Some days i hate the demon's that consume me. I pay attention to what is happening in the community; perhaps way more than most. It's the way i am built; it's how i have always functioned. Truth be told, probably be better off ignoring everything like so many others. Life is simpler that way. I moved here because of our remarkable system of self-governance. I loved the idea we ran ourselves. The fact we were a collective where every owner had at the very least an obligation to pay their fair share. The more savvy ones, stuck their hand up and volunteered. It truly was about taking ownership. Sadly, the longer i have lived here, the more the community has moved away from that concept. Let someone else do it, is becoming more and more the mantra. Hell, even the board members have become lethargic in their responsibilities. With each passing day, the GM and the management team becomes the end all be all. I get it, way easier that way. And from a purely practical standpoint, those buying here and moving in have no clue what life used to be like. They know they get free shows and great entertainment at a reasonable price. They know the rec centers are clean and well kept. They know the golf courses are well run and kept up better than most. They get the weekly and monthly stream of information that promotes the community as a magical place. We used to call it spin and it works, especially when there is no counter to it. What they don't know is well hidden. Why have we abandoned the documents that brought us such incredible successes? How's the solar we spent a fortune on functioning? Whether the 40 million dollars pumped into the golf courses is paying off or as we watch rounds diminish in a game that is struggling to survive; will it be a good or bad investment? When buildings are thrown up, are they done right, or just done? Have we got a strategic plan for the future or are we just flying by the seat of our pants? Who is being held accountable and by whom? None of these questions get answered when all you do is hang by the pool, play some golf, lift a few weights or join a club (unless of course the club you belong to wants more space). Hell, you don't even get answers when you go to meetings and ask the questions. We're fed what they want us to know and think we should hear. Board members run on the premise members matter, but once they get into office, it's all about the corporation. Think not? Watch the video from yesterday's open meeting, and i mean watch closely. Pay attention to what's said, and more importantly, what's not said. The antique car restoration club has issues with the new building. They were sent to talk to the assistant gm (our former tech guy). He listened and sent them back to the board who then told them to go back and talk to the assistant gm. Can you spell run around? The month before it was much the same; the softball club was out in force looking for a new building at the softball field. The old one is simply put, a dump. Rather than deal with it, the board sent them to the long range planning committee who wondered aloud why they were even there, given the likelihood of the project they are looking at is under $750,000 (the threshold for PIF expenditures). Now they are back at the board, but wait, the board isn't involved in that anymore, go see management. There was a good crowd yesterday and lots of comments. Primarily because the Oakmont ceramic club wants space in the new Grand Ave building. I wouldn't argue for or against it. I will argue there should be a process based on who needs space. In the end, they may be the ones who should get it, but not simply because the club that was going to get it said they didn't want to go and a director has a thing about taking care of Oakmont. We've been sorely lacking any real sense of direction or decision making process with quantifiable reasons. We haven't set criteria or followed up with goals to assess whether the money we invested made sense. One only has to look at the inordinate money shoveled at golf to see how one person's agenda became all of our reality. The GM wanted it, they stacked the boards with golfers and 12 years later our courses, out-buildings and snack/pro shops are state of the art. But at what cost? I wrote years ago, the biggest challenge facing Sun City will be space. Clubs that are growing will argue they need more. Clubs barely existing will not want to give up what they have and new clubs with no dedicated space will want to have their own. In the end, we spend small fortunes on projects like Grand Ave when we could have aggressively gone after the Lakes Club and added 38,000 square feet; which included a theater. Yesterday was an eye opener for me. The RCSC will never change, at least not while the current GM controls direction and outcomes. I wonder why i waste any time or energy on something i have no ability to change. It just is what it is. The good news is, Sun City is a great place to live. The bad news is, it could be so much better.
Dang, forgot i wrote this nearly a month back now. Two board meetings have come and gone and the long range planning committee has submitted to the board their recommendations for consideration. It will be first discussed at the final board meeting before the summer break. I know the committee likes the proposal as they worked hard to draft an action plan to help create some structure on how we, the board and management make decisions. Creating quantifiable data will help identify needs. Before we can even go there, we've presented a well thought out argument for enhancing our technology department and updating both our hardware and software. It's hard to argue we have stayed current on technology. We've been hearing the same complaints about our wifi for more than 10 years and little has changed. Crap, that's the easiest of issues to address. Security from cameras in the parking lots to access to clubs and fitness areas and ultimately connectivity with clubs and the RCSC all are on the plate. We know Gen X buyers will come expecting technology to be a given and if it's not, we may well fall of their radar when it comes time to buy. The next board meeting is on June, 27. Hopefully they will embrace our proposal in total. That little voice in my head keeps pushing me to just walk away from it all and enjoy the pool. Ever the fool, i am the eternal optimist believing we are on the right track and the right things happening are just around the corner. We'll see eh.
There seems to be little that the BOD does theses days and I would suggest they are putting themselves out of business. To me they really have very little interest in serving the community as they did years ago. You sort of alluded to that fact in your comments in the Bus Trips threads. You didn't say it so many words, but the BOD has little desire to spend any time on the governing of this community. I will lump the GM and staff into that same statement. When did it become too time consuming for little payback to continue bus trips. It just sounds to me that no one really wants to spend any time volunteering for the good of the community. I believe the LRPC has a place in Sun City, but only if they are as open as the current board meetings. Why can't the LRPC publish their thoughts, processes, and plans for all to see before the board meeting on the 27th so everyone can see and comment on such? As it is, the general public has no idea what the LRPC is proposing. They will only get a glimpse of same when it is brought up at the board meeting. That in my opinion is too little too late. As for the need for technology. Definitely a need for Sun City to get up to snuff on enabling and using technology to track and provide data so that intelligent decisions can be made with regard to the future of Sun City. Should the technology be instituted and run by the BOD and or the GM? I would argue against it as we now know the board has little to no interest in the governing processes of Sun City. We know the BOD answers to the GM. We know the GM went political to insure that Sun City will never have to follow T33. And yet, you seem to trust both to do the right thing with regard to technology and you believe that any technology improvements should be implemented and controlled by the GM/BOD. That's like trusting the wolf not to invade the hen house. Obviously Sun City does not have the expertise to use technology to its fullest, or it would have been done 15 or more years ago. Introducing full functioning technology in all aspects of Sun City life will be expensive. It should be completely transparent and not controlled by the BOD/GM. The BOD/GM can be involved in the selection of software, hardware, and vendor, but they must not be able to monitor, edit, and report on the data findings. That must be done completely independent of anyone in Sun City. I for one would like to see the LRPC's proposals prior to the next board meeting. The BOD will be off for 2 months so for those two months, nothing gets done unless the GM says so. Sun City is a 365 day a year community and therefore requires BOD involvement 365 days a year. What happens during those 2 months? Nothing except what the GM wants. Does the BOD do anything with regard to the governing process during those 2 months? I highly doubt it. I think their attitude is let it sit till we come back in the fall. I realize you want to return to the days when Sun City was self governed, but that is never going to happen. Change is occurring to Sun City at an ever increasing pace and it will continue to change. Will it be for the better or worse? My view is that as long as the community is not involved, it will only get worse. By laws, and community documents will continue to be changed at an ever increasing pace shutting out the community as a whole. I know a lot of people have left Sun City for the summer, but no one actually knows for sure how many. It would be advantageous to know how many residents leave for the summer months and technology can track this. Knowing that many have left for the summer does not account for the poor showing at the last board meeting. There can be only one explanation. No one really cares about the board meetings. That being the case, why have a BOD and meetings? Why don't we call it the GM's monthly summary.
It’s really disconcerting to realize a GM has so much control of the community money. One person. I suppose in theory a GM could be fired (not insinuating the current one should) but a GM being fired seems as likely as a president getting impeached. Too much power. I’d feel better if it were at least a group of paid people who made the decisions instead of one.
It's frustrating to watch as most of the board are clueless on how Sun City was built. The GM's never had any real authority until the current one. They ran the day to day operations; that was it. It all changed when Jan was hired and gradually started hiring her management team and started reducing the work load on the board. Then we watched as she started to change community documents (all with the approval by the board) and Sun City was changed forevermore. I get it, we hired a GM and paid her enough for people to feel like she should be making the decisions. Now, after 12 years we morphed into the board proudly telling us their role is to support her actions. It was never intended to be that way. It's what we have become. If golf continues to falter, then what? Once she is gone, then what? How does the board suddenly assume serious and competent leadership roles after years of being neutered? It's why i have been so outspoken. Sun City has endured and thrived for nearly 60 years. Simply plodding along with no plan is a fools game and if there is one, it's really well hidden. I've said it before, John Meeker was a genius, but as smart as he was, he learned to listen and incorporate what he heard into the structure of the community. Too bad we failed to understand the importance of our history and why it matters.
Sometimes it may seem like i dislike the GM, that's not the case at all. Jan is quite personable and as i have written any number of times, as talented as almost anyone i have worked with over the years. In talking with a former board member when she was hired, he said she was easily the most qualified candidate that applied for the position. She told me in her first year, she couldn't even write an article without first getting it approved by the board. Board's change and over the years Jan has found her footing. Not unusual and when boards become lazy and lax, she steps up and fills the void. What's the saying? A slippery slope. I found my three years on the board maddening. Real debate and open discussions were hard to come by. We spent hours on minutia and all but ignored the big picture. It's gotten worse as the board now just openly hands off responsibilities to the GM with nary a care or understanding of the long term impact. So, who's fault is it? The board? The GM? No one? Blame is a worthless exercise, because in the end it doesn't fix anything. I think i will start another thread about it. The site is all but dead, except for the readers, they still keep coming. Go figure.
The site is not all but dead. Some of us have just not had a lot to share lately, and regurgitating medical procedures and the like does not make interesting fodder for the board. Keep up the great work, and please, do start a new thread about all of the topics of interest. I know I am interested.
I’m sure she’s personable and talented. But over the years she has written herself into greater power and the community into less. Perhaps just to make her job easier but still...
