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Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by BPearson, Jul 14, 2018.

  1. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I've probably used this header before, but it fits. Anyway, the site has been starving from lack of posts, though not from those reading. Aside from the bots, the numbers of guests is strong, not at all unusual for boards like this.

    Before i go off on the header, let me start with a simple explanation; I am strange. Yup, no regrets, no apologies for it, it's just who i am. Hell, the biggest attraction for me in Sun City AZ was the fact that we were self-governed, that we ran ourselves, that we "owned" it

    With ownership, comes responsibility. Much like owning a home, you need to care for it. Or raising a child, you need nurture it. Or a pet, you've got to care for it, love it. You get the picture, when you buy into Sun City AZ, you become part of the process of insuring it stay special, unique. If not, we change and become something wholly different.

    The beauty is there's a hundred, maybe a thousand ways to do that. The volunteer options are endless. From clubs to churches and all points in between, they all add to the character, charm and allure of the community. Heck, to me, this site is still yet another way to "volunteer" to keep the magic of Sun City alive: And, you can do it while never leaving the house and never revealing who you are.

    But back to where this all began. During the past week, virtually nothing has been posted. When i visit the site and see nothing new, i start exploring, hence the topic. Did you know; on the front page in the right hand corner (as you are looking at the screen) there is a link that says Members Online Now. And, if you click on it, you will see who is online and what thread they are looking at. The bots i disregard.

    My interest is most often focused on what threads are being read by the guests who visit this site. It is fascinating. And to prove i am different, i often will click on the thread they are following to see what topics appeal to them. Where it gets even more weird is when i find a thread from years back that are of interest, i continue to read through it.

    At the risk of sounding like i enjoy my own writing, there's some damn good stuff contained on the pages of this site. Most often i forget all the things i have written and especially from posters who jump in with their thoughts. With over 2000 posts and 400 threads started, who the hell remembers. Damn, some days i don't remember what i had for breakfast.

    By the way, one of the items that surprises me is you can also look at member profiles and i am amazed at how many readers do that. What i may start doing in this thread is posting links from days gone by readers are following, it may surprise you as much as it does me.
     
  2. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Ask and you shall receive eh? Just clicked on the Members Online Now and darned if a guest wasn't reading this thread entitled Where Do We Go From Here? I started it, but there was some brilliant participation from members who added their thoughts/suggestions. It's from 2016 and interestingly some of the things mentioned in there have been done. Here's the link to it.; click here.
     
  3. CMartinez

    CMartinez Well-Known Member

    Have been hanging out in the weeds, on the sidelines, as I received a letter from the GM, all written in red ink, addressing some of my comments lately.

    It is so great to read some of the things needed for the community have come to fruition. The recording of the meetings for all to see is a great leap forward for SC. Also the LRPC is back, I feel it needs to have the ability to spread its wings a little further into the future, and not feel as if they will be penalized for really looking at the future. The last time they did some of this kind of planning, the committee was disbanded.

    I still want to see more interaction with the board and the members. Alas, I am told the primary function of the board is to be fiduciaries for the board. No where was I told members were to be of concern, and this still makes me bristle. Why then, have elections of board members, when the board doesn't represent the members? Why have board member meet and greets when they can say anything they want to win votes, but the reality of it is, they owe the members nothing? What about when the board "elects" their officers, and it is already in the bag as who will end up with what position? Shall I wait for another "red letter day" fairly soon? The meet with a "board member" once a week is, IMHO, not what is needed. We need to have at least three open board meetings a year, all of the board members present, addressing concerns of the members. That is not the same as having the board-member exchange, as the members are not allowed to question individual board members for ideas or commentary. I still can't get over the President of the board telling a member to sit down and go away. Is this what this board thinks of the member exchanges?

    Time to retreat to the weeds again, can't wait to see what kind of letter I get this time. Thanks all for your time, it really is appreciated.
     
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Seriously Carole? A letter from the GM? Damn girl, you are way better at pushing buttons than i am. They just flat out ignore me. So, pray tell, what are your sins?
     
  5. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    If the board does not need to represent members then who does? They make decisions that concern all of us.
     
  6. CMartinez

    CMartinez Well-Known Member

    The letter I wrote about the changes to the audit process. As it is written, there is no clarification as to who does the audits, how the are to be conducted, and gives the executive board of any club to much autonomous power to decide of they want to play with the audit or not. That is what I wrote in the paper and it was alleged that I was colluding with Dave on writing the article. So, that is how you get a "red letter" in your inbox, which she wouldn't even have if I were not a former board member. It was sent to me and the current board members for their perusal. Here is the thing, I only read the last paragraph, and thanked her for her concern for Joe and his condition. I did not read the rest of it, hoping it was a cathartic experience for her, and I just didn't care to get involved with it anymore.

    I will let Bill answer your question Cynthia, he is much better versed on this issue, then I ever could be. But what I said about the board being beholden to the RCSC Corporation and not the members is a true statement.
     
  7. CMartinez

    CMartinez Well-Known Member

    One more thing, can one of the board of directors, preferably the member who represents the Communications and Marketing Committee please change it back to the Communications Committee? Marketing is done by the management team and has no link to the Communications Committee. It was my error to have done this all of those years ago, and now someone needs to make it right. I thought I saw an opportunity for the committee which didn't exist, and still doesn't. Let them be a part of the communication process which needs to happen so the board at least has some link to the communication processes to the members.
     
  8. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Thanks CM, push me off the cliff and hope i start getting letters from the GM eh? Just kidding. I have always been vocal about this one, especially as a board member. The very thought a board member swears allegiance to the RCSC corporation annoys me. In my mind we are elected to represent the community, not some entity that wouldn't exist without us. It's a little like the question; where does your lap go when you stand up? All nonsensical.

    Read the Articles of Incorporation and you will find exactly why the RCSC was created. I'll boil it down to its lowest common denominator, to serve those of us who have bought and live here. It's been the documents that come after that where they have taken the liberties to imply a different structure. By-laws, rules and regulations and even the oath all get their authority from the Articles of Incorporation. It is the highest order and everything that flows from it should conform to them.

    It's not worth fighting over, perhaps even just minutia in the grand scheme of things. A little like the old argument i used to have with board members; who owns the amenities? Answer:; the RCSC. Who is the RCSC? And then the fun starts, because in the documents you can find any number of answers. It's always why i promote the idea that as the owners we need become a part of the process. We have a responsibility to get involved. If we don't, a handful of board members and staff become the default mechanism in the decision making process.

    In the old days, everything was put in front of people. There wasn't an inherent fear of telling them too much. It's why i get frustrated these days as we've moved away from inclusion on a grand scale. We rely on the adage, if they don't show up, they must be happy.
     
  9. CMartinez

    CMartinez Well-Known Member

    Sorry BP, no intent to get you a red letter day either. I just know your passion around the board and the members, which is why I threw the ball in your court. You know what the intent of the corporate documents are, to serve the members. This whole convoluted mess we have now of the members being the last item to be thought about just frosts my butt! And that is a lot of territory to cover.

    I truly believe the reason there has been no action on the reverse mortgages is because of the "fiduciary duty" to the corporation, meaning no one wants to lose the $3500 PIF on these handful of mortgages. No one has said that, this is my guessing about what the current board is doing. After all, it was under Rich, the PIF went to $3500 for no reasonable explanation. What no one is paying attention to is the little fight over these handful of reverse mortgages is going to cost RCSC a lot more, as it loses it FHA certification because of the private facilities agreement. Just a guess, as when someone pushes in the wrong direction on a little action, sometimes what you get back is a whole big pile of mess. This is my guess as to how things are going to turn out. I am hoping I am wrong, as then this will affect a great deal of PIF funds. Not to mention funding regular loans in SC. I know nothing about anything, this is strictly my opinion. I have not been in contact with any board member for quite some time, so this is strictly my musings alone.
     
  10. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Any hope of becoming me becoming normal always seems to vanish in the wind when i find myself getting excited over something as mundane as a meeting. Damn, going to have coffee today with Jerry Svendsen, who was the DEVCO PR guy for virtually all of the years Sun City was being marketed. There aren't many of those old-timers left and Jerry was at the center of the action during it's heyday. Really, who gets excited about another meeting?

    Geez, there is no hope for me.
     
  11. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Awesome. Spent an hour plus with Jerry and Joelyn and there wasn’t a moment of silence. We are meeting again onThursday and talking about a possible video of some of us reliving those early years. How good would that be?
     
  12. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Yes, do it. Just use your phone if nothing else.
     
    Emily Litella likes this.
  13. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    My goal is to do a "fireside chat" in one of my living rooms with Jerry where we can settle back and dig deep into his mind on just how special his time with DEVCO was. The old taped interviews (oral histories) at the museum are invaluable and this would be an incredible addition in a much better format. We are talking about quality audio and video equipment being used.
     
  14. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Of course quality is best, but if the planning stops it from happening a phone is better than nothing. That’s all I meant.
     
  15. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    In 2010 as the president of the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, we rebuilt the website. In preparation for Sun Cities 50th anniversary celebration, we had undergone a massive transformation. Changed the name (used to be the Sun Cities Area Historical Society), added the Del Webb room, changed the sign out front adding the Sun City logo, increased the hours and finished with the new website. The woman who built the site was there one day and said let's add a video of the Del Webb room. She had her phone and asked me to do a promo walk-through, about a one minute spot.

    I like to ad-lib so it was all good. We did a quick take on her phone, thinking i could work any kinks out the second take. We got done and said that was perfect. In my mind it wasn't, but she was always in a hurry to just get stuff done. The site went up within the week and low and behold there was the video, much to my chagrin. It wasn't bad, but it could have been better. The damn thing stayed there for years, until they rebuilt the site a couple of years back. Thankfully the video went a way.

    The point is, the camera phone and video was more than adequate. Hell, there may be a million video clips posted to various social media sites each day, the bulk shot with camera phones. Nothing wrong with them. I just feel the quality of this effort is better served with good equipment and a more professional approach in getting the best results possible.
     
  16. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    I rarely video with my phone, I have better equipment. But as the old saying goes...the best camera is the one you have in your hand.
     

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