Dave Wieland Resigns from RCSC

On 10/25, RCSC Director Dave Wieland resigned from the board of directors. He cited several instances of behaviors by directors as well as other actions, which he felt placed his integrity at issue. Rather than fight the system in place, he thanked the people of Sun City for their support and resigned, effect 01-01-2019. He will be missed, and here is hoping those in power at the RCSC take note of the comments and strive to make changes. Perhaps now would be the most opportune time to initiate open board meetings to deter the back room deeds.

 

Wow, that is a shock. Not that board members quitting is all that rare, but that David did surprises me. He's pretty resilient and able to withstand the petty crap that affects those who don't fall into lock step. More on this topic later, but for now the young girl is looking for her morning walk.

 

Waiting to see the YouTube video as I wasn't able to make the night meeting. I hope there wasn't a "glitch" in getting it recorded or posted.

Ahhh....just wanted to update that the video is now posted.

 

Did something happen at the board meeting that triggered this aggie?

 

It looked like a well prepared statement that was brought on by past events. The resignation comments are at the very end of the recording.

 

OMG... Really?

If you haven't watched the video of last night's meeting, you should. David rocked the world, well, maybe just the board, staff and Sun City residents who pay attention as he closed out the meeting with his resignation effective one second after midnight on Dec 31. Given his comments, the next couple of months might be a bit uncomfortable for all parties huddled behind those closed door meetings. I should call Vegas to see if they have posted odds on whether he will make it or be let go before then?

Suffice to say there has been some things that have happened in the past months that led up to this. The issues of how clubs are audited have been a sore spot and how the board resolved those matters wasn't liked by a couple of board members. That said, it was yesterdays news and clearly there has been more gasoline poured on the fire to cause him to tender his resignation.

I've written many times of the challenges of serving on the board. It becomes more difficult when you tend to stand up for what you believe in, rather than just buying into what is being pitched. Mind you, i'm not finding fault, but it is easier to go along to get along. Group think is a reality that every group setting gets confronted by. Then you have the dynamic of the staff and how much they "help" set policy rather than just conducting the day to day activities of the organization. It's a delicate balance and one that every board faces. No easy answers here, but until you are in the position and see it up close and personal, it's hard to get your head around.

No question, last night's meeting should make the next couple of months more interesting.

 

Wow. Will we ever know the whos he mentioned? He did a lot but we need to know names. The board member could run for office again. We pay for the salary of the staff. Kudos for the tip but it feels quite frustrating information to know about but not know of.

 

To name names would place Dave, or anyone, into serious legal trouble. You may pay the salary of the staff, but the board has no control over the management of the staff. Board policy has been so amended so that a personal empire has been built, and the staff are the sole ownership of the GM. No board member is allowed to reprimand the staff for any reason. This was not the intent of the original Articles of Incorporation, but the entire RCSC has been or is being rewritten to meet the wants and need of a select few. If one is a person of ethics and integrity, standing idly by and watching this unfold can cause serious personal angst. Dave is a man of high moral fiber, and to have witnessed what he has, made him decide the ideals he holds true were being directly threatened. When, as a board member, you are in the minority, decisions as to best course to follow is a personal one. Dave made his choice, feeling the odds insurmountable.

 

As to who to vote for? There are some NEW fresh faces running for the board. Look at them first, as they are not a part of the recurring regurgitation of "the same old thing". There are some excellent women running for office that would make excellent Directors, and have high ideals and standards for the community. This is my personal opinion of where the next board should come from.

 

For anyone interested, i've started any number of threads regarding the changes made in our documents that coincide with Carole mentioned above. The move away from a community driven document to one that makes it more corporation driven isn't just my ramblings but the reality all new board members have to operate under. It was a bitter pill for me to swallow as i loved the construct of our community that was "self-governed."

I cannot speak to what David is talking about, obviously whatever it was, it caused him to speak out in a way that is unprecedented in our history. Dozens of directors have left over the years, but i know of none that did so in the manner we watched on the video. Hopefully it will trigger some sense of urgency to try and move back towards a community run by the board members.

You will also see any number of posts i have written that have flat out stated that Sun City would not be harmed if we operated under Tittle 33 rather than Tittle 10. Closed door meetings only serve to insure that it looks like "they" have something to hide. The reality is there is nothing that goes on in this community that needs to be or should be done in the cloak of darkness (short of those things protected by law). Hopefully new board members will be more objective regarding Sun City's future and the control we have given to the staff.

 

I certainly didn't mean Dave should name names, he did enough. Who does have control over staff.... someone hires them. The answer seems to imply there's absolutely nothing anyone can do. Certainly someone can. Does staff run the RCSC independently with no ability to intervene from non-staff? Who has the ability to fire the top person?

 

The general manager is in charge of the day to day operations. She has a personnel director who handles the hiring. She has a complete management team that works directly under her purview. The board, in theory, is in charge of the GM. As the directors have relinquished much of the work load to the paid staff, they have been further removed from the process of any real hands on governance. It's easy to understand why and how that happens. The GM is paid a good salary and has far more insight into how the operation is run. The board becomes more caretakers than leaders. The best example is the GM has written virtually all of the language that has been passed regarding changes to community documents. The question is, did those changes come from the board or because the GM saw the value in them?

Years back, board members took a much more proactive role. They spent more hours in the board office and were less dependent on getting the information they needed from the GM and the secretary assigned to help them. It's a system built on expediency rather than accuracy. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand the board doesn't want to be spending 20 hours a week working when in fact they are retired and find it much easier to just take what is provided for them as gospel. The funny thing is, even from when i was on the board 5 years back, the time spent in meetings is way less.

While on the board, i went to the GM and complained about the assistant GM. I was no fan and when i told her so, she said i should confront him about it. Really? Board members have no say over staff, the GM does. It's not a prefect system and unless the board is willing to be aggressive regarding issues that are a problem, the status quo stays the course and little changes. The good news is, Sun City is pretty well run and managed, the bad news is, it could be so much better.

 

Wow I just watched the you tube video.
Makes me a little nervous.

 

Julianna, no need to be nervous. There exists a need for some fundamental changes to the governing structure of the RCSC. I truly believe the open meeting features of ARS Title 33 should be put into place immediately, and allow the community to truly have an open and seamless architecture of governing. There is no place better to live than Sun City, AZ. Think of how much better it will be once the cloak of secrecy is removed from board meetings and all are allowed to see and participate in the decision making process of a self governed community. Will there be some bumps in the road to overcome, yes, but it will be to the benefit of the residents of Sun City. It is long overdue to open the gates of communication which gives the residents the full view of their governing body. I personally will be looking for board candidates which support open board meetings, as those will be the ones who truly want to lead the RCSC into the next evolution of true communication with their peers.

No need to fear or be nervous, this is truly a prelude to some new and wonderful opportunities for the board to extend itself to be better at what it does, and be the best it can be.

 

I’m going to take a different approach here. It would be appreciated if Dave would name names and factually provide the details of what occurred at the Board and staff level. The owners/voters can’t effectuate change if they don’t know what happened. Anyone elected to public office is subject to scrutiny and public criticism. However, this can not occur as long as business is conducted in smoke filled rooms with back room deals among buddies that don’t serve the public interest. If Dave wants to bring about positive change, he needs to inform. I have seen Bill speak out publically in this forum about his interactions with Board members and other governing bodies. There is no legal ramification to speaking the truth and elected officials are open to scrutiny and criticism beyond ordinary citizens. It comes with the position. To remain silent is to enable. I invite Dave to speak out on this forum.

 

It's always a tough call R, because in our litigious society these days, there's always the potential for legal action that can cost you an arm and a leg even if you have done nothing more than speak the truth. If you have followed the board's actions this year, most of this stemmed from a club who wasn't following their own rules and regulation regarding expenditures. When Dave did an audit (as the chair of the audit committee) and called them on it, they complained to another board member who brought about his removal.

The issue gets way more convoluted, but suffice to say, clubs need to follow their own Rules and Regulations. When the rewrite of Board Policy 12 was done, the goal was for clubs to have more autonomy (a good thing), but it was never intended for them to disregard how they function. Clubs are still covered under the RCSC' s non-profit status and there are fairly strict guidelines that are still in place. It's why they do new officer training every year. Understanding what they can and can't do is important.

As far as the other matter Dave mentioned, i have no clue. Maybe in time we will hear something, maybe not. I suspect much depends on how the board deals with David's "expose."

 

Damn! Nasty rumors floating about regarding the actions of one board member and how he/she flaunted their authority. What is most disturbing is when confronted the board and the staff all went brain dead and refused to act. Leadership is about doing the right thing, not ignoring your responsibilities.

 

Rumors abound, and just heard another from a friend of a friend who lives up the street. So, this is not from Dave, but could be a part of the mysterious and cryptic message he said upon his departure. Apparently, a sitting board member broke into a secretaries desk and found the candidate files and removed one or some, actual number not sure of. When discovered, nothing was done to the offending member, just a verbal reprimand to the entire board to not do it again by the GM.

If this rumor even has a glimmer of truth to it, it makes my blood boil, considering this would be a minimum, breaking and entering. Then, to allow a sitting board member to continue on as if nothing egregious occurred, and have the fellow directors pretend nothing happened, is beyond comprehension to me. This is not leadership, this is cowardice and would indicate to this writer there are many that are complicit with this act as well.

I have not spoken to Dave about this, as the night he resigned, he was visibly shaken by the announcement he had just made. I am here to support and listen, not prod and pry. Now that I have heard this latest bit of gossip, I too, am taken aback by these actions, if true. I can remember a time when something was done legally by myself and Dave, and we were almost run out of town on a rail.

I gave it a great deal of thought to posting this information. Dave, if you are reading this, you did the right thing. Your integrity is intact, which cannot be said for others of the board if they allowed this member to remain with no repercussions.

 

For those who haven't yet watched the board meeting on youtube yet, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2kK4OrYyrE .

Only 144 views so far -- sad that more people aren't concerned and vocal. Dave apparently felt this was a way he could shine a light on situations that run counter to his sense of right and wrong. It's always a dilemma whether to remain in place and fight for change, remain in place and silently do what you can, or resign with a strong statement against whats going on. All of these tactics have been tried over the years to little avail in getting the board back to being primarily an agent of the members as a whole. I applaud Dave for pulling the sheets back a little on the lack of fairness and honesty that has become, in my mind, a trademark of the board and parochial interests within the community and RCSC management.

 

Hey IC, hope all is well. In fairness to all parties, no one but those involved knows the story in its entirety. That said, there is no question, the board and the management team do have all the facts. The problem now is that some of it has seen the light of day (thanks to David for that) and it should not be ignored. If there is even a scant trace of truth to the idea a board member went into an employee's desk, took the application for a candidate and then started questioning club members about that candidate, they should be kicked of the board.

Nope, not mincing words here, not giving them the the benefit of the doubt, it it's true, they should be gone. That goes well beyond the norms of right and wrong or an innocent mistake. That is blatant and the actions border on intimidation. This year the election committee did a great job to find 8 pretty good candidates. If a board member takes it upon themselves to act out and somehow disrupt the integrity of the election process, there is not another board member who should view that as acceptable behavior.

In the current state of politics in this country, it may be just fine to have no integrity, honor or honesty, but our community deserves far better than that. Hopefully the board can get their head around that simple premise...we'll see eh?