In 2013, while serving on the RCSC board, we (the board) and the general manager were deliberating getting rid of committees. Carole and i sat in stunned silence; simply questioning,"huh?" I admit, i'm often overwhelmed by stupid and my most common reaction is shock and dismay. I always expect more from those i spend any amount of time with. Anyway, after leaving, i went home and started ruminating; hard. Rather than lash out in anger, i crafted a treatise on the potential error of their ways. I started with a fair amount of humor/levity. It opened with Fred Allen's remarks about committees: “A committee is a group of the unprepared, appointed by the unwilling to do the unnecessary.” It was a snarky/sneaky way to get my fellow board members and the general manager to continue reading. I have no idea if any of them did? The year was 2013 and like most stuff i said or did, it was lost to a deep, dark hole. In 2015, almost a full year after leaving the board, i posted my lengthy effort on TOSC. You can read it here: it is sadly still surprising relevant. As i watch events unfold, it is apparent the board has learned almost nothing regarding committees. They appear, at least from my vantage point, little more than show ponies. Those committees are critical to make it look like they are helping shape the RCSC's direction. The question simply becomes: Are they? Do they? We saw a remark yesterday, yet another long range planning committee member quit. Apparently the frustration came from a motion the committee made regarding PIF funding needing the LRPC approval. It makes sense when you consider a good portion of that committees work is directly attached to Preservation and Improvement Fund/Fee projects. You've got to love logic eh? Let me be clear and even more concise: Committees cannot force boards to do anything. That was never their intent. They were created to give board members recommendations and those recommendations were then to be considered by the board. That's it; kind of. The bigger issue is how and when do board members vote up or down the recommendations by committees? Let's get even more precise; are those recommendation made in committee meetings even included in the minutes? And, if they are, shouldn't the board then be obligated to vote them up or down at a board meeting in front of the members? The value in the committee is that a group of members may have differing thoughts, opinions and ideas than a board of 9 (or worse, a handful of board officers). It doesn't make them right or wrong, but more often than not they aren't trapped in a room of board members caught up in group think. This where it gets really good; once those recommendations have to be voted on by the board in front of the members, it becomes an agenda item where committee members or RCSC members who like the idea have a platform to speak to the recommendation. You get the picture right? Members having a voice, skin the game. From what i am seeing, hearing and reading, we may well be missing some of the steps in the process. If the board is containing and controlling the process to the exclusion of RCSC members and the committee members, have we reverted back to the good old days of the good old boys (gender neutral) club? If so...my header of the circular firing squad seems more than appropriate. Hoping i am wrong...we'll see eh?
Bill, your header is not appropriate for the committees I serve on, Insurance and Budget, Finance &Audit. Our meetings are open, copious notes are taken and voted on for acceptance as to accuracy for anyone to review. Recommendations are voted on by the committee to refer to the Board for action. Motions are made and voted on by the Board after member comments. I don’t know how other committees operate, just the ones I am on. You want to understand the budget and allocation of money, attend the meetings of Budget, Finance &Audit. We meet almost 9 months a year and see the development of the budget, 5 year plan, 10 year plan, Capital projects for the coming year, operational costs and revenue. Insurance, we haven’t had a member attend in 2 years and that was because I invited a member to attend. You may not know much about insurance, but just sit and listen. Questions, our insurance brokers welcome them. See the various policies required, coverages and the premiums for each. The first meeting next year is about the second or third Friday in March. It is listed on the website the week of the meeting. When serving on committees, running for the Board or serving on the Board, I always wanted members to understand what I was doing. I did my best to clear up misinformation, to educate on areas they were not familiar with as it was important to be a truly informed member. I hope to continue this service a long time into the future.
For those interested, next RCSC Insurance Committee meeting is Friday, March 13, 2026, 9am, Lakeview board room. • Source: RECREATION CENTERS OF SUN CITY, INC. Insurance Committee - April 25, 2025 Summary https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025_04_25-Insurance-Committee-Summary-Final.pdf
Sounds great Dave...BUTT, didn't i just read about a 20% hike in insurance rates this year? Thank God you-all held their feet to the fire. And as far as the B&F, you've been on that committee for what? The past 20 years? That would have covered the entire time frame that resulted in 20 million dollars in deferred maintenance, a technology infrastructure that was at best described as shitty and we finally are hearing about an effort to make the reports more user friendly. Nope, not blaming you, stuff happens. None of the above sounds like a well oiled machine to me? Does it to you?
BTW Dave, my header was intended for the board. The committee work was yet another example of one step forward, two steps back for them.
I have come to the conclusion this Board's defining characteristic is Board Unity and Isolation from members. From what I understand at least five board members attended the last LRPC meeting and freely interrupted Committee discussions. Under our bylaws the only way this can happen is if Jim Rough (chair) or Tom Foster co-chair recognize board members as if they were committee members. I too have seen them essentially do that. So what is the purpose of the committee if they are being told what they can and cannot recommend?
Although the Chair can allow nonmembers to speak, if any member objects it must go to a vote of the entire assembly. Perhaps it's time some of these committee members take back their meeting and stop allowing guest Directors to butt in?
The board and hired general managers have for years now been minimizing and at times demeaning committees and the critical role they SHOULD play. Sadly we hired a GM who built her agenda around telling/selling board members committees were ineffective because they came with an agenda. Really? Did said GM have an agenda? Did the 6 golf full play-pass buyer board members have an agenda? I guess if you are elected or hired, agendas are just fine. Which is exactly why 5 board members would feel compelled to show up at a committee meeting and steer conversations and shape direction. It is truly a sad commentary on where we are and how the board views the membership and more-so those who have volunteered as committee members. For the vast majority of our history (45 years), committees along with quarterly membership meetings and quorums of 100 steered this community in a direction that was user friendly. In 2006, a choice was made to relinquish control and we changed to consolidate and perpetuate the myth that good ideas only came from the general managers office, or from the board room where 9 elected members decide our fate. No one is that smart or that good. Then throw in the fact we do virtually no board training and we become a recipe for exactly what we see happening. It is abundantly obvious this board, nor any other in the past nearly 20 years, trusted the members to help shape our community direction. It was a tragically flawed plan, proven time and time again. Now, with no general manager, the board appears to believe they alone are the answer, the solution. Dare i repeat, no one is that good. No one.
Why does the Board view members as the enemy and vice versa? I hope I am not being too harsh but one can't help feeling the tensions rising as this board installs its agenda. IMHO, it does not have to be like that.
