Is It A Calling?

Growing up Catholic, the idea a youngster, male of female, might just get the "calling." Some of you may recognize that to refer to the idea that as teens, becoming a nun or a priest was in our future. It was if it was "ordained" by God himself/herself.

Growing up and away from Catholicism, i stumbled into alcoholism and that became my new ism of choice. Then God (pun intended) intervened and i stumbled into recovery, that became my new way of life. Oddly, i walked out of treatment a couple of days before "graduating," but that same Sunday night i walked into my first AA meeting.

It saved my life; literally. I had a great sponsor who dragged me from meeting to meeting, often times making me half of his speech. Me, the kid who knew nothing, him the gnarled veteran who knew everything. We made a curious team. All that really mattered was we both stayed sober.

My next foray into a calling was when i was hired as a union representative. During the 25 plus year career i moved from rep to secretary treasurer and finally my last 9 years as president. I believed i was on a mission to save the membership and organized labor. I was foolish, but when you are a believer, you become fixated on what you are doing...or at least trying to do.

Once i retired, i came to understand just how foolish i was. In retrospect, it was a job, no more no less. I had good friends that knew me well, claim i would be back to work in 6 months. Workaholics simply don't walk away from their calling. Dang, proved them wrong; as i never worked a day again once retired 20 years ago.

I knew exactly what i was retiring to...a community that was built on self-governance and volunteerism at its core. The best news was, i had virtually no clue how much bigger the concept was and just how much history played into Sun City's past, present and future. That all came after i had moved here and got involved.

Years passed and i had my hands in a lot of things. Mostly stuff i enjoyed doing, though some of it was terribly frustrating. SCHOA was difficult and the RCSC board was challenging. Three years in each brought rewards and disappointments that come from understanding organizational structure. It's slow and cumbersome but the one thing i had come to understand is the "process works."

The problem comes when those running it (hired help or volunteers) want to ignore process and just get things done. It's really easy to ignore the process, believing the answers should come from within the corporate structure and ignoring the members. I knew better, but i had virtually no ability to stop it.

That's exactly why this past year has been so amazing to watch unfold. With a new RCSC boards of directors, a newly hired general manager and changes in the management team, i see a light at the end of the tunnel. I see a movement away from internal control to one where the external process is both valued and promoted.

All of this is just an introduction to where i believe we (the RCSC) is headed. I am encouraged beyond my wildest imagination and in my next post i will explain exactly why. Stay tuned.

 

I suspect some of you thought the first post was the beginning on the story of my life; nothing near as boring as that, not even close. This thread really is about the transformation of the RCSC. It has been amazing to watch even with the pitfalls and stumbles the board has made this past year. No one ever said self-governance would be easy and clearly once the calendar flipped to 2023, that became readily apparent.

Three board members quit within a months period of time. Replacements were found, some better than others and even more challenging was the musical chairs within the board officers. To each board members credit, they handled it all pretty good. Simple and clean explanations were used and the buy-in from the members was pretty good. The biggest disappointment came at meetings where the board often appeared out of sync with one another. Clearly they were, but they plowed on in spite of their internal issues.

The newly hired general manager left mid-year (someday that story would be curious to hear), and the immediate problem was replacing him. Rather than rushing helter-skelter into a replacement, CFO Kevin McCurdy accepted the role on an interim basis. He did one hell of a job as he helped lead the board through a wholly new approach to the finance and budgeting process. I won't go into detail, but it was refreshing on its face with both committee and member involvement. He made it clear, he liked the job he had.

If the inner turmoil wasn't enough, the brakes were put on the 40 million dollar WAG (wild ass guess) project lovingly called Mountain View Option 2. It was a projected 8 year plan with poorly executed projections and estimates that were unrealistic. One board member, Director Fast led the charge to suspend it, and the majority agreed. The Strategic Alternatives Committee (SAC) was born and it proved to be far more work than most anticipated.

Involving, inviting membership participation almost always results in drawn-out affairs. This proved no different as the committee was given great leeway in what they allowed discussed. The process proved there was interest in our future which is why there was so much bickering within the group. I made the decision to sit in on most meetings (and watching the ones i didn't attend) and i found myself at odds with comments and the various push/pulls going on even between the co-chairs.

I mentioned above the budget and finance committee's evolution, and that too was an exercise in patience. The meetings were open to members and once again i stuck my toe in the water. It was refreshing to hear the candor and open dialogue as the committee was going to be asked to make tough choices. Better yet, once they got there, they took the show on the road for an open member meeting, talking only about the budget and proposed $50 a year lot assessment along with the $1000 capital hike at the point of sale of a Sun City property.

It was shocking to see and hear so little feedback; it still boggles my mind. It wasn't a hidden process by any means but when the bills start hitting mailboxes with the increase, watch members scream. I think some board members understand the need to elevate the positioning of the Sun City Foundation and also helping those strapped better realize there is an entire network of organizations with the community that can help them.

Better still was the conclusion of the SAC's work. While it got heated and disjointed towards the end, the resolve was to bring multiple proposals before the board. I know several of the SAC committee resented the outcome, but from a practical standpoint the committee's job was never to pick the perfect plan, but to put forward the ideas and suggestions of those who participated. It was a fascinating process to watch, as i understood better than most, the behind the scene maneuvers and stated and unstated goals by some of the players.

All of which culminated in 4 Town Hall meetings. Once again i attended all 4, i wanted to see and hear first hand how this played out. Bundled in with it was the budget and mission, goals and vision statement. It was a lot to cover in a two hour meeting but the presenters did a good job of keeping their portion to the first half hour with final hour and a half for member comments. The biases were on full display, but that's to be expected. Now it's in the board (and managements) lap. That was always going to be the end result.

Along the way, a new general manager was hired. Oddly enough, that's really what this column will be about. For now, let me just say, kudos to all who have given so much in 2023. Seriously this is exactly how Sun City should work.

 

I'm still not convinced of the need for a new $1000 fee plus the $50 increase of the annual assessment fee. Have been asking, but haven’t seen at least a 10-15 year plan for spending. Some have even said one is in the works? Maybe a committee could develop one next year.

 

Quickly let me respond to Tom's comment. Director Fast said at a budget and finance committee meeting he wanted the 5 year plan done by year's end. I have always supported long range planning. That said, i thought having it done quickly was far less important than having it done right. I still feel that way and the current projections for release i thought was somewhere around Feb of next year. It needs to be done and released to the members.

The real point of this thread was regarding the newly hired GM. My initial reactions were questionable. I knew he came from within the RCSC in spite of hiring a head hunter to find someone with great qualifications. At his meet and greet he wasn't warm and outgoing, more introverted than extroverted. With that said, i was more interested in watching him as the weeks turned into months and how he handled all the minutia going on around him.

He appeared unflappable and more importantly he appeared at everything i attended. Clearly he was taking it all in and processing what he was seeing and hearing. When he did take the mic, he said all the right things regarding our past and our future. Suffice to say, literally everything i see has impressed me. Even when he mentioned my comments at the 4th town hall weren't accurate. He was right, in my haste i had misspoken dates regarding the mishandling of Mountain View over the years. Kudos for pointing it out.

Now, with a long time resident/former board taking shots in the Independent at the board about SAC and his disappointments, we need an effective general manager who will work in concert with the board and the members to dig us out of the hole we've put ourselves in. I think that Matthew may be that person and he may well be the guy who has found his calling and will get the job done.

We'll see.

 

The five year draft plan has been placed in the hands of the GM and LRP and B&F will continue their work in conjunction with the GM after the first of the year. This was the plan to move forward developed at the last meeting in November of B&F. It was decided after further review of a "draft only" financial projection from the Finance Director, but one that had no input from LRP. This plan will provide a road map to allow Board planning for the future, with budgeting that rolls forward each year.

 

Bill P,
I agree with your assessment of our GM. I have liked what I have heard and he seems to be taking action where needed.

About the five year plan, I recommend it not be merely a financial plan, but one that encompasses more. For example, one of the goals might be to increase Member participation in clubs by 10% or using the recreation centers by 15%. If we could encourage more Members to use the facilities, they may be more receptive to the funds being spent on them. Another example would be meeting with other area agencies, such as SCHOA, Beneville, Sun Shine Services, Posse, etc quarterly. These may take some staff time, but don't need other financial commitments. These are just examples, but could be helpful for RCSC in the long run. I offered to be on the LRP committee last year, but they meet on Tuesday mornings when I play in a ladies golf league.

I think the Finance and Budget Committee could then take the Long Range Planning Committee's recommendation to come up with their own 5 year financial plan. However the two aren't exactly the same.

 

The five year plan has a lot of area to cover...actually, it should include a 10 year outlook and beyond so that PIF is included, but a critical part is the five year rolling budget, which also requires LRP input and Clubs.

The important part of this exercise is the cooperative work of LRP, B&F, the GM and the Board, and figuring out the subgroups. I see it as a reorganization as to how RCSC works internally and externally to help ensure that the proverbial left hand knows what the right hand is doing. As Bill Pearson had said numerous times, the previous previous GM created a "silo" system that denigrated the cohesiveness of RCSC. Our external stakeholders are also integral to our success - we are partners in making SC the best 55+ community it can possibly be. We have been blessed with a rich history and it's now up to us to continue to ensure that this community is in a position to be sustained for the next 60 years.

 

A five year plan is nice. A 10-15 year plan would hopefully delineate exactly why these fee increases are needed. Have one page of revenue and one page showing where it would be spent. Caveat would be that plan is open to change and update. Seems it would be fairly easy to develop and all would see where the community is being developed/improved. Why leave this to all of us pundits and biased members to comment on with our opinions and lack of info?

 

That's exactly why such a plan is essential. RCSC is in such a state of flux (or let's be blunt, lack of direction) because there is no plan. Such a long range plan provides both management and future Boards the necessary tools to do their work - continuously putting out fires, lobbying for or against the next big thing or handling a crisis because a series of Boards didn't or couldn't make hard decisions is not the way to run an organization. I have confidence that Matthew will have a draft in the hands of B&F as promised. The Committee understands its mission is critical and is long overdue. And, such a plan can be modified and updated as things change, such as the economy, trends, etc. But without a plan we're just throwing darts. And, it's imperative we get our technology in order. Data matters! We're making progress. The next meeting is Dec 7th, 1:00 PM.

 

And do you want to know how bad it is????? They had to make an announcement on Friday at the Craft Fair asking people to turn-off their cell phones because the WIFI couldn't support the traffic. But that's not the worse of it. Many Clubs using their Square® mobile credit card readers couldn't complete the transaction or had to work with cash. We were lucky enough that one of our members had a personal hotspot on her phone.

 

How embarrassing!

How inexcusable of past RCSC decision makers to keep us in the “dark ages!”

The blinders came off this year… it’s worse than anyone imagined.

A recent former GM said, “It’s no one’s fault.”

Now it’s the membership’s mess to cleanup!

 

Sounds great. I would have preferred seeing the plan(s) first and then the requests for more money. Oh well! Maybe next year?

 

And to pay for the cleanup!

 

For those interested in the referenced
resident/former board taking shots, it is available for viewing:
Posted online Sun City Independent, Sunday, 11.26.2023, no subscription required: https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/dickson-rcsc-board-needs-changes,462955

 

I've known the writer of that letter for a long time. He has lived in Sun City for a 25 years and has given countless volunteer hours on RCSC committees and as a 6 year board member. He was doing an awesome job on the SAC, at least until his bias became abundantly clear. His admonishments towards all involved regarding the importance of compromise were stellar until he made it clear, lawn bowlers simply could not afford to give up one single lawn bowling green of the 7 we have in the community.

It was complete and utter BS. Nonsense of the highest order. Every time he said it, i found myself cringing. I finally spoke out and they dragged a couple of club presidents in to support the idea we need 7 greens for 325 members. Now i have gotten two email blasts encouraging lawn bowlers to show up and speak out at the annual membership meeting on Wednesday night November 29. By the way, you must sign in using your RCSC photo ID. Registration starts at 5 pm at the Sundial auditorium.

I have no qualms about members showing up and speaking out, it's how it should work. That said, those stepping to the mic should be prepared to answer the very pointed question: Why do you need 7 greens for 325 members?" And, please spare me the crap about how busy the greens are, i know better.

 

And there was plenty of other BS floating around in and evidently outside the SAC meetings. That said, I do believe the process has taken the community right where it is suppose to be. Many great ideas and options for further exploration. Plan M is not set in stone. I believe it has laid a strong foundation for further exploration and dare I say “compromise”. The committee for all its quirkiness and bias has presented the community plenty of great options. Thanks to all for your hard work! Let’s move onward and forward. Git ‘er done!

 

Thanks for posting eyesopen! Interesting opinion and thanks to Norm for being transparent in his writing.

 

I'm not so sure they will have the opportunity to speak? This is, after all, a business meeting and the Member/Board Exchange is only 5 days away and a more proper venue for expressing these types of opinions.

Time will tell!

 

I wouldn't be so quick to thank Norm! He threw everybody else under the bus but failed to tell us why he left the SAC committee or serving as one of the moderators at the Town Hall meetings as well as not being very honest with the data he kept spewing about Lawn Bowling.

Seems to me that Norm was the only guy on the SAC committee unwilling to "compromise"?

But of course this is just my opinion!

 

Understood FYI. Though he helped get the committee where they needed to get. I have to give him credit for that. I didn’t like many things the committee did. That’s why in an earlier post I mentioned there seemed to be a lot of BS being spewed during the meetings. And possibly more outside of the meetings!