasons and wanted to do it publicly so rumors didn't abound. Watch her delivery at the end of the meeting when the video is released.

It will give everyone a good idea of the time, work and effort it takes to be an RCSC Director, as well as explaining the sacrifice and emotional toll it takes on an individual and other family members.

What I took away from her presentation was that the constant negativity that surrounds Board decisions is insurmountable (my words, not hers). I honestly don't know how a Board Director can sit through the monthly Exchange Meetings and continue to be shot with arrows from every side. Those meetings are nothing but "bitch sessions". I hope the Bylaws and Master Planning committees consider whether those meetings serve any purpose.

Then you add recall petitions, petitions to fire the GM, a lawsuit plus all the demeaning letters to the editor. The only thing the Directors are doing is VOLUNTEERING their time to help make Sun City a better community in which to live. After all that, people accuse them of having "an agenda". It's shameful, in my opinion.

She had positive things to say about her colleagues on the Board and described how hard they work to have better amenities for all of us to enjoy.

Thank you to Connie Richtmyer and all of the Directors of the RCSC Board who have served so faithfully. For all the people who have complained, please step up to the plate and apply to fill her position. Then you may have a different perspective of what it takes to be an RCSC Director.

 

No doubt about it, as a director for the RCSC, one cannot wear their heart on their sleeve. When a person steps into the role of leadership at the RCSC, it is fraught with opportunity for success or risk. The risk is caring about their community, its members, their decisions and their impact on the lives of those living here. When one takes on the responsibility of being a board member, it’s deeper than sitting at the big table and approving motions. No one tells you, before you run for this office, how much of your personal life gets put to the wayside to be objective, honest, and fair.
There is also great satisfaction in knowing you gave everything to your colleagues and community, and left having done your best to be a person of integrity, respect and honesty.
This is how Connie Richtmyer’s legacy of giving will be remembered and honored.
To those looking to step up, and take over this position, I admire you for looking to be a leader in the community, as well as seeking ways to work with the existing members of the board. There is a lot to be done going forward with a great deal expected from all of the board members.
Connie Richtmyer, I honor your commitment to Sun City and to the RCSC. I am truly grateful for your service. I am so very disheartened to hear of your departure from the board but I clearly empathize with your decision. Better days are ahead for you and I know we all wish you well. Please take care of yourself and take some time to recover from the stress of what you have been through. You are always welcome to contact me anytime if I can help in anyway.

 

Saddened to lose Connie Richtmyer
Watch her resignation at 1:20:26 on the video.
VIDEO RCSC Board of Directors Meeting – Thursday, March 27, 2025
Tap “Watch on YouTube” to view:

 

Being a director means different things to different people. Thank you Connie for your service and wish you the best in your future endeavors.

 

What a sad reflection on Sun City. I felt so bad for Connie.

I don't know who issues the responsibilities of the board, but you are working them to death. Then you want them to make themselves visible and go out and meet people. I would guess Board Members put in almost a full-time work week. They are retired! I have said this before, and Tom Marone has said the same. Board members should not sit on committees. As Tom pointed out assign a chairperson to run each committee meeting, prepare the minutes and give them to the Board. If a subject comes up that needs immediate attention, then meet with the Board.

Community members are watching. They are seeing Board Members as a revolving door. That has to be a huge red flag. What we have seen over the last year was out of control. Members angry, and rightly so. One Board Member gets pretty snarky. We can't vote. Residents are developing or have already developed an "I don't care attitude" over the last 15 years or so.

 

The present structure for being a director is a sure-fire method for failure. Unless/until the committees can operate without a director having to be in attendance, more resignations will be forthcoming. This is a voluntary position! Why on earth should someone put in days and days of meetings and perpetual abuse in a retirement community? Let a staff member attend the committee meetings, forward their recommendations to the board and let them do their job. Great leaders know how to delegate. Time to change the format and focus.

 

Been saying that for over a year. Refer to my post above. So has Tom M.

 

A sad day. I expect more to come as we beat up our own

 

Completely agree. Just watching a huge board discussion on AC for the new maintenance facility repair shop. Why the board needs to be in the weeds designing this facility is beyond me. What does staff do? Why no detailed cost/approach choices from them? Maybe the replacement for M’D will do better.

 

Janet, have not met you but I heartily agree with every word of your post. The in your face comments at exchanges, petty lawsuits, lets fire the GM petitions, allegations of personal agendas all serve as detractors to our volunteer board. They have plenty to do in the significant amount of time they devote each day to the RCSC focusing on the mission, goals, and values of this place. It also tarnishes the brand of Sun City and has to impact negatively on attracting new people to move and buy here. Why people want to work so vocally and in your face to our overall detriment is beyond me. I particularly liked her plea for all the folks that are quite happy living here, that support the board, and want to make a positive contribution to speak up and volunteer. She is a good one.

 

People come and go on the board, and have for years. It is a thankless job, people that run should know that going in. It's also a position where being in the minority position with fellow board members is challenging. Everyone likes to think their idea is best. The trick is to have 4 other board members who agree with you. Then the bigger fete is to get the membership to agree with you.

It's where the rub starts and exactly why we need better education and training for board members. Interpersonal training would be a great starting point. Even with that, serving on the board isn't for the faint of heart. A thick skin helps. But there's so much more. That relationship with the community is critical. Relationships are built over time and need be nurtured.

We saw last year how a few poorly thought out and ill timed actions created havoc and mistrust. This year is just another opportunity to create a better sense of community. Replace the board member, find a new GM, draft short readable bylaws that you can follow. Keep Mountain View moving and make it as transparent as humanly possible. One step in front of the other.

We can do better, we can be better.

 

She is a good one. Unfortunately, the people who are happy here just live their lives and pay no attention to board meetings. They are doing what they worked so hard for all their lives. They are having fun. They come out when things go wrong, eg libraries. PAC, etc. Sun City has discouraged singles from buying due to the assessment fee. 2 people I know lost their spouses and are not happy they are paying the same for the assessment.

I have had people on this site tell me I have to volunteer, or I am a not a good person. How do you think that sits with folks. There were several people who could tell me what to do during my life, Nuns (that ended in 1968, and my parents.

The "leaders" of SC are not the same as Grand or West.

 

I wonder if we should be paying these board members something. So many people asking folks to be on top of so much, it seems like too much.

 

No Josie, you and Tom have been whining and gnashing teeth for the past year. You have spent most of your time saying what a terrible place SC is and defaming Phase One without ever driving around. Why are you not volunteering for the Board or as I like to say, How is the view in the cheap seats? I never saw your name on a ballot, why is that and don’t give me the medicinal song and dance. I have survived worst than any medical situation you can bring up and I served. In tribute to Tom, why are you a Sunshine Patriot? Look it up under Thomas Paine.

 

The appropriate location for this discourse is the Purely Politics thread. No need to trash every open discussion. There are folks who want to have conversations dealing with the issues and the topic. Take it to the appropriate forum, don’t waste my time and energy, as well as the people who might want to contribute to the conversation at hand, by crappingon every thread.

 

And you never will

Of course you have

 

I agree, Larry. Over time, the RCSC Board of Directors have moved from a "governing board" to a "quasi unpaid employee board". I have served on multiple boards, two with approximately the same net worth, number of people served and employees, and amount of structures to maintain. In none of those boards did I have to serve on internal committees and liaisons with other community entities like the Directors of RCSC do today. One was a school board; the other the hospital board. In both cases, our organization belonged to state and national groups that could provide structure, guidance, and training for our board and management. Of course, along with that comes dues but it is money well spent.

The main functions of a governing board are to 1) set policy, 2) determine the budget and 3) hire, evaluate and, perhaps, fire the general manager. A director needs to use caution to hold the GM accountable, yet not micromanage. It's a fine line to traverse, but as long as the board or management doesn't get too far astray, it is usually a productive relationship.

I sincerely hope the RCSC Board can get on a better track or we will continue to have difficulties. The most important thing they can do now is hire a competent general manager.

 

As I sat through the Board meeting, I thought the same thing about the AC for the maintenance facility. Did we really need to know how many doors there were and where the air conditioning would be? In this day and age, one can expect that a person would need air conditioning in the facility where they might be working under a piece of equipment. Just tell them to include it in the plans. However I do recall being on a school board and learning more about roofs than I ever cared about knowing!

 

Coward!

 

Once again, Dave, please refrain from name calling.