To my fellow RCSC MEMBERS, we are all losing our member rights, being stolen away, one by one, by the GM and a complicit board of directors. The heck you say? I get to go to the pool, I get to still play golf, and I can almost use most of the clubs I want to. Let us start with the most recent history, and add some FACTS to it. I asked for a lowering of the quorum to 500 as to enable the members to participate , one time a year, in an annual meeting. I heard directors of the board, regurgitate the same very reasons, the GM has used over the last 10 years as to why the quorum of 1250 is attainable. So, I have decided the only way to have an annual meeting, per the boards own words, is to have an intermission in the middle of the Dancing with the Stars, one of the pay shows, or during one of the more popular Sunbowl shows. You see, the board defends the 1250 quorum and compares the numbers of people who attend shows as proof the Annual Meeting quorum can be met. So, for the next Annual Meeting, please feel free to stop one of the entertainment activities and have the annual meeting, I’ll come. I want my members rights restored to what the Corporate Documents say they should be. Why do I want to come to an annual meeting and meet the quorum numbers so badly? Because I want the members to have a voice, the same abilities to participate and have their voices heard and be COUNTED. So they can ask what has happened to the $6M spent on solar, yet more than 30% does not work? FACT This question comes up several times, but the GM and the board refuse to answer. Wouldn’t you want to know as a member where $6M went and why we aren’t getting our return on investment? If you frittered away that kind of money, wouldn’t there be an investigation and a possible law suit? FACT, over $50M has been shoveled at golf, yet the numbers are declining. The explanation, there were a couple of days of bad weather. How about allowing a Forensic Accountant to look at the books, and offer the real explanations as to why the PIF fund is do drained and where the monies are. If we, the members, still had rights and could get to the arbitrary 1250 number set by an ad hoc group of directors and the GM, we could demand the books be opened to a competent accountant and discover how the monies are actually allocated. FACT, the changing of the quorum, as dictated by the Corporate documents, was to be a vote of the members. It was changed by the GM and Board members. Did you see me write “member vote” in there anywhere? The power grab by the GM has diminished the members to nothing more than a mere number to be trotted out when it is convenient. Oh, don’t forget, the GM removed the ability to use proxies at a meeting, because she feared Ann Randall Stewart might take over the meeting and introduce items which were contrary to the desires of the GM. The quorum was at 100, which allowed for interactivity between the members. Now, no one even wants to come out for the meeting, as the GM sugar coats what it is she wants divulged, fabricates stories to create member fears of losing the age overlay, and stays involved more in the political process than that of being in the business of running an organization for the members. That is against IRS code for non-profits of the size of the RCSC. I want my member rights back, and I want your member rights back for you too. Allow for meetings to be at attainable number in order to conduct Corporate business, introduce motions from the floor which will direct the actions of the GM and the board, not vice versa. And to have a straight forward, no nonsense vote with the FACTS and the TRUTH. No fearmongering as the gm does so well. No more lies as those which were emailed to the members, threatening the age overlay and hoard of kids running around Sun City. Yes, I am going on a crusade to get our member rights back. I also want a selection committee to be formed immediately of member residents to find a new GM, one who understands the GM works for the membership, not the other way around. I want the corporate documents paid attention to and no more gerrymandering of anymore documents by the GM or the board. The FACT is, we need to take our rights back, even it means another lawsuit. Activism has been dead in Sun City far too long, our history is built by those who saw injustices and dealt with them. The difference was, their hands weren’t tied the way ours our today by unjust bylaws and a board owned and managed by a singular person. Thank you for your time and attention, it is greatly appreciated. There will be more to follow.
Now that the GM feels she has been empowered to go back to the way things were, she can have work sessions, or whatever it is they are being called now, to maintain her power. It was obvious, watching her face as she watched the directors, she has clear expectations as to the outcomes of each motion and vote. In other words, she is back in control of the board, so the open meeting we were all so eager to experience are nothing more than Kabuki theater, as noted by my faithful sidekick, Dave W. What have we gained over the last two weeks, nothing. No more open meetings, but rather a choreographed show of how things will turn out at the direction of the management team. Speaking of management team, where did this surplus of money come from again? Was it at the expense of the members and their deserved services? The speakers are more important than a ticketing system which doesn't have folks stand outside in the dark and cold to purchase tickets? States the money for the speakers are coming from "2019 positive variance from budget in the Events and Entertainment Department." What member services were sacrificed for some speakers for the Events Coordinator? Speaking of Events Coordinator, it has been mentioned more than once, by members, there is a desire to have the bus trips returned as a member benefit. It was the management team which decided these outings were not needed nor wanted anymore. Were the members asked about how they felt, losing an amenity so many enjoyed? And now, after the last meeting, the power grab continues with the management team being given control over the space allocation for the new building, because it is a duty the board does not want. Does anyone remember the alleged break in to the executive secretary's desk, and the removal of files and the questioning of the clubs said member attended? This same director was allowed to stay on the board with only a slap on the wrist. This same alleged director also bypassed the vetting process for space in the new Grand Building by having it voted upon by the board to give his favored club space, ahead of the other clubs desiring to apply for space. Yet there he sits, still a board member. There was a time when a recall could have happened in a fairly quick and neat way. Now to recall a board member, there is a convoluted process which was written and approved by.....the GM. Did you know, during the last rewrite of the bylaws, it was determined the GM's job description not be available to anyone except the board members? Why would the public office of the General Manager not want a job description made available to anyone who wants to see it? Could it be because she circumvents so many of the processes as written? I want our membership rights restored. A simple ballot, asking if the quorum should be lowered, yes or no. No email blasts with fear mongering and falsehoods. No having special meetings, by anyone, as to why it should or shouldn't be. Allow the members to decide if they want an annual meeting at which members can have he floor to conduct business. This would also mean not using SCHOA as a mouthpiece or a forum for conjecture, as well as trying to introduce a political process to further undermine members rights. I want our member rights back, do you? Thank you.
The long answer is way more complicated though IC. Those of us who remember what life was like, either having lived it or read about it, long for the day when people cared about how the community was being run. Those who came along after, not so much so. In fact, what i have learned from sites like this and others where they focus on retirement communities is a whole differing culture. Unless there are grievances in how their home was built, they tend to want to believe they "bought into the best/right community for them." Those arriving at retirement, semi-retirement or are still working but have moved to an age restricted community aren't buying into them wanting a challenge or battle. They move to a quiet, peaceful place where the rest of the world's craziness is left outside the walls. Can you blame them? In the thread What's Changed? most of us focused on the RCSC, but more i was trying to paint the picture, society has changed. Boomers are different from the greatest generation. My fear for Sun City has always been the mentality of just letting someone else do it would eventually shape us in ways far removed from where we came. Every day we see that happening as the numbers of volunteers drop and organizations have to adjust. It's why i have tried to shape the history narrative so those arriving here understood our underpinnings. Probably a foolish endeavor on my part because the one thing we know is reaching the masses is so damned difficult...and even if you do, will they read it? It's why the RSCS has built an almost foolproof process. They control the flow of information and let's face it, they are never going to tell us about their failures. If we honestly look back at some of the projects since Fairway was built, were there bumps in the road? Dollars misspent? Projects poorly done? The answer is yes, but boards elected to ignore them. If a million dollar error in the buy-out of the solar doesn't even warrant a slap on the hand, what does? No one at the corporate level will ever be held accountable. Organizations are built to endure, sustain in spite of what goes on around them. It takes an absolute travesty of justice or out and out corruption to ignite a fight. I mentioned the NRA and if it isn't the classic example, nothing is. The millions wasted is almost beyond comprehension and for the most part, board members are doing their damnedest to make it appear everything is just fine. Hell, i came from organized labor where it was anything but organized and as we were collapsing from the outside in, the guys with their massive salaries on the inside pretended they were kicking ass and taking names. Been there, done all of this too many times to try and start it all over again C. Sorry, as much as I long for "the good old days," i'm tired of tilting at windmills. They always win and those fighting it end up angry and bitter. I refuse to end up that way. I will do what i can to help folks understand our history and why it matters. Most often when i get road weary of the fight i just withdraw into myself and recharge the batteries. That always seems to help me refocus on what is really important in life. And to be honest, it most assuredly isn't whether the GM can lead grown men and women around by their nose rings. So take a deep breath, smile at life and get that leg of yours better. Years from now when golf is collapsing around us, the GM is long gone and things have changed yet again, we can all comfort ourselves by saying: "i told you so."
Thanks IC, it's not so much quitting, but recognizing my/our limitations. Some fights are better staged in arena's we can actually win in. The history of this community is one of those battle grounds where i can make a difference and today we took an interesting first step. If we can demonstrate it works the potential to building something that can succeed beyond anything even i could picture or have predicted is looming. I just have no interest in fighting "city hall." They have all the cards and there is no reason for them to look beyond the safety net of their own small picture Sun City. Blathering on about history or what was, or what even could be is meaningless to them. As they gather, they act as if everything is going perfectly. If they were ever to be honest about it, we would have a chance, but it's pretty clear at this point, we don't. Ignorance, in this case, truly is bliss. Sun City is a great place to live and harping about the negatives doesn't change anything. On the other hand, if we are able to re-instill a sense of community, of how and why we succeeded when everyone said we would fail, can impact us in ways even i can't fathom. It's a long road there, but the handful of us working on it believe it has an incredible upside. You know people respond far better to positive stimulation rather than negative. I know it's all cryptic sounding, but for now, suffice to say, i see little value in pissing in the wind, especially when it's blowing at you. We laid out a 6 month blueprint away from the madness of the RCSC and focused on reaching those interested in the bigger picture Sun City. Small steps, small goals, long term, possibly huge dividends. We'll see.
I would love to be a part of the 6 month plan. Tilting at windmills, as you say, is not quite possible for me right now, I have too many medical issues to face, with possibly more to come. I am just angry with this whole GM thing, and knowing she has already selected the successor, well, it feels as if there is no end in sight within my lifetime. I will wait for more information and pray it all works out for the members benefit
My role over the summer will be mostly writing for a series we will be doing for the museum C. Nothing revolutionary. I simply believe the better new owners understand Sun City and its rich history, the more they will want to try and preserve it.
