The GM’s actual authority

With the entire community up in arms because of the GM’s alleged actions regarding the library spaces, I’m curious about whether he had the authority to make that decision without board approval. If in fact he can do that, what purpose does the actual board serve?

 

Years ago the only thing the general manager did was run the day to day operations. That began to change in 2006 when the new GM started rewriting our documents. She wanted more flexibility as she took on greater responsibility. As i have written, it was the classic Faustian bargain. Board members had less work while she added to her work load. To help compensate, her management team grew (a lot), while a committees' value diminished. The good news was it allowed her to move more quickly, the bad news was it put more control in the hands of one person.

With that out of the way, the GM in recent years has negotiated contracts with vendors. The best example are the leases for the two George's Cafes; Bell and Lakeview lanes. The lease was done by the GM and cafe owner. I suspect the board knew about the agreement being signed, i have no idea if they knew about the details in it. The challenge was finding a vendor who even wanted them. The GM saw a value in a long-term lease for both. At a budget and finance committee meeting (2023) it was stated the leases run through 2032. The ugly part was, included in the lease was the obligation for the RCSC to pay for any and all repairs needed in the two restaurants. Several of our jaws dropped when we heard that and saw how much money went into new equipment at Bell that year.

There's numerous other examples, some even more ugly. For purposes of this discussion, the argument regarding the library leases is far more historical in nature. Libraries first started appearing in Sun City in 1961. They have been present ever since. In fact, there's been at least 4 different settings for them. All of have been subsidized by DEVCO (before they turned the centers over to the RCSC) or by the RCSC and supported by a long-standing organization know as The Friends Of The Library. In fact they ran them most of their existence through donations of money and volunteers.

The only time we generated any revenue via a lease came during the late 2000's when Maricopa County offered to take them over. They paid the RCSC to lease them (Bell and Fairway). When the 5 year lease expired, the county told us their relationships, where they had other community libraries, was for the community to provide the building and the library system to pay for the materials, help and related costs. I was on the board in 2014 and when we saw the utilization numbers from the two branches, we quickly agreed to let them stay rent free.

I suspect you either know or don't care about the history behind the current difficulties Larry, but it truly does matter. While the GM has the ability to negotiate leases, the Board has one employee they are responsible for. The general manager works for them. Our documents are clear on that. This is one of those cases where the board, if they can't find resolve and a workable solution best understand how to flex their muscles.

I think it is abundantly clear where the vast majority of members sentiments are. We'll see, but i would be stunned if two weeks from now the issue is gone and the libraries are in place for another lengthy period of time. Of course, as always, this is just one man's opinion.

 

So the board can and should override his stance was my question. I believe that as we progress, the relevance of libraries will decline as the next generation moves in. Seven years ago we toured my former high school library and I was amazed how small of a footprint it had but actually shocked at how there were hardly any books available. We boomers are the last generation to have used the hard-bound reference materials and the actual card files and understood the Dewey decimal system.

 

I actually wrote a similar comment in another post i did. That said, the data posted with 146,000 visits is a compelling argument to continue the past practice (no cost lease) with a commitment to revisit the data after the next 3-5 year lease renewal. We've long argued data matters and if the numbers drop off, which i suspect they will, then it may be time to make adjustments.

For now, the data doesn't justify losing either library.

 

Thanks Tom, fixed it.

 

Bill, when I moved here in 2005 I believe the two libraries were for Sun City residents only and there was some sort of dust up around 2009 or thereabouts. I believe then the County stepped in to operate the libraries. Am I correct on this?

I find the current situation on the libraries utterly ridiculous. Matt should have been at the last Board meeting to at least outline the situation and what the plans are for the space. This is how real leaders operate, not hide and seek, not even tell Kevin and keep the Board in the dark. This is appalling. Maybe he is planning a book burning in the future.

 

Wonder what the spin will be once an official statement is released.

RCSC would be smart to quickly consult a professional crisis management company first.

Billed to D’Luzansky!!

 

No idea why he wasn't there. I suspect he wasn't expecting the storm to come up while he was gone. Now it's squarely in his lap and it will be his biggest test to date as a general manager.

You are dead on correct. The Friends of the Library ran it for almost 50 years. They were using the old card catalogue system and their book selection was limited. They got the space for free but they covered the cost of the one paid employee (librarian) while the rest were volunteers. It was a great old structure that was beginning to wear thin. The county library budget was flush and they offered to take over the Bell Library and also add the Fairway library when it opened a bit later. Yes they paid the lease terms the first 5 years but in 2014 they told us their community libraries are not leased deals but get space from the communities in exchange for the program. We saw the utilization data and we (the board and management) quickly struck a deal.

 

Is this writer using his real name? If so great, if not why? Is this like encrypted communication where the writer is a secret agent or something? What purpose does putting a cloak around your true identity?

 

Long story. Many started out wanting to remain anonymous for various reasons. Once you sign up on this app you can't change your name, and there is a warning at sign up. This site has been around for years and before I signed up I looked around and read a lot of posts. I decided to use a pseudonym as many others have, but it was a futile effort on my part.

 

“No idea why he wasn't there. I suspect he wasn't expecting the storm to come up while he was gone. Now it's squarely in his lap and it will be his biggest test to date as a general manager. “ BPearson

D’Luzansky’s ineffective communication and cloaked decisioning style was revealed before escalating to our libraries lease fiasco.

• Landmark Sundial painted vibrant primary colors at the Sundial center
• Duffeeland Dog Park
• Fan controls at fitness centers
• Who knows what else??

Had his leash been shortened, authority limits clearly defined and given expectations with consequences if not met, this community uproar could have been avoided.

 

Perhaps it's time to take a good hard look at Board Policy 32 and put some restrictions on some things that he can't do alone. It's obvious now that some things need to go thru the board before he's allowed too just pull the plug on things on his own...like the libraries?

 

John, several people know who I am such as Bill,Tom Marone, Jean Totten and maybe others. I am a serious history person and had always was interested in Medieval times. My nom de plume was a knight in the French king’s army who carried his standard into battle and met a rather unfortunate end at the Battle of Poitiers. His body was recovered by the English and personally returned to the king with what was described as “with great honor.” As for me, think of who always bothered you over financial statements.

Deus illud volt!

 

Did not take long to figure out who this Dave is. Even from the peanut gallery.

 

I guess it's all hindsight and perspective.

• Sundial: some folks liked the colors because they are the colors of the Arizona flag and some folks thought the colors were too 'loud'. The controversy was short lived.
• Duffeeland: a bit of a bigger issue probably because so many retirees have dogs for companionship. Took a little longer, but resolved.
• Fan controls: I don't know, do you get to have a say at membership gyms on the temperature and fans? It is my understanding that fans were put on medium and it was suggested that those who wanted it cooler bring a clip on fan. Some said they liked to break a sweat when working out. IMHO that can be accomplished here anytime between June and October by walking outside. This was a no win.

None of these caused an uproar like the library did, and rightly so. I have read different stories, the board knew, the board didn't know, will we ever know? I do know if the libraries are removed it will make a whole lot of people angry, but will it matter? What I would like to know is how much is the $20 million deferred maintenance debacle going to deplete my funds for something I will likely not see come to fruition? My funds used for future homeowners' enjoyment? From what I am reading, the trust in the BOD is just not there anymore. I asked 2 questions regarding board decisions and was told to move on. It was the past.

 

I like to break a sweat without damage to vulnerable joints. Elliptical and recumbent bike are perfect for helping protect joints and breaking a sweat. HH do you know what this equipment looks like?

 

I own a Schwinn Elliptical and I know what a recumbent bile looks like. Why do you ask? Any ortho doc will tell you walking is very good for knee and hip joints. Walking in July here will usually break a sweat. In fact going for a walk with my dog right now. Part of my regime to hopefully avoid knee surgery. Not sure what the problem is. My statement was not a reference to you in any way, shape or form.

 

No problem. Comment was about breaking a sweat during June-Oct. Walking can take a toll on joints also. I am one who prefers the machines, but also do plenty of walking, biking, and a little jogging. I often wear a sweatshirt, and usually try to avoid the fans.

As to GM authority, the BOD should write a policy which clearly spells out what decisions belong to whom. Follow the policy as closely as possible.

 

We all watched as the board allowed the former, former gm to enhance and increase her authority and create a setting where her and her management team were the end all be all. With virtually no one attending meetings and even less caring, we created the perfect storm. It worked out beautifully didn't it? Telling everyone to just move here and have fun...what could possibly go wrong?

The interesting aspect of Tom's post is this; the changes that were made over the years makes it easy to see why the general manager overstepped his bounds. Apparently he felt it was in his job description. When the board found out what he had done, they immediately sat down with him and found a temporary fix until tomorrow's exchange meeting. One can only smile as i read about the social media comments proclaiming the libraries are all but gone.

I've been writing and explaining to members since the explosion happened the ultimate outcome would be to maintain the two libraries for 3-5 years with commitments to review the data with each passing year to insure the utilization remains high. I've been told repeatedly it's all just a plot to screw the members and turn them into an indoor dog parks/training arena. Tired of arguing about it...we'll see who knows what they are talking about eh?

 

Hello Bill,

Thanks for posting. Here is the content of my letter to the SC Independent editor that I just submitted for publication. It identifies the systemic problems we face and offers a productive solution, Best regards-Cynthia Malkowski……..LTE content below:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We Need Help


Our RCSC governance practices are broken and pose a threat to the future integrity of our community.


Our governance documents ( RCSC By-Laws and RCSC Board Policies) do not, in some key respects, align.


In addition, where Roberts Rules would normally prevail in a given situation, unclear and reactive decisions made possible by our governing documents can override what most of us have come to expect when using Roberts Rules, especially at committees levels.


As a result, and as it stands, a very small group of people are able to make decisions for our membership in a way that obfuscates transparency and accountability, resulting in loss of trust which leaves a trail of fractured relationships in its wake.


These issues form a perfect constellation of factors that lead to the confusion, drama, and turnover that we have experienced over the last year because of the way that our corporation is being managed.


If there is no intervention at this juncture, all we can expect is more of same as time goes on, with continued threat to the integrity of our community.


Right now, our business model is dysfunctional and broken. It is my opinion that it cannot "fix" itself.


We all understand the difficult job that our new GM is tasked with in his efforts to stabilize our corporation. And, we certainly all do understand and are grateful for the selfless and thankless hours that each board member contributes, working tirelessly on the membership's behalf.


So, to our RCSC Board and GM, I want to say thank you.


But, at this moment, I would sincerely request that the Board and GM hit the "pause" button, take a deep breath and spend some time reflecting on my request.


I request that the Board move to hire an outside professional entity to conduct a "Governance Review".


A Governance Review can be conducted by an outside professional, who evaluates existing practices and makes recommendations to re-work the "white board" structure of a corporation, so that the corporation can become a healthy and functional business entity.


Once accomplished, this outside professional will have created something that we can now more effectively manage.


And, something in which we can now place our trust.


In other words, RCSC needs to hire a Turn Around specialist to help us help ourselves, so that we create a 'new normal'.


A “new normal” that is governable and functional and will allow us to move forward in to the future with hopeful air under our wings.


Respectfully,


Cynthia Malkowski