RECREATION CENTERS OF SUN CITY, INC. BOARD MEETING AGENDA Monday, March 14, 2022 Sundial Auditorium, 9:00 a.m. • Call to Order • Pledge of Allegiance • Opening Remarks and Introductions • Board Quorum Verification • Approval of Minutes • Committee Recommendations: 1. Long Range Planning Committee – Secretary Lenefsky – On behalf of the Long Range Planning Committee, I move that the RCSC Board of Directors purchase Modern Fitness Approach equipment or comparable equipment which would include Life Fitness Video-Console equipment at Bell and Fairway. Specifically, 2 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, 2 stationary bikes and 2 recumbent bikes. • Unfinished Business: 1. Motion to Reconsider – Director Fimmel • New Business: None • Next Meeting Date – March 31, 2022 at 9am at Sundial Auditorium • Motion to Adjourn
So......what happened to Member and Board Comments? Aren't we allowed to comment anymore? That's not what the Bylaws say!
Where does one begin commentary on the recent actions of the board? My God; Dale gave us this wonderful speech to begin the year and her presidency and now she is living out our worst nightmare. Let's be really blunt here by stating the motion on Monday's agenda is worthless as written. I know they read this site, so guys, before you embarrass yourselves with a poorly written motion that tells us nothing, you best go back to the drawing board. The "motion to reconsider," means nothing; NOTHING. This is apparently a by-laws change which must be stated 7 days in advance. But, how would the community know that? Some in our group have stated clearly this is a violation of Robert's Rules of Order and as such should not even be considered. I would suggest they are trying to reintroduce a motion that failed last time by simply not telling us they are putting it back up for a vote. I don't even know that for sure, because they wouldn't outright say it. What the hell is there to hide? The agenda did in fact leave off member/board comments. Freudian slip? Oversight? Projection that an improperly reintroduced motion would pass and the president could refuse comments from the crowd was in order? All of it is left to our imagination now, because of what they shoved in our face yesterday. I would speculate this: The president/management has cause to worry. Now that the 990's are posted and live and now that we know they have lost 25 million dollars they were never authorized to spend, are they concerned someone might ask about it? Are they worried there may be questions from the floor why some motions from board members are accepted and others are approved and placed on the agenda? Do they fear some may question why committees are going dark to the membership? All very real questions and for the president to argue the member/board exchange is a value added is ludicrous. The reality is the apparent change they are making is a sum net loss for the membership. Far better for the board president to just make her case; we really don't care what you want and we don't want the management team or the board to be held accountable. At least then i would respect her capacity for being honest. I really had high hopes with the turn of the calendar to 2022. Dale's speech at the first meeting was exceptional. Sadly her actions have been just the opposite.
If you're paying attention to this thread, you might have missed what BP wrote in a brand new thread this morning. I am still in shock if what I read is true. I'll copy and paste here. "I won't be at the March 14, board meeting. I have any number of thoughts that i would express, in lieu of being there, i want to share them here with you. One of the columns i wrote for the Sun City Advocates was entitled One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. the meeting Monday will be more backwards steps. Before i go there, let me post the RCSC Board President's comments from the February Sun Views. She said this: "Let’s start 2022 by getting off on the right foot and leaving the past behind - please. Your concerns and frustrations are real and acknowledged, but in order to move forward, everyone–board directors, those who take the time to attend meetings and residents throughout the community need to commit to participating and becoming involved with the understanding that nothing will change overnight." Starting with the good, we 100% agree; we need to commit to participating and becoming involved. 100% and we have been doing just that since Karen was fired. I for one support the idea nothing will change over night, nor should it. Organizational change is always slow and tedious. It is so by design. See, we're still on the same page. Good start. In the article, she talks about holding a member/board exchange a month. Another idea we are interested in. There are lots of details to be worked out and i am/was willing to trust them to do the right thing. After all, that's what her article was all about, building a better working relationship within the community and the membership. As always, the devil is indeed in the details. Now we find out the move to a member exchange comes at a cost many of us see as too high, too much. In exchange for the less formal meeting, the president wanted to barter away our comments at the regular board meeting (other than on agenda items) to grant us the ability to speak at an exchange meeting. One less option to be involved during the month. Last month the board rejected that offer. By-law changes need a two-third vote (according to Robert's Rules of Order) and with one member missing the vote was 4/4. Motion died. The president was furious (my impression). There were a couple of reasons it went down. First, the requirement for stripping the members right to comments was unreasonable. Second, with a total rewrite of the by-laws via a committee, the suggestion was made to do this on a three month trial basis. That would have gotten us to the summer months and hopefully by then the ad hoc by-laws committee would be working diligently. Frankly, many of us were fine with the action. If the board truly wants our involvement, shutting us up is hardly the way to do it. So, where does the immorality come in? Simple as we now know the plan for reconsideration is being proposed by taking away "member comments" at board meetings. The president has told us they only allow us to speak at these meetings due the generosity of the board. That and the fact the by-laws gives us the right to speak. When the agenda came out and there were no board or member comments at the end of the meeting, some thought it might have been an oversight. Then when the revised agenda came out Thursday, they were still left off. It's pretty obvious at this point the board president has decided she can just strip us of our rights insured in those by-laws. It also appears as if she is pressuring board members to go along with her plan to "help give us a voice." It's utter and unfettered nonsense. Think not? Let's recap where we (the membership) was the beginning of 2009. The by-laws gave us the following: 1). 4 quarterly membership meetings a year with a quorum of 100, which included one of them in January that was to be the annual membership meeting. 2). At those quarterly membership meetings, should a quorum be reached, motions could be made from the floor to be considered by the board. By the way, if the board took crazy actions, those membership meetings grew in proportion to the foolishness of the proposals being considered. Safe guards for sure. 3). Two monthly member/board exchange with a free-flow of ideas. When those were done, the board would gather for closed door work sessions where often items brought forward by the membership were discussed. 4). One monthly board meeting where member comments were solicited and discussed. 5). Committees where their suggestions were often adopted. This was just 12 years ago. Our documents gave us any number of rights and more importantly, opportunities for our voices to be heard. They weren't trying to stifle comments, they (the board) understood the community elected them and they needed to listen to what was being said. So what the hell happened to have fallen this far? I'll spare you my thoughts and just leave you with this: The proposal to be voted on Monday is ludicrous. Allowing one meeting a month for member comments is just another in a long line of takeaways from the membership rights and our obligation to be involved in the self-governance of our community. If president Lehrer's comments made in the February issue of Sun Views is true, she has to comprehend you don't enhance involvement by taking away rights, but by adding to them." So is this what the mystery around the motion is? Give us something and take away something else??!! Hope to see a good crowd there come Monday at 9 am.
ATTEND THE BOARD MEETING IN PERSON TOMORROW (3/14/22) It is important to attend tomorrow's board meeting in person. The agenda is simple and the board will most likely be surprised with a large turnout. Board President Lehrer has removed general Member Comments and Board Comments from the Agenda. I can only hope that some board members attempt to amend the agenda to put this back on the Agenda. Hopefully we will see some discussion (pro and con) as to why this was removed. Maybe it will be put back. We must remain calm and respectful. Our presence alone will speak loudly! This cannot and should not be ignored.
