One of the things we have heard often and proudly was how many times Sun City residents have to meet with the board. And while i would never argue that point, the reality is most members fail to take advantage of any of those options. There was a point in time when there were two board/member exchanges per month. It was overkill and while serving on the board, we voted to reduce that to once a month. At the same time, i suggested we incorporate a technique i used when we rebuilt our local union. I knew first-hand how well it worked for us to go to the members rather than expecting them to come to us. Lord knows there are more than enough places and events we could schedule times to show up and talk, listen and share ideas. Every club room was a potential meeting space, every event was an opportunity waiting to happen. My vote to remove a meeting was couched in that suggestion. Guess how far it went? You got it, nowhere. I get it, the goal for years now has been to minimize the hours board members donate per month. Before the current general manager, board members used to brag about 20 plus hours per week, some as much as 40. Today, most board members don't put in 20 hours per month. Nope, that's not a knock on anyone. Serving on the board is a thankless and sometimes frustrating experience. It's why i always expect those stepping up to the microphone to be courteous and respectful. Doesn't mean you can't be angry about issues, but that anger is better served pointed towards the issues and not personal attacks. In the 18 years i have lived here and gone to meetings, i have never seen a board member who was sitting there to do any harm to Sun City. They all serve for a variety of reasons and while there's been many i have disagreed with, it was never personal. Whatever their agenda was, ultimately it was to make Sun City a better place to live. With all of that said, the final board/member exchange before the summer break is tomorrow, Monday June 11. It will be held at the Lakeview social halls on the second floor. The meeting is at 9 am and the coffee is hot and free. If you have not been and want to see how the process of self-governance works, this is a good starting point. Board/member exchanges allow the free flow of information with no time clock to limit how long you speak (they only do that at monthly board meetings). I would and have argued one of the things that makes Sun City special is the fact we govern ourselves. That the mere ownership of the process sets us apart from most other age restricted communities. Why not stop by and see for yourself?
Anyone who thinks recording these RCSC meetings only has to look at the number of views, 291 times since posting on Monday or Tuesday of this week.
I don't see anyway board members could or would rationalize stopping the recording for playback. Clearly it has become the most popular way for residents to see what is going on at these meetings.
