What does self-governance mean to you?

I've often written that Sun City is unique. What is truly fascinating is it isn't just on one level, but on dozens. From the limitless styles of houses, incredible quantity of amenities to the fabulous opportunities to give back our talents; we have it all. In my mind though, there is one feature that stands head and shoulders above the rest; the fact we are self-governed.

Speaking bluntly, it was one of the reasons we moved here. Life outside the walls is filled with politicians and movers and shakers that control the process. Sun City long ago decided they would approach it differently. And while historically there are those who would argue we should have incorporated, I suspect had we, it would have changed our community in ways that would have made us like all the others. Thank God they didn't.

In the 11 years we have lived here, I have had the good fortune of serving on boards of a number of different organizations. I've seen up close and personal the inner-workings of the community and come to appreciate the simple concept that if we don't like something we can stick our hand in the air and volunteer to try and change it. It is without question better than from where we came.

I've also had the pleasure of seeing Sun City from a historical perspective. I've read through files, books, magazines, oral histories, college thesis and whatever else I could put my hands on. Our history is only 50 + years old and it has been captured magnificently at the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum. Visitors almost always leave in awe, and I have spent more hours than I care to think about reading from their vast resources of materials.

In the past 2 and a half years, I have served on the RCSC board of directors. As my first term winds down, I find myself trying to determine whether I have made a difference and whether I should run again. This past couple of months I have been struggling with those questions. In the past week, it all became pretty clear. My time at the RCSC is up. My beliefs in what self-governance is are far removed in how other directors see things.

Since the day I was elected, I have pushed for a more forward thinking process. I believe for Sun City to go to the next level we need be engaging the residents/community in our direction. Nope, not saying we need to vote on expenditures for PIF projects, but I think it is imperative we begin a open dialogue about the future of Sun City.

There is absolutely no question (in my mind) that Sun City will face serious changes in the next twenty years. Societally there are a half a dozen key issues that will impact our "retirement community." Most of those changes will impose a drastic drag on our infrastructure and will force us to change in ways we may neither like nor want.

I have all but begged boards to look to the future and bring stakeholders together so we can at least begin to analyze our options. For some reason, that is intimidating. Perhaps it is because I come from a different background than running a business. I've always found when I asked people what they thought, wanted or felt, I had a broader, better base to make my decisions from.

But alas, I have made few inroads to get buy-in. There's more, but for now I will sign off to continue my ramblings another day.

 

So let's continue this abject lesson in forward thinking. I've long believed life is filled with teachable moments and this diatribe can yet again be another. Sometimes people look at me like I speak in tongues, which I find funny because I pride myself in a pretty open and straight forward style of communication.

The challenge, at least in my mind for some, is they find looking to the future an impossible task. And, the further out you get, the less people can grasp the context of the pending problems and the impact those changes will bring. So for purposes of this exercise let's simply look at what we know, rather than what we think may happen long term.

I talked above about the "societal issues" we know we will be facing. Rather than leaving them open to one's imagination, let's reduce them to print in hopes each of us reading them can get our head around those realities. Of course the impact is another discussion for another day, but for now we'll use the kiss principle.

1). Boomer's will be the primary buyer in Sun City. They come with a whole new set of beliefs, wants and expectations. Questions of whether they will volunteer and become a part of the governance process are certainly open for debate.

2). No matter boomer or part of the "greatest generation," those buying in Sun City will be working later in life. What that means to a retirement community is a question as deep as the Grand Canyon.

3). Advances in medical technology will mean people will be living longer. As life spans increase, will that leave more people unable to participate in the community?

4). Bricks and mortar retail will continue to be overtaken by online shopping. Add to it the continuing growth of big box stores and it becomes clear the 16 Sun City shopping centers and strip malls will have even more vacancies.

5). Given Sun City is at build out and is land locked, the land under those same shopping centers will become more valuable than the rental value they currently get. Imagine the potential there!

6). As people live longer, the growth in the need for more and better medical centers, doctors and quality of care will spike, especially in communities of nothing but seniors. What does that mean to Sun City?

7). There are repeated articles on trends in charitable giving. Clearly the challenge for us is with so many organizations that depend on donations, what is the impact as those resources dwindle and the pool of volunteers dry up?

Those are just 7 quickies off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more and the value of brainstorming them amongst stakeholders is we would begin to open doors and more importantly minds. As I have often stated; we can't stop the changes we face but we can certainly manage them better by being prepared for what is coming.

Enough for now, but we will continue at some point.

 

I don't like the thought of #5. Hope you are not talking about fracking. Even more than hospitals, #6, I see the need for people to afford to stay in their homes and get a bit of help. In home help is expensive.

 

Hey Cynthia...explain what you mean by "fracking."

 

drilling undergroun into shale for natural gas supplies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing there's a lot of it going on now and ruining the water supply. I don't know about Arizona. People tried to get home owners in my area to sign up for it many years ago before we knew what it was. We didn't go for it even then.

 

Thanks for the explanation Cynthia, I was not familiar with the word. Nope, I don't see that ever happening in Sun City. One of the things that can and will happen, as land values increase, is these shopping centers and strip malls will be leveled. Obviously not all of them, but certainly a number of them will disappear. That would make way for more housing, either vertically or horizontally.

And there-in is the reason to put together a think tank type gathering to begin to understand what the future holds. Unfortunately at this time, finding those who buy into a more progressive/aggressive style of self-governance is not within our reach.

Too bad because the timing could never be better.

 

Glad to hear it. When you said the "land under those" is more valuable, I wondered what you were thinking. Has (forward thinking) Dell Webb left the building?

 

There is a very large building in the La Rounde Circle that I understand was a Grocery Store.
I sure wish it would again become one.

 

If I know us baby boomers we will most likely improve it and screw it up. Simultaneously.

 

Here, Here Cynthia.
We baby boomers try and try, but sometimes... well, you know.
I hope to be able to be on the improve side when we finally get to SC.
For better or worse, I am too much like my dad (one of the greatest generation).
I think it is a good thing, my wife on the other hand would sometimes disagree.
My son is more like my dad than I am and I think that is awesome!

 

Tivoli Gardens used to be in La Ronde Circle but they moved to Bell.
A road I try to avoid.

So far, their spot is still vacant. Another restaurant would be nice.

Also, I wish something would open in the large building on the opposite side of the street.
At one time it was a grocery store.

 

I don't see boomers as being a problem; in fact, if we market the community to those that like the idea of taking ownership in the process, we will undoubtedly attract an endless stream of buyers who want to get their hands in and on things. It really is about planning and making the right moves to insure the right outcomes.

I love this quote from Peter Drucker: "The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Perhaps truer words were never spoken.

 

The best way for me to express the meaning of self-governance, is to consider the alternative: external governance. With external governance, you have people outside the community making decisions for you. Such people may or may not have your self-interest at heart and more likely want to propagate their own self-interest and agenda, quite possibly at your expense. This all comes with bureaucracy, increasing costs, inertia, and complete loss of control of your destiny. Self-governance also requires looking beyond personal agendas and considering the community as a whole. Certainly, if Sun City were to somehow lose their ability to self–govern, external government would be ready to swoop in.

Mr. Pearson, I sincerely hope you will reconsider your decision to run for the RCSC Board of Directors. I have read everything you have written here and on places like 55places.com. You are passionate about Sun City and forward thinking. There are few, if any left, who know the history of Sun City like you do and can connect the new to the old. If you don’t advance the dialogue toward new ways of thinking then who will? I sense your desperation to create change and new ways of thinking in the face of adversity or inertia/apathy. However, sometimes the things most worth fighting for are lost causes. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite lines from the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:

Jefferson Smith: I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. All you people don't know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for. And he fought for them once, for the only reason any man ever fights for them; because of just one plain simple rule: 'Love thy neighbor.'... And you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than for any other. Yes, you even die for them.

 

Hey Riggio, thanks for the kind words. It's easy to get passionate about something when one loves where they live and why it is unique. And that is exactly why our history is so important to me. The more I read, the more I come to understand just how special Sun City is. Simply put, people have made the real difference.

Loved your analysis of sell-governance. If you have read my stuff you know I am a huge John Meeker fan. He was the person in the DEVCO company that made Sun City the success it is today. Oddly, he wanted badly for Sun City to incorporate and it's also the one place I disagree with him. It would have turned us into just another city with external governance and out of control bureaucracies. Volunteerism would have gone by the bye.

I have thought long and hard about running for anther term and have come to this conclusion: The biggest challenge for RCSC boards is how splintered we are. We come from various walks of life and with various agenda's. We rely heavily on staff for input and are always reluctant to get "too far out there." We all know organizations move slowly (at best) so to think anything should happen quickly is silliness.

That said, we have to begin to look to the future. There is a slew of things happening societally that will impact Sun City in ways most cannot even begin to grasp. It is imperative we elect board members who have that kind of foresight and are willing to push to get things done. My impact has been limited and in some cases, my own fault. I have told people who have asked my plan at this point is to take next year off the board and in 2016 find two other like minded people who will run with me. We will form a slate and set an agenda that will be progressive and aggressive and if card holders like our message we will get elected.

There will still be board members elected this year I both know and like and feel confident we will hold a majority and begin to set Sun City on a bolder more open course of governance.

 

Your response says it all Emily: " I hope to be at least a small part of it." Those few words are at the heart and soul of Sun City's future. It is incumbent we attract potential buyers who have an interest, willingness and ability to partake in our self-governance. Without it, we end up with a handful left to do the work.

It's a pretty simple equation: 40 thousand plus residents and if half were to get involved there is no limit to what we can accomplish. The reality is we end up with far less than that who want to be bothered by the process. Heck, I would be happy if residents at least took the time to understand why we have worked for so long and at least understood how Sun City functions.

Just the other day my wife was playing tennis at Bell and a long time resident/tennis player was complaining about the new courts going in there. The courts will be shut down starting in August. The moaning was on par; the RCSC raised my dues 50 cents per month so they could build new courts...REALLY? We've had this discussion a thousand times (or more); these kinds of projects are paid for by the Preservation and Improvement Fund (PIF), not from annual rec fees.

I respect everyone right to speak out about what we are doing, but for goodness sake, at least have a tiny clue about what you are saying. Hence, the importance of educating members about how we work and why we are so successful.

 

I imagine it would be difficult to monitor, but what if you had the pay or play idea. Either volunteer or pay an additional fee. Well, I suppose that would be a tough sell.

 

As a boomer about two years from making a move to AZ from MN we wonder if older communities are as welcoming as newer communities such as Festival. Are social circles so well established that it's hard to "move in" socially? I do agree that brick and mortar businesses are becoming less important given online shopping (with delivery at no cost and no driving your vehicle to a store and lugging a package home).
I don't want to diverge from the topic but the mention of "fracking" above got my attention. There's little evidence that it's "ruining the water supply" anywhere. I've spent time working the oil fields of North Dakota and always bristle when I hear this common misconception of the process. One needs to look at facts not just publications from such organizations as the Natural Resources Defense Council (remember the false Alar scare?) or Greenpeace.

 

Since I was the person who mentioned it, excuse me, but I have read many source facts about fracking (now in the Oxford dictionary so no need for quotation marks). I have a masters degree in science and understand how to read articles. Reading info about oil company activity from the an oil company is not where I would trust my source.

 

Congratulations on your science degree. Here's a quote from Popular Mechanics magazine (not an oil company publication):
"....the idea stressed by fracking critics that deep-injected fluids will migrate into groundwater is mostly false. Basic geology prevents such contamination from starting below ground. A fracture caused by the drilling process would have to extend through the several thousand feet of rock that separate deep shale gas deposits from freshwater aquifers. According to geologist Gary Lash of the State University of New York at Fredonia, the intervening layers of rock have distinct mechanical properties that would prevent the fissures from expanding a mile or more toward the surface. It would be like stacking a dozen bricks on top of each other, he says, and expecting a crack in the bottom brick to extend all the way to the top one. What's more, the fracking fluid itself, thickened with additives, is too dense to ascend upward through such a channel."

 

"mostly false" what's the mostly? Tobacco companies found people to refute lung cancer from smoking. Oil companies still denying climate change and find those to agree with them. I could go on and on. No need to post further articles for my concern.