Meeting began at 11 am. Well attended and very safe, three security that I saw . Really!!! Members were still commenting. Great questions! I left at 12:30 pm Once member comments conclude, the board will have many questions, too. Sue Wilson said the board didn’t have any details about the proposed almost $4 million request. Oh, she corrected herself… actually she overheard a conversation Collins was having previously when he got to see the plans. No one else on the board has previous knowledge. Sure, I believe that! When they exhaust their questions, a motion may or may not be introduced. That motion may be expedited and two additional readings waived. Will be a long meeting!!
8-1 approved. No mention of 2nd /3rd reading. Building is tripling in size, 4k to 12k sq. ft, and 35% more land is added to to maintenance lot. Existing structures to be razed, but facility to be operational during new construction, adding time and cost for multiple phases during the project.
I also attended the meeting and again was struck by the lack of participation from the community. There were approximately 209 chairs set up for attendees. Less than half of them were filled. Rent-a-cops in attendance. Overall, the board was completely unprepared for this meeting. I'll have more to say, but I want to wait for the video to verify some of the things I heard from the mouths of the BOD members, and the staff. Even though this is a done deal, stay tuned.
Watch for this Sun City Indepedent article soon, or log on now to read if you’re a subscriber. https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/sun-city-residents-rise-in-opposition,259526 SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Sun City residents rise in opposition Want RCSC to return to what it used to be Posted Monday, September 20, 2021 7:00 am By Rusty Bradshaw Twitter: @SunCitiesEditor
I attended the meeting today. I counted 83 people (not counting board, staff, reporter and security). I did the count about 10-15 minutes into the meeting.
Here's something I can't figure out other than the fact that even the Board apparently doesn't know why director McAdam was dismissed because the story seems to keep on changing? If you were at the meeting yesterday and saw that when someone mentioned "conflict of interest" you heard director Hoffer quite emphatically, and defensively speak-up and spew out Article V, Section 2, which he says clearly defines what a conflict of interest is and anybody who doesn't agree with it just doesn't understand what they're reading! Too be so defensive only implies to me that he was justifying the reason that director McAdam was dismissed? What else could be the reason? But if you read the statement by RCSC Secretary Dale Lehrer, she tells us, "The authority to remove a board Member comes from the RCSC Articles of Incorporation Article IX, Paragraph A, 'By a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Board of Directors after a member of the Board is absent from three (3) consecutive meetings of the Board or who, in the opinion of such two-thirds (2/3) of the Board Members, is unwilling or incapable of performing his or her share of the duties and responsibilities of a Director.'" So which is it? And why get so defensive when someone questions a conflict of interest if that's not the reason director McAdam was dismissed? I'm confused!!!
Residents want McAdam back on Sun City rec board Plan to speak out at next meeting Sun City Indepedent Posted Monday, September 6, 2021 7:00 am Relevant excerpt: “Wilson informed McAdam via email of the removal, saying the board decided, per RCSC articles of incorporation, that McAdam was incapable of performing her duties on the board.” https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/...ck-on-sun-city-rec-board,256533?cb=1631825179
Yes it is. But I still got up and spoke to the agenda item. I even got mention of the hastily called executive session in June. Stating that it appeared that the board did not like a board member and removed that member from the board. Sue Wilson tried to shut me down, but I still made my point. I was the second speaker on the motion. It was a grueling 2 hour meeting. I stayed to the end. Frankly the board was quite receptive to all the comments on the actual building. I was the only one that mentioned bad faith actions by the board as well as other things, that led me to my position to not support the board on this decision. There were 2 Police in the back by the door. So the board is still scared of opposition. I was surprised at the turnout and also disappointed at the turnout. When it came time for a board member to make a motion to approve this expenditure there was huge, awkward silence. Dan Schroeder (appointed board member) made the motion. Another awkward silence and then Westmeir (appointed board member for Karen's vacancy) made the second. Hmmm the elected members were very shy. When the vote was called, Darla Akins was the only NO. Everyone else voted in favor. Check out the YouTube video. Good parts, Beginning and then End. In the middle lots of good questions with good explanations from the management team. Also a lot of annoying questions that really couldn't be answered at this kind of meeting. best viewed if you know how to fast forward and backward. A great explanation occurred in the middle of the meeting by the RCSC building director. He got a follow up comment from a member stating " if that explanation was at the beginning, we may have avoided a lot of questions" (I'm paraphrasing the quote). If Sue Wilson wasn't so quick to adjourn the last meeting, it could have more like this one, but with lots of comments at the end of the meeting. The board still seems to be scared. I'm sure the police will be at the Sept 30th meeting. It should be a fun one.
Rude Sue’s arrogant, hostile behavior during the September 20, 2021 Special Session was inexcusable! The most disturbing was when a new resident chose to participate began her comment, “My name is, (forgive me I do not recall her name). I am a new resident. I do not have a number.” Instantly, our RCSC Board of Directors President, Sue Wilson, puffed up, repeatedly slashing her throat with a hand gesture, shouting , “No, NO, you have to sit down! You can not speak.” (My best effort to recall exact wording) The bewildered woman tried to speak, but Wilson kept denying her. What a horrible welcome to Sun City. How difficult would it have been for Wilson to probe a little? Perhaps the woman did not know what “number” previous speakers were reciting? Maybe she had her RCSC card available and could have provided her “number” right away in order to proceed? If not, the new resident, as a home owner, had already paid her first year of RCSC annual assessment fee at closing and eligible to get her card deserved a civil explanation by Wilson on how to obtain the membership card. If the woman was not a homeowner, an explanation why she could not speak would have been helpful as well. Renters are part of our community and often become homeowners! Rude Sue’s arrogant, hostile attitude was unprofessional and unacceptable. She needs a copy of Dale Carnegie’s, How to Win Friends & Influence People!
It sounds like you are talking about the woman, near the end of the meeting, that got up and said she did not have her card yet and did not know her membership number. It seems she is closing on a home and it may not be fully closed. Within days or a week, she may have her membership. Sue Wilson was correct to stop her from commenting. Only members can speak at these meetings. In light of Sue Wilson's other actions, this one was correct in my opinion. But it doesn't make up for her other recent actions.
I did not disagree that the rule should be applied. It was Wilson’s attitude and lack of effort to determine if perhaps the new resident had a membership card and did not know the number on it was the “required number.” The woman said, “I do not have a number,” no reference to a card. No one knows what the status was/is of the new resident. Sadly, missed opportunity to welcome her.
It may have been procedurally correct Michael, but from a practical point of view, was it? Dealing with people with a little humanity, humility and compassion isn't all that difficult. Explaining why and what she needed to do to be able to speak would have been far more effective. I have watched too many times where Madam President acts like she is the god-queen. I get it, in her previous life she was the end-all-be-all and could dictate to people and get away with it. Not so much here. Arrogance is arrogance, it's that simple. It is easy to say "apathy" and complain it's all our own fault. I would argue under the current gm the goal has been to forget our past and focus simply on the "fun" aspect of Sun City. We should never have lost the moniker, "City of Volunteers." It defined us, it helped strategically put us on a platform wholly different than any other age restricted community. Throw in the term "card-holder" and we were further reduced from being the owners. Change the by-laws by stripping us of our rights, and there is little reason to wonder why people stay away in droves. Michael you know Ben Roloff and his contention has always been, set goals and build a pathway to accomplish those goals. As you work toward that end, you monitor and tweak them as needed. The reverse is true as well. If you push people away for 15 years with a goal to create a community where no one cares, should there be any surprise where we are? Hell, if you question that, look at the God-awful response by the board and management since they showed us Mountainview Plan 2. We've been reduced to little more than the shit on the bottom of their shoe.
BP - You must admit that member participation in board meetings has been near non-existent. The members of Sun City have relinquished control to the BOD and or the GM. The BOD and GM also share some of the blame, but if no MEMBERS care enough about what is going on in Sun City and do nothing and do not participate in board meetings or member meetings, what is the BOD supposed to think? Everyone keeps blaming the BOD but will not look at themselves and the other members of Sun City as being uninterested and unwilling to participate in governance. There is NO MEMBER participation. Count the number of people who actively post on the Talk Of Sun City forum and I'd bet the number is less than 50. Over 15,000 reads on the Karen issue and maybe 70 to 80 tops at any of the meetings following her dismissal. You yourself have asked a number of time "how do we get people involved". I don't know and I doubt anyone does. Members other than the few that post here must get involved. Without membership support nothing will change and things will probably get worse. Griping that "the BOD did this, the GM did that" will only go so far. It will take massive numbers of residents showing up at meetings and airing their gripes and concerns to affect any change. Unless the members can be rallied, constantly blaming the BOD/GM is doomed to failure.
One of the questions that was not asked regarding the new maintenance build is "why steel trusses?" I think standard wood trusses are still cheaper than steel. Wood trusses can be attached to a block wall.
"BP - You must admit that member participation in board meetings has been near non-existent. The members of Sun City have relinquished control to the BOD and or the GM." I do admit it SCR and quite freely. And to be perfectly honest, most people living here have no clue it was different (better) 20 or 40 or 60 years ago. They simply don't care. Frankly, i probably belong on a shrinks couch for doing these postings for the past 15 years. A 1000 or more threads with the constant drumbeat of building a sense of community, a belief that as owners we were entitled to a voice and that when you volunteer, Sun City stays an incredible place to live. Full disclosure and a fact i have never hid, i ran a local union for a living. 7500 members in St Paul MN. I was there 25 plus years, the last 9 as president. I ran against the seated president and if i had lost i would have been out of a job at the age of 46. The union was run much like the RCSC, top down, members didn't matter and nothing was going to change. When i ran i campaigned on inverting the pyramid and putting the members first. The international union helped the president raise $10K to beat me. I put $2000 of my own money in, worked my ass of and beat him handily. The next 9 years we did some really cool stuff. It took me about 4 minutes to realize the power came from the membership, not me. I learned to listen and simply try and do what they asked. Everything we did was predicated on two things; education and communication. We got better at it than anyone in the state, maybe the country. The employers were baffled and we were able to accomplish some pretty awesome stuff and still get along with employers and the 75 or so contracts we had. Nope, not blowing my own horn, it's just what i did for a living. When i came to Sun City i saw this community like a union for old people. The funny thing was, for those in the right, they saw it as a community where the owners had to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. It offered the best of all worlds. The erosion i have watched has been shocking because it was a 100% polar opposite of where i saw us going. The gm became very good at shutting members out and the board acted as her agents to do it. Even with all that said, Sun City is an awesome place to live. Most folks don't give two hoots about the governance; until now. Is it the majority? Nope. Is it small in number? Yup. Is it growing? Yup. Is the board acting like putzes? Yup. Will it get worse? Most likely. The thing is, we don't need to be the majority...other than the majority that will show up and vote. The board and the gm know all of this, or at least they should. If i was going to get frustrated by it all, i would have quit long ago. I haven't and i won't because it is our community not theirs. Which oddly enough is what i told the old gang in Washington DC where our international was...it's our union, not yours.[/QUOTE]
