The other day, i had coffee with two good friends, none of us are running for the RCSC board, but all of us interested in the outcome. The question of who would win was met with much speculation. I was the most pessimistic and i suspect because i know more about the games being played from the inside out. The discussion got me thinking, had i stayed in the election and won, what would i have done? Mind you, this isn't a new game for me, if you search back on this site you will see a header; "Queen for a Day." On the thread i asked what they would personally do if they could wave a magic wand and create a better Sun City? This time we'll be a touch more pragmatic. I will approach the question with the premise you ran for the board and the election resulted in a majority win that flipped the seats to those who think members voices matter. After years of ignoring the membership, it would be a refreshing alternative from letting the general manager make every decision. I will assume for the sake of this exercise, the board will become a 5/4 or 6/3 majority for those favoring the wants/expectations of the members. While my first task may sound strange, it would be grounded in what i have always believed to be the case. With that said, let's jump right in: 1). I would immediately delete the power structure and vacuum that has existed for years created by the officers and supported by the GM. Every board member would have an equal voice and one vote. The officers have defined duties in the bylaws, but that's it. Not more power, not more control. Those in the minority would have the same rights as those in the majority. There would be no secret meetings nor small group coffee gatherings where decisions were made behind closed doors. What a refreshing start. 2). The key to our success moving forward would be contained in the belief that communication and education with the membership is where our transformation would take place. Here's a couple of ideas: a). Restore the communications committee with these targeted areas: 1). Every new home buyer would get an introduction packet with well written, concise and colorful information regarding Sun City. 2). Enhance the Sun Views to restore the quality we used to put in it, a time when club information was an integral part of it. 3). I like the In Focus video and i would use Sun Views to cross promote each of its presentations. 4). I would rebuild the Sun City Visitor Center to become social media charged. Their goal would be the marketing of Sun City's remarkable infrastructure of clubs and organizations and the valuable work and fun they have in shaping that sense of community. 5). I would have bi-monthly new-comers coffees, or better yet, create a club whose sole task was to act as a welcoming committee or more on point, mentors for those moving here. 6). I would hire Ben Roloff to do at least quarterly history sessions on how and why Sun City was so successful. 7). I would work in concert with the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum to showcase the rec centers and golf courses by incorporating great photos from those early years. You don't need a lot of them, but new members need to see how far the RCSC has come in updating the amenities. 3). I would target clubs and help them become more inline with what they used to be and do. The COC committee, like so many others, have drifted as they became less important to the RCSC. The first person i would try and bring back would be Myrna. She should never have been let go. 4). I would work with board members to clearly establish the role of the General Manager. His primary job would be the day to day operations. Beyond that, i would expect him/her to provide written reports summaries of his management teams efforts. His/her input would be weighed equally along with the board, committees and the membership. 5). I would schedule at least two town hall meetings a year. No membership quorums, just open dialogue about issues pertinent to the membership. From this humble start and as members became more interested, we would look at rewriting the bylaws. We would work with interested community members and hire an expert to assist them. We wouldn't stack the deck to get the outcome "we" want. It's an extensive "short list," all doable and all relatively inexpensive. The point is when you engage and build a membership interested in building a sense of community, the volunteer base reduces costs. Which is why i would immediately let the membership decide if we should be: " Sun City; The City Of Volunteers." Or, " Sun City, The Original Fun City."
Bill, What you wrote is a great endorsement of what most of Jean Totten’s campaign has been! “Commitment, Cooperation, Communication and Change I commit to ensure that if elected, I will do my best to work with my fellow board members To set goals To define roles, To encourage membership communication Encourage Board cooperation, and Follow the mission and vision of the corporation. I commit to a return to a sense of community and self-governance by and for members and commit to welcome the expertise of the members who live here while ensuring that all Board members are included in process and decisions. I commit to better communication and Education for all members that will hopefully lead to increased participation as members see how valued they are and Most importantly, I commit to immediately do anything that I can to improve our outdated Technology so data can be collected that is necessary for both Management and the Board to make better choices for our members and our future members and to shore up our Security at our Recreation Centers to keep us safe. Some of the changes that I would like to see include Video Taping of all Committee Meetings to be posted on our YouTube channel. Posting of all important documents needed by the membership to make educated decisions. Cooperate with our partners at SCHOA and the Posse and take on the Leadership role in our community. Incorporate "No idea is a bad idea" Workshops and Forums so that the entire membership can share thoughts about what they can see for Sun City now and in the future. Who knows what we can come up with: A community center similar to a Student Union where members can meet to play a game of Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit; buy a cup of coffee and a pastry and sit and read the paper or their book; read about the history of Sun City; invite an elderly neighbor to join you; Kibbitz with other members; Create a habitat of safeness; Ride or walk along a path throughout the neighborhood; and perhaps enjoy a snack bar at several of the pools. We are blessed to live here and what better way to share our blessings than with each other.” VOTE: COLLINS, FAST & TOTTEN!!
So very true eyesopen, the above represents a lot of what Jean Totten has been campaigning on. The funny thing is, there's very little that is new or innovative, other than the idea of using social media in a far more aggressive manner. Otherwise, it's just back to the basics. It's how Sun City was built and why it was so successful. The reason's they ran from our history are pretty easy to understand. First, it was simply too much work. More importantly, their end game (and the GM's vision) was always going be impeded when the membership was able to have a voice in the outcome. This is our chance to go back to the future: Vote: Totten, Collins and Fast.
