I've been threatening to draft this thread since the day after Thanksgiving. I stopped at the annual craft fair at the Sundial auditorium where there were huge crowds of residents and visitors alike. While i get it. most folks go there to see all the stuff. There was a table with 5 of the 8 RCSC candidates sitting front and center as people walked into the room. I would argue, this is the largest, best field of candidates i have seen, since 2003, and my friend Ben Roloff goes back several years before that and says it is the best he has seen. I went just to talk to them, as i have not voted yet. I spent more than 20 minutes chatting and not another person stopped. Most of you know, i have been involved in more organizations in Sun City than most. I won't waste your time by ticking them off, but in every case i have come in contact with thousands of people who own or were looking to buy here. I love chatting about the positives of the community and one of them is the process of self-governance. Invariable when i do that, people get glassy-eyed with that deer in the headlight look. I understand, Sun City is run like no community they have lived or come from. That said, it's all out there to find out about. Each of the 5 magazines i have written has included a brief tutorial how Sun City works. The Del Web Sun Cities museum has a wealth of information and the 25th anniversary book Jubilee is a wonderful resource. I've long stated those of you reading Talk of Sun City have a better understanding of the community than most folks living here for 20 years. And, i would argue, understanding the history and the structure enhances how you view just how special Sun City is. So, my question to each of you is: Are Sun City residents simply clueless? Don't know? Or, plain don't care how and why we work as well as we do?
I guess on this one fix, we will just disagree. How and why Sun City works or why it has succeeded isn't at all simple. It's taken years of trial and error, but more importantly countless numbers of those living here shaping it to be what it is. Those who came before us far better understood the importance of becoming involved in the ownership of the community. Today, far too many people are clueless and could care less. Emily is right, many are still working, but ignoring our history and how we came to be only accelerates the move away from what made us special. In my humble opinion, we are the worse for it. Virtually every organization is struggling with less volunteers. Sure, part of it is generational, but part of it is nothing more than abject apathy. Back in the day, being part of the process was a given, it was what those from the greatest generation did. Today boomers are busy with their toys and their technology. Nope, not trying to tell anyone how to live their lives. I still think the obligation to help people get their heads around the community lay at the feet of the organizations that run Sun City. Unless and until those orgs understand that is part of their mission we will be stuck with me writing insulting articles calling those buying or living here clueless.
Well, Bill, on this one I will go with the "clueless" rather then the "abject apathy." Since returning to the work life, I have the opportunity to meet folks of various walks of live, widely varying ages and some that really have no idea what they need from life. The one thing I feel is a constant is the cell phone, and its importance in each and everyone's existence. It would appear the cell phone has replaced simple conversations, face to face dealings and the usual methods of making contacts and meeting people. I personally detest my cell phone, but it does serve a purpose daily in being able to retrieve email in a timely manner. The greatest generation had none of the electronic trappings of what is available today. Those folks had party's and social gatherings to convey information with each other, as well as knowing everyone's neighbor in order to share the knowledge and information with. So, does this mean the current generation is less involved or doesn't care? Nope, I feel no one is making an effort to reach out to these people at their level. How many clubs have Facebook accounts, keep them updated daily, and do stories about their clubs and members in a way to get the message out to those with their nose buried in a text message? Has there been a real effort to stay connected with the "connected" in their genre of choice? Lots is always touted about communication with the residents of Sun City, but communication methodologies have changed direction and the powers that be seem to be making little effort to reach out to those who really are interested, but have not one clue about the clubs, their needs or their wants. When talking about living in Sun City, the rec centers don't even hit the radar. What question am I asked the most? How much are the HOA fees? As more and more retirement age people move into or around their choice destination, the costs and fees are the top topic. Once I explain the rec centers, the community amenities, and the total cost of the yearly fee, they are amazed no one told them about this place before. We sit here, waiting for retirees to find us, rather than making a concerted effort to get the word out to the "digitally" disconnected individuals who salivate once told about what our community has to offer. I kid you not, in just the space of a mere few years, there has been a paradigm shift into electronic communication which will leave Sun City in the dust until someone comes up with a comprehensive plan to reach out to these new, prospective retirees. It will take Facebook, twitter and pinterest with lots of colorful pictures and unique stories to reach out to our new, potential, audience. It requires a hefty digital presence within the community to get the message out to the digital community. Setting up webinars on Linkedin is a great start to inform the potential residents, plus a fantastic tool to teach others about our clubs, our history and how this history is shaping the views for tomorrow. So, my experience has not been all apathy, but general lack of knowledge, or what you call "clueless". People do want to know, they just want it in small bites, quickly digested, yet, so informative, they want to come back for more, or "follow" your site. A different perspective on an age old issue, how do we choose to communicate with our constituents. Time to re-evaluate how we are going to reach out to those who we need to have as an integral part of our community.
Spot on Carole, it is as if the tech world has overtaken the real world. The funny thing is it doesn’t’t have to be one or the other. That’s why this election is so critical. Two candidates have been openly blunt about the need for the RCSC to take some very large steps in becoming more technologically advanced. Jill and Kat have hit the nail squarely on the head. That said, it’s more than just having a presence on Facebook. It’s about finding the balance of leadership integrating technology with the beauty of Sun City’s construct. They can work in concert with one another. And let’s be honest, both Sun City West and Sun City Grand have exploded past us in that arena. Quick heads up; if you have nothing going on Monday, you may want to take in the Board/Member Exchange. I hear there may be an interesting look at this very topic. It is at 9 AM at the Lakeview social halls, second floor. Added bonus, the coffee is free and hot. Nice. On a related subject i met with an old friend yesterday. Paul Herrmann will be the Vice President on the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum board next year. It was exciting to hear they got a grant for an addition to the museum. It comes from the Del Webb Foundation who were delighted to see someone keeping the Webb name alive. Hopefully in years to come, they will look more closely at that side of the museum’s potential. In my humble opinion, it is sorely lacking.
I think apathy is the root cause of being clueless. I think the apathy is, in part, the result of SC reaching a level of maturity. I liken SC to a family -- in the beginning they had nothing, as time passed they grew, got a house, wealth, etc. Now they are older, comfortable, and want for little. When the kids want changes the parents turtle down. So the kids get other interests outside the family and simply become takers of whatever their parents give them. The SC board and management certainly know how to turtle down, how to be autocratic, how to make members feel like their ideas and help are not needed --- and so, the members have become takers --- and clueless. If you want members to care, to become involved, to learn and help and vote --- you have to need them --- and appreciate what they do. I fear the RCSC has mostly lost that capacity.
Hey IC, long time no hear brother. Hope all is well. Strong points for sure. It's an interesting discussion, because there area couple of ways to trigger involvement. The most obvious is what we are witnessing on the National political scene. Create a sense of hysteria, identify targets of hatred and then whip people into a frenzy. Fairly easy to do, but never very effective in building a long term cohesive structure to grow from. The other is much more strategic in nature, and far more enduring and endearing. It is a premise built on several different levels, but always with a couple of simple tenets; education and communication. If you are running a single organization or city government, it's easier. Everything you do is built around a master plan with consistent messaging and a constant look in everything you produce. In Sun City, there are numerous organizations, all with a different look, feel and agenda. I've long felt if these organizations could get on the same page, the impact on the community would be substantial. The funny thing is most of these groups meet monthly and have for years. It's great they get together for coffee and breakfast once a month, but what if collectively they tried building a master plan for growing forward. No one would have to give up their autonomy, but every one of the organizations could benefit from setting strategic goals...all surrounding the concept of the greater good of Sun City. Of course the history of the community and their own organizations would all play an integral role. Reaching the residents is a huge challenge, but having the strength of numbers each organization brings is an awesome start. It always gets back to the discussion i posted a month back about leadership. What kind of leaders do we elect and what is it we expect them to do? The biggest problem with establishing this kind of plan is people expect results in months when in reality the true benefit would be realized over years of educating people the joy of Sun City living. It isn't about building a massive movement, but creating a steady, consistent program of messaging and making it interesting and entertaining enough for residents to want to be a part of it.
Yesterday at the Board/Member Exchange, i took the liberty of promoting the potential of SCHOA acting on the recommendations of the CC&R review committee. Unfortunately i spend too many of my waking hours trying to get my head around improving what is already a pretty good structure. If you read my post immediately above, it was simply a precursor to long range plan to get Sun City moving forward in a more cohesive manner. Stay here with me eh, it will be look like that jigsaw puzzle that finally starts to look like a picture once the pieces are in place. In another thread i suggested rewriting and passing CC&R revisions in the 57 units of single family homes in Sun City would be damn near impossible. I still see mountains of problems, but i also see the potential to create something that will change the community in ways that could benefit us for years to come. I make the same mistake that most make, i tend to think too small picture. Simply put; why is passing the CC&R's just a SCHOA problem? As i said at the microphone, improving the CC&R's benefits the entire community. It's not just about SCHOA , it is a community problem. As i said above, think bigger picture, more globally if you will. And i'm not just talking about the organizations that meet once a month. Grow the circle; there's 31 churches in Sun City, their reach is immense. Invite all the "players" in the community to be part of a long range plan to build a more cohesive message. I'm not saying they need go out and get signatures, i am saying they get on board delivering the message. I am saying we look at ways to package the whole of Sun City as we move forward. It just turns out the CC&R rewrite is the incentive to build for a better future. Do i think there are challenges? Yup, hundreds of them. There's no question it is far easier to sit back and let each organization survive or fail on their merits, but is it the smart choice? There was a time when Sun City was focused on growing the entirety of the community, but that was because DEVCO was in the background herding the cats. Why did they do that? Because it was infinitely better than letting those organizations fracture, splinter and fail. There's been no interest in looking more objectively at the community as whole. And as i said yesterday and written dozens of times, Sun City is really just a sum total of its parts. So, am i totally crazy or just wasting my breath talking to myself?
Bill you are not totally crazy, you are a community activist with vision which can actually envision this Sun City working together for the good of the whole. You see the big picture, the sum parts working together in tandem, sharing information and resources to the benefit of the residents. You have a feel for what is possible and what can be accomplished with some community involvement and communication. The outstanding issues seem to be, IMHO, is the buy-in from those who have the clout and direction to drive this bus in the right direction. It would appear to this reader, there is a "silo" effect of these organizations of not wishing to share ideas, community resources, and in general, a desire to break the mold of the status quo. Almost like being a board member, one can see the goal, have the vision to achieve the goal, and the desire to get to the end with a favorable outcome. Then comes along all of the special interests with all of the reasons it can't be done, why it shouldn't be done, and how to make sure it doesn't get done. That my friend, is not being crazy, it is keeping the hope alive there is at least one person willing to stand outside of the status quo and make a genuine effort to explore other ways to help this community.
