4/24/2025 Board Meeting No New Business

F

FYI,
My throwing my hat in the ring was not a true effort to run for the position. It was done in jest. First of all, there is no way in hell anyone on the board, after reading all of my posts, would allow me back into the boardroom. The handwriting is on the wall as to how the meetings might go. This time around, no silence on my part. Regular updates on how things are going, which we know would not be appreciated by the current regime.
Would not be my first rodeo, so my learning curve is short, and my focus is on point. Yes, only one voice, but this voice has a definite agenda and would make sure everyone knew it. I am not a shy wall flower kind of person and as I age, my determination has strengthened.
I made my offer tongue in cheek with the idea of creating a small humorous respite.
And I am familiar with being the lone voice and being regularly out voted.

 

Allow me to further offer my qualifications for the position on the board. I am a retread, or otherwise known as a former board member trying to be a current board member. Most everyone finds retreads to not be wanted and not the most desirable choice. Yippee, sign me up! I was a board member during a time when I couldn’t get anything done because there was a theme to that particular board, and nothing I supported met the criteria. So, I know how to present a filibuster style argument to try to convince others to vote my way. Doesn’t usually work, but it does make sure others know the topic will probably come up again. I trust the other members to be working for the same goals I have, and place a lot of respect for those that have also volunteered. I don’t support taking the summer off, there’s just too much to get done. I believe the reallocation of the work to other teams will help facilitate making time for the pressing outstanding issues. My agenda requires that every other director be available to help shape a new vision for the board.
Pretty darned snooty of a retread to believe that the team can do the impossible in short order, isn’t it? I believe this board can do amazing things when tasked with expectations beyond the usual.
Imagine a frumpy 70 year old toothless woman sitting in front of the membership, as a representative of the board? Imagine this same old woman having ideas that can reshape the current mindset in ways that can make the RCSC shine in new ways just based upon strategic planning. Okay, so I have had a few strokes, that makes my mind still sharp, just has a few rough edges. The focus is spot on and the vision of what could be is clear. Just takes everyone to share the desire. Now, there’s my application for consideration. A retread who can see where the future of the board could be. Any takers? No clamoring for the exit, keep it nice and orderly please.

 

I once wrote the board was where people go with new ideas to die. I know, somewhat cynical on my part, but the board while Carole and i were on was anything but a robust exchange of ideas...other than from the GM. Both board presidents during the three years i was there were retired military officers who saw their role as supporting whatever the general manager wanted. Carole and i got to vote no often, mere speed bumps in the road.

I can't imagine the challenges that exist at this moment, no general manager, down one board member and the 8 that are there have their hands in and on everything. Currently it's a structure set up to fail. The solution is broadening the net of members who could jump in and take some pressure off them; clearly not a direction they are comfortable going in.

Which is why i was hard on Dave and his "fears of the membership doing harm to the organization." Sorry, but our history doesn't show us that to be the case. In fact, just the opposite. As the members were taken out of the equation and general manager became our guiding light was when everything got fuzzy and out of kilter.

Well, almost everything; we remained a cheap place to live. And now we are paying for it by trying to catch up and sadly, without much help from the membership. When you push people away, or worse yet, demean the work they do, more often than not, they walk away.

While Carole's remarks were tongue in cheek about the committee she would form once she returned, the concept of a grass roots membership driven out-reach program is exactly what the doctor would order. Building internally, as we know from our history, results in driving the external growth of the community (AKA home sales).

Better yet, it removes the onus on the board of having yet another thing to do. But alas, doing that would mean trusting the membership.

Don't hold your breath.

 

Carole, I wish you luck in your quest to jest the board into a reality check. I am quite sure it is not appreciated by the Board. I think that there are some good things happening and want to make sure we are being fair in our comments. First, a process is in place for making decisions on Mountainview. Second, the website is being worked on. Third, deferred maintenance is being addressed. Fourth, the bylaw motions are being considered, Fifth, there is no public disagreement among the board about anything (let's hope they have Solomon's wisdom) Sixth, a search for a new GM is ongoing and hope springs eternal and Seventh, A major catastrophe (library closing) has not occurred in the last several months. These are only highlights. Not too bad for a group of volunteers with no prior experience in what they are tasked to do.

 

So, Bill, think I should be waiting for the phone to ring with the offer to be a part of the board? Have I made a good argument as to why I should be picked? Offering to be a change agent at no charge, something a consultant would get paid a premium for. But, in order to make changes, there needs to be a willingness to do the work to make it happen. And it can be a painful process to go through as new norms are established and redefining roles and responsibilities can be tough. But the rewards have always been fantastic for everyone involved. When there is inclusion of all of the key players, it’s nothing less than astounding what the new norms become. The process becomes smoother and the goal becomes crystal clear. The new goal for the board: meeting the needs of the community while being the best governance possible. Simple and effective, straightforward and to the point. Just start the process of making it happen. Said the retread from the peanut gallery.

 

There are indeed good things going on John and sadly the eight of them are creating more work than should be heaped upon them. The tragedy is they are doing it to themselves and in my humble opinion, it's not sustainable.

I hope i am wrong.

No matter who the new GM is, will be, there will be a learning curve of a year or two. No matter who the interim board member is, it will take the remainder of this year to see if they want to run again next. No matter who is on the bylaws "working group" (God that's a dumb idea), their efforts will be challenging, unless of course they have found RCSC members well versed in writing bylaws (of course we'll never know unless they tell us who they are?). I'm excited by the new website, but i have heard rumors the TAG golf system will still be attached/used (i truly hope i am wrong but allegedly because we have 5-somes other systems can't handle it). It's a pretty scary list by anyone's standards.

All-in-all, they have done a good job to date, certainly better than recent counter-parts. Will the summer heat slow the momentum? Will the sheer weight of the difficulties they face result in them melting down? Will they be able to fill the open positions with qualified and quality people while not breaking the budget?

Only time will tell.

 

John,
No disrespect was intended towards the current members. If that is the impression I made, then I sincerely apologize.
Now to your points. I have read the committee reports about the website work being done. I have stated before that I commend the work being accomplished, but the idea of making Wordpress expand to include all the needed features and functionality to meet the needs of the community is folly. The additional content that needs to be developed to make all of the content accessible and functional is enormous using the current software in place. Moving to a newer, more efficient, advanced platform would support the needs of the community and provide a more efficient and robust platform of usable features for all concerned. The amount of time already spent trying to merge the various systems is ultimately creating a product that will require more time to maintain and manage just because of the bridge of software utilization. The computer system was past its prime when I was on the board. There has not been a dedicated IT team assembled to build and maintain the infrastructure since I left. Which, in my opinion, means what is in place is crap. The off the shelf package that was purchased for golf was a poor choice when it was implemented, in my opinion. It allows for the gaming of the system to the detriment of the RCSC and those seeking better tee times. Implementation of a comprehensive software program for the benefit of the entire community that is fluid, flexible and scalable is worth its weight in gold, in my opinion.
Yes, there is great work being done, and my tongue in cheek comments are always fodder for interpretation. But the need for a committee or some sort of group dedicated to member outreach is a great need as well. The board cannot remain in a vacuum that doesn’t include the membership needs. Rewriting bylaws in secret? Any input from anyone outside of the board being sought? About anything? Could members offer their skills and abilities to help create a new, wholistic community built program that encourages and engages the members? How dare I think this could be possible? Better yet, why not think this is exactly what is needed.

 

How about building another legal affairs committee? We surely could use the input and support from the members of the community to help read and direct the affairs of the corporation in a meaningful and effective manner. One that has been reviewed and supported that any ideas or questions have been properly vetted by the committee for approval.
How about a group of members available to be a welcome guest program for prospective homebuyers? Allow these volunteers to explain what Sun City is, how and why it’s a great place to live, and further expound on why we are uniquely positioned to be their new place to live.
Or a welcome guest group that makes a house call shortly after the sale of the home to see if any assistance may be provided to the new owner. Be available to answer questions about what to do with the boxes when empty. Who has the best internet access at what price? Are there farmers markets in the area? Be the face of someone who wants to say thank you for coming to the community.
Little things like these are what make us a better place to live if we all look for ways to involve the community members to participate.

 

I would even support Dave being appointed to the legal affairs committee since he has such profound knowledge and experience in that field. Seriously! Probably not on the welcoming committee though.

 

I applaud all of the work and efforts of our board of directors. They give of their time and energy for the benefit of the community and I am thankful for what they are doing. I truly appreciate their dedication and commitment to Sun City.
Has anyone ever given thought to each director having their own support group? A small team designed to assist each director in their daily tasks of their scope of work? Pulling the research together on a suggested subject or offering a synopsis of the feedback from a vendor? Just an idea to lessen the burden of work on each director.
Also, have one director assigned to a committee, with the director providing guidance on scope and outcome, but having the committee select a chair and co-chair to direct the work of the committee? The committee chair would report to the director the outcome from the committee, freeing up the directors to pursue the work needed to govern.
This is in no way a condemnation of the work being performed now, just suggesting a different way to accomplish what needs to be done yet provide some relief to the directors.

Take heart, I will now stop writing my ideas for the board. I feel confident you folks know there are better ways to achieve the desired outcome and provide some relief by utilizing member volunteers who would be elated to help. My ideas are just that, MY thoughts. Thank you again for your time, it is appreciated.

 

I move to amend by substitution Article XII, COMMITTEES, SECTION 2: By striking out Section 2 and inserting, “All committees will have a Chair and Co-Chair, one of which shall be a Director and one of which may be a Member. Approval of Chair and Co-Chair shall take place at the time of appointment.

If a Director is serving as Chair or Co-Chair and is unwilling or incapable of satisfactorily performing the responsibilities, they may be removed from his/her position as Chair or Co-Chair by a ballot vote of a majority vote of the Board (5).

If a Member is serving as Chair or Co-Chair and is unwilling or incapable of satisfactorily performing the responsibilities, they may be removed from his/her position as Chair or Co-Chair by a ballot vote of a majority of the committee.

The Committee Chair and Co-Chair will conduct committee meetings unless unavailable, then another Director may do so. The Committee Chair or Co-Chair in the absence of the Chair, will be responsible for presenting committee recommendations to the Board.

Between their duties to serve on several committees they are also tasked with being liaisons for several other organizations. Why can't those duties be administered by a volunteer community Member(s) who will make their reports back to the Board at Board meetings?

 

WHOA!! Way to go FYI. Seeing an opportunity and taking it. Thank you for sharing your ideas and for thinking outside of box. Much appreciated!

 

The title of this thread is Board Meeting, No New Business. I feel we have found many new ways to do business on behalf of the directors, the members and the RCSC as a whole. Thanks to everyone for allowing me to share my thoughts and for those who helped with feedback. Just love the community conversations that promote this community of ours.

 

This ain't rocket science! All it takes is for the Board to have confidence in the Membership and their opinions.

Like Bill always says, the Members haven't steered the community wrong yet, something I can't necessarily say about some of the past decisions made by the Board!

 

While we can all applaud what the board is doing, the question always looms: Is it sustainable? Will the next board members want to work long weeks and take on every problem as their own to solve. This is why history matters. We know when you nurture new home owners/members to take on some minimal responsibilities, they tend to grow and step deeper into the fray.

It's why retreads never made any sense. They were just placeholders. Not blaming them for stepping up, i'm looking at past boards who did nothing to grow or groom the circle needed to flourish.

We know the fallacy of shutting members off and up. The real question is why are they so concerned about shuffling off some of the responsibilities they keep piling on their plate?

 

FYI,
First, that’s have fun storming the castle. Next is the specific name. Of the site I was “banned” from. No cryptic answers that are not answers.

 

I would guess it has to do with power and control.

 

Janet, I was the chair of the Legals Affairs Committee until it was disbanded for lack 9f interest and members. That was in 2013 I believe. I would not appreciate being on the welcoming committee as I believe my skills are not geared to that. As for the Legal Affairs Committee, I wouldn’t say profound knowledge in the legal field, i.e., family law, tax law, maritime, etc. My legal experience comes from on the job as does my financial analysis, legal procedure and so on. A roommate gave me a couple of law case books, Estates and Trusts, Federal Evidence and a Black’s Law Dictionary from his law school days. I also read books of court decisions on the State and Federal level. I still receive court decision on my computer. Interesting stuff if you are into that.
Thought your house was pretty cool. Didn’t know it was so famous.

 

Thanks, I am very happy with my place. Didn't have to do much to it. Bought about 85% of the furniture from the seller for a song. Actually mine isn't famous. The one owned by Del Webb's second wife is up the road a couple of blocks. It was sold a couple of years ago. No Open House so I didn't see it. The photos on the Internet looked nice though. They had modified the third garage to an office in half of it and storage in the other half. Only drawback would be having to back out of the driveway onto Del Webb Boulevard and some modest traffic noise on the front courtyard. There are two of these units for sale now both on Del Webb Boulevard. One must have been bought by a flipper. Went through it for their estate sale. Everything was pretty much original. Small rooms too. Another one is for sale farther north on Del Webb. It has an in ground pool in the back courtyard. Photos look very nice. High price tag. Out of my price range. I think it is the one Bill P is referring to that they came close to buying it. My neighbor said they almost bought it some years ago.

 

I would echo Janet's sentiment that Dave has expressed a genuine willingness to perform legal analysis. Such skills would be very helpful to a legal affairs committee.

I also encourage Board members to read the above suggestions if they feel they are drinking out of a fire hose and drowning in the process. Help is available and as they say, operators are standing by.