For those of you new to Sun City (which is large in number), every couple of years i like to remind RCSC members our history matters. The reason is pretty simple, because the further we get from why we were so successful, the more we evolve to become something fairly unrecognizable. This past year has been stunningly painful to watch as the majority members of the board and the general manager embrace their new and improved version and vision for Sun City. Sadly it has become the new normal as board members barely blink as the general manager leads the charge to abandon our roots. It started years ago, 2006 when a the board hired a general manager who wanted to do more than run the day to day operations. Over time, she diminished the role and the voices of the community. As she found her footings, the board liked the reduced work load. If you think i am wrong, find a snapshot of the management team from 2006 and overlay it with 2022. I would venture twice as many management employees than there were 16 years ago. Stay tuned, it gets worse in 2023. It's just what happens when you take the remarkable talent pool within the membership and minimize them. Let's look specifically at 2022 and a thumbnail of the foolishness: 1). The long range planning committee wrote up a spectacular (yes i saw it) 4 page questionnaire in 2019. After showing it to some of the board members it was squashed, too much mention of green space. It resurfaced again this year, but with the general manager proposing a $56k study by ASU. 2). On the agenda for the Dec board meeting is a $70k reserve study by an outside firm. In 1993, an RCSC member did an 18 month study on the entire valuation of RCSC properties. He did it gratis and then board president claimed it saved the RCSC 100K. 3). We all know about the ongoing feud with the POSSE. For 50 years they have watched over RCSC amenities, now the new general manager has become fixated on hiring private company security and off duty police officers. 4). During last months planning session on the budget, we were treated to comments from the general manager, part of the increase was to add two more people to his management team; one in bowling and one in building (doubling the number in each dept). We have no idea what they will be paid but industry norms would put them in 60-80k range each, plus benefits. 5). I know this one is off topic, but on point. In May and June of this year, there was a motion and subsequent dispute. The long range planning committee proposed the purchase of some updated fitness equipment as a trial to see if it was well received. The general manager asked it be put off till 2023, the board said no, do it now. We heard a report the other day from the GM the approved expenditure of 125k was going to be done at Bell, hopefully in January of 2023. The argument was, "supply chain," but oddly enough the general manager got exactly what he wanted, a 2023 installation. So much for the board telling him what to do. 6). This one might be the greatest of mysteries: Around April of this year, we heard the RCSC's technology department and virtually all of their equipment was 15 years behind the times. The projected costs were 2 to 3 million dollars, but the general manager argued he only wanted to spend 500k in 2022. Once again the "supply chain" argument worked to his advantage as the challenges within IT went into the black hole of closed committee rooms and we have no idea where we are. Perhaps no one realty cares, or if they do, they certainly aren't sharing it with the membership. By now, i suspect you are getting my drift: More money for staffing and outside vendors, less concerns for the needs of the membership. It's become the common theme these days as the general manager looks at Sun City as a business venture. not a community driven organization. It's the board's job to hold the GM accountable and responsible, a task they appear to have no visible interest in doing. It gets worse yet though; if we sneak a peak at our neighbors, Sun City West, they are embracing their roots and and asking their member/owners to be more involved. They've reached into the pool of community experts (volunteers) and rely on them continually to help shape their future. That was exactly how Sun City was built and why it was so successful. It's pretty clear to me, the new GM sees Sun City's future being tied to outside companies and outside residents being directly related to how we move forward. If we were a for profit business, it would be one hell of a business plan. We aren't we are a non-profit organization whose sole function is to serve the best interest of the membership. Why is that so freaking hard to understand?
"Sun City West, they are embracing their roots and and asking their member/owners to be more involved. They've reached into the pool of community experts (volunteers) and rely on them continually to help shape their future. That was exactly how Sun City was built and why it was so successful." Yes, that's as it should be. The survey is needed esp. since it's not like the membership has had much input these last years, but 70k?! Universities often do projects like that as a public service or for a donation, and/or many of us have worked on projects similar to that and could have been tapped. Anyway, here's hoping we'll soon have a board without an Us vs. Them mentality....
I agree SCJ. In our hometown, there is a campus of the U of WI and many non-profit groups often partnered with them for various projects - marketing, surveys, logo development, etc. I don't recall a fee for services. And, you're right about the talent pool in SC. I don't understand why those in charge would choose to waste all their years of vast experience from all walks of life from participating.
Linda McIntyre, Yes, exactly. And re: your "I don't understand why those in charge would choose to waste all their[the talent pool in SC] years of vast experience from all walks of life from participating" comment, I would guess control....
Suncityjack...you are right about control. But the 64,000 question is, why? There is no financial gain. It's not a stepping stone to higher office. If you listen to the "majority" they talk about hard they work, how tough it is to be criticized; we speak up and get the civility checklist and then the President acts unprofessionally to her colleagues and often behaves rudely to the members. It's hard to make sense out of any of it. As Bill Pearson often says, it's hard to watch. Next week will be interesting.
Linda M, "Next week will be interesting" you said last week. Indeed, it has proven to be so. In the best of ways. Hallelujah!
Now is the time to amend the Jan Ek Oath of Office swearing fealty to the Corporation and return the Oath of Office to fealty to the membership and remind the Board that they are First among Equals (Sun City Membership) and accountable to the Membership only not the GM and his staff.
