60th Birthday...exceptional article.

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by BPearson, Jan 5, 2020.

  1. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Kudos to Rusty Bradshaw from the Independent newspaper and the amazing article he wrote regarding Sun City's first 60 years. You can read the article here if you missed it.

    Should be interesting to note, the 4 primary sources named in his lengthy article are all Del Webb's Sun City museum board members. We all came at the commentary from a little different perspective. Curious, no one from the RCSC participated and perhaps they weren't asked or invited.

    It's long been my contention both the management team and board members would do well to have a better grasp of how Sun City was built and why it succeeded. Unfortunately, they appear to have little or no interest in where we came from or how we got here.

    In the article i stated that defeating incorporation was the most significant event in our storied history.
    Oddly, most living in the community have no idea what it was or why it mattered. Hopefully in the coming posts i will help those reading this try and get their heads around it.

    It's especially pertinent today, because as you will read, i will bring the argument back to what has happened in the past 13 years has actually brought us closer to what the community battled to keep from happening.
     
  2. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    One of the joys of spending coffee time with my buddy Ben is in reliving those early years. His remarkable efforts in capturing stories from old newspapers is nothing short of amazing. We've grown to appreciate just how much effort and energy it took to build Sun City. The outcome was never a given, it was always an exercise in push and pull. Two steps forward, one step back. The one constant was those living here never quit on it, they were proud of what they were doing, what they were creating and refused to give up.

    The biggest oddity was from the outset, the powers that be always believed we would incorporate. By doing so, we would shift from a community-run concept to one with a formalized structure of governance. Revenue sharing was always the prize that was dangled in front of community leaders and DEVCO personnel. The early arguments to stop it was census driven. The real benefit would come once we had met critical mass in population and those dollars signs became too significant to ignore. Essentially the state would "refund" tax dollars back to municipalities to pay for city services based on population.

    Ben's assessment is those running the community would simply bide their time and in due course it would happen. It was literally a 25 year waiting game. From almost day one, the subtle push was on. Over the years, organizations used nearly every technique in the book to create buy-in. None worked. Those living here pushed back harder than anyone expected. From collective efforts to singular heroic stances, the population at large loved the idea of a community that ran itself. The idea that by paying higher taxes and the state giving some of it back to build a city like infrastructure was a non-starter.

    In the 1980's the battle got so intense there were several really ugly instances; people receiving threatening phone calls at home, cars keyed and near on fist fights at meetings resulted in folks moving out of Sun City. Nope, not condoning any of it, i just want readers to understand how significant this fight was to our history. It matters and in the next post i will explain why.
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2020
  3. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Let’s put this in perspective; most of us came from a city government setting. We had a mayor, a city council and they hired a city planner. Obviously there are variations, but essentially there was a top down structure with services being purchased based on a tax dollars collected.

    When people moved to Sun City, it had none of that. DEVCO asked residents to take ownership and assume those responsibilities. Organizations were formed to create an environment of support that gave the community a whole different feel. It was the essence of a sense of community.

    It shocked those who were certain one day we would morph into a city-type arrangement. DEVCO didn’t put in street lights, fire hydrants and other things typically paid for by city taxes. They knew it was just a matter of time. They even agreed to build a city hall to house the new governing body.

    The simple fact was, those living here loved this new type of governance. They loved the ownership and the fact if they were willing to take on the responsibilities their cost of living was far less. I suspect enough of them understood the “revenue sharing” scheme was a short term fix with long term impact.

    Had the incorporation folks been successful, we would have city run services with a mayor, council and a city planner. We would have a police department and city workers and all the related costs of them. Taxes would be two-fold (or more) and worse yet the entire concept of a “community of volunteers” would have died an early death.

    I want those reading this to think about what a hard-fought battle this was and why it mattered. In the next post i will break down how far we have fallen in the past 13 years. I will highlight the decent from a self-governed community to one where it appears the only people who matter are the GM and the board of directors.
     
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I worked at the yearly Sun City showcase event at Sun Dial auditorium yesterday at the museum table. I think the name is "Experience AZ" or something like that. It has been going on for years and it is exceptional. Predominantly newer Sun City home owners attend and no matter how many times i have gone, it still makes me feel good about my decision to live here. The community is that special.

    With those kind words out of my mouth, let me take this thread to it's real purpose. I've long argued when we buy here, we become the owners and are responsible for our success. Sometimes i feel like i am preaching to myself. If you have followed my writings, you know we have averaged more than 2000 homes sales (or very close) in the past ten years. That is 20,000 homes out of a total 27,000 plus rooftops. To be clear, many of them are flippers that sold and resold in the course of a year. For simplicity sake, let's argue half of the population has turned over.

    Of those newbies, there are significant numbers still working (and those numbers will only keep growing). The largest demographic is easily baby boomers (and to be clear, i am one). We are different than the "greatest generation." We tend not to be joiners or to assume the level of responsibility those before us did. We tended to resent authority in our youth and in some cases, it carried over. We often came with more disposable income and were at times less frugal. All of those qualities or lack there of lend to the move away from the "ownership" mentality.

    Perhaps management sensed those changes and felt compelled to rewrite documents to gain better control. Perhaps running the community with less involvement was their answer to people within the community questioning why and what they were doing. I suspect some of the driver was the lawsuit, but many of the changes helped chase those living here away from the process of "self-governance." Whatever the reasoning, Sun City has changed, and in my humble opinion, not for the better. Losing that sense of community that was mentioned time and time again in the video portion of yesterday's program is in jeopardy.

    My guess is past RCSC board members and management haven't given it much thought. I suspect if you asked many of them about the battle over "incorporation" from those early years, they would be baffled about what you were talking about. So for them to be able to draw a straight line from pushing residents away and making management the end all be all would not resonate. Sadly, that is exactly what has happened. Unfortunately if you don't know the history or even try to understand it, how the heck do ever begin to try and fix it?
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2020
  5. CMartinez

    CMartinez Well-Known Member

    Bill, exceptional articles, as always. Hope this is not stepping in the middle of your thread, and if it does, please excuse the step in. All of which you have written is so informative, I know it would take volumes to be able to get the information out in its truest form. Yet, you have done magazines in the past, which I know were laborious to produce, but could you, and a few select folks, put together a magazine outlining the benefits of being a homeowner in Sun City, as well as all of the benefits of being a member/owner and what we are missing out on? Point out where the member benefits of self governance are and where and most definitely, how they were lost?

    Point out the over abundance of golf and monies spent on it, how the board has abdicated its responsibilities to one person at the behest of the one person, and a plan or suggestion as to how we get our community back into the hands of the members. I know this is asking a ton, but it could be distributed through the Museum and it would make a lot of sense to a lot of people who might now otherwise know the history and why it is so important to get it back.

    As the next generation moves in, they will not want all of these golf courses, there is not a theater, and there are many amenities we are lacking the GM refuses to acknowledge. This is going to drive prices down and the desirability of Sun City off of the map, all because of one single person with too much influence over the board.

    Thank you for allowing me to jump in, I needed to say this and this seemed to be the most appropriate time and place. After watching the board meeting on YouTube, and I see how and who the president is, who has already been alleged of using his position on the board to influence and sway monies and positions, leaves me angry. Of course, he is in the pocket of the GM, so nothing will get done or change this year. I was glad to see those on the board speak up on keeping the LRPC in the mix and seeing the "NO" votes come about. Oh well, perhaps this board has some backbone to stand up and take back the authority it has lost.
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2020
  6. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Hey C, always glad when folks jump in and add to the discussion. The 5 magazines i have done in the past have always included the importance of preserving the sense of community and significance of our self-governing construct. Two of them done with SCHOA and three of them for the RCSC. The museum doesn't have the resources nor the inclination to address the questions of governance, so our efforts will almost always be historical. As in almost every discussion the question of how to reach the most people is always at hand. Sadly, there is no one single solution.

    Truth be told, the RCSC is the single entity with the best reach. From the moment a person buys in, they have the capacity to influence their actions. Many years ago, as i was leaving the board, i wrote of my failures as a board member. I understood better than anyone i could have done a better job moving other board members in a more forward approach. You know better than most, the officers and gm have the bulk of control. Worse yet, the officers have simply become rubber stamps to promote the gm's agenda. I still can hear last year's president tell us all, their job is to support the gm.

    I too was disappointed by the newly named president. Been there done that and we saw how he got what he wanted as he "served the public." Quid pro quo has been an ongoing trait within the organization and i suspect we'll see more of the same. The other candidate (a female) was far more likely to shake the tree and become a conduit to a more progressive ideology, but she never really had a chance. Too bad. I suspect the only real changes we will see happen is when a new gm is hired. Time will tell, but for now, the status quo marches on.
     
  7. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Clearly, newer age restricted communities function on an entirely different plain. Single entity governance is more efficient and better suited to change on the fly. Our structure is more contained. The more committee's, the slower the pace. The more the effort to engage at town halls, surveys and resident involvement, the more likely they are to get it right...all be it slower.

    The question each person living in Sun City should ask themselves; are we better off the old way or the new? Is the community better served by being run by the management/board or by the community at large? Interesting to note; if the community had simply let the organizations and those running them decide, we would now be an incorporated city.

    Would that make us better? Worse? The same?
     
  8. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    It seems the Mountain View Center will not be an easy project to plan. Many residents will not be pleased with the results. Perhaps a new thread should be started to follow the progress. It's the perfect opportunity to enlist the Long Range Planning Committee's experienced members but now it's apparent that there will be a hand-picked group to further slow down the process.

    And....when will we see an updated Long Range Plan with the last being posted June 2016! :(
     
  9. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    It appears the Long Range Planning Committee has taken on a new look and is more about projecting future trends and less about what the community needs. Not sure who, when or even if you will ever see a new long range plan. I do know there are some very upset folks over recreating another ad hoc committee to reconsider how that plan moves forward. And, you are spot on, no matter what they do, there will be some serious angst over what is done at Mountainview. Everyone's expectations are high and that never bodes well. Thank god the board won't have to be making any of those tough decisions now that they have given all of those responsibilities to management.
     

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