As the turmoil swirls about us and the anger level rises, the question becomes "what do you guys want?' It's a wholly senseless exercise, because we aren't this one-headed monster forcing our will unto the board and management. More importantly, it doesn't appear as if management nor the board care one iota. With that out of the way, coupled with the fact we have lots of new readers, here is an exercise i go through every 2 or 3 years on this site. Understanding where we are is incumbent on knowing where we came from. Sun City was built by the Del E Webb Corporation (DEVCO) but the reality is those buying and moving here played a massive role in the community's success. There's no question John Meeker and the gang held members hand and guided them along the way. The simple truth is, people rejected the grand plan by the powers that be. The company and most of the organizations goal was to become incorporated and to evolve into a city like those around us. It was nothing sinister, the thought process was by having a mayor and city council and all the trappings that went with it, we would be better off. There was one little problem: The majority of those living here wanted nothing to do with it. They loved having moved to a community where volunteerism and ownership displaced what they had where they moved from. No one could have expected the push back they got regarding incorporation. It was illogical to those in the seats of power. The fight lasted for more than 30 years. They finally gave up. Along the way, age restricted communities opened across the country. They too evolved into what i call "single entity governance." They have one organization in the community, the rec center, and it oversees everything. It starts and ends at their doorstep. Sun City and Sun City West weren't built like that. We had a half dozen organizations within the community and all served a purpose...a defined role. At the heart of each organization were a core of volunteers who worked in concert to keep the community affordable, clean and safe. We were unique then and today we are even more-so. What we have witnessed over the past 15 years is a move towards what other age-restricted communities have become. Leaving behind the concepts of ownership and volunteerism, the move was to become more like the newer communities where one organization was all that mattered. Where the voices of those of us living in Sun City were drown out by the RCSC; everything funneled back through management and the board. I put them in that order on purpose. If you go back and look at our documents and the motions passed, you will see board members giving management almost total authority. It's freaking ludicrous...unless of course you just don't care about where they take us. I for one am not willing to led around by a handful of folks, many not living here and board members who are uncomfortable listening to the members. I know, easy to say. so the next post will contain a look back at both our documents and the changes made to them. Stay tuned.
Sun City opened January 1, 1960. Sales exploded the first year and each of the next 5 they dropped; so bad that in 1964 they sold 387 homes in Sun City. Del Webb told the 3 guys responsible for building it, (Breen, Ashton and Jacobson) to fix it or the experiment was over. They refused and were replaced by John Meeker in 1965. He came in and saved Sun City; not hyperbole, simply a fact. I won't go into detail, way too much there. Ultimately he worked tirelessly to build a sense of community, a sense of ownership. He told people they needed be involved. More importantly he asked them what they wanted...over and over again. Better yet, he listened to what they said. As smart as he was, he understood one day Sun City would have to stand on its own without DEVCO propping them up or subsidizing their activities. The centerpiece of all of his efforts with the RCSC (formally became that in 1972) were the documents that were crafted. The Articles of Incorporation were where everything sprang from. They were the basis that everything else was built on. If we look closely at them, they have had a couple of minor changes over the years. Yet to this day they detail the primary reason the RCSC exists: "To do anything and everything lawfully necessary in the interest of the Members of the Corporation." Obviously there's way more but that is the significant section, the purpose of their existence. There is another portion we need look at, simply because it was there for a reason:"The Bylaws may be amended, modified, revised, or revoked by the Directors or by the Members. In the event of conflict concerning the Bylaws as amended, modified, revised, or revoked by the Directors, the action of the Members shall prevail." And then this section comes into play: "The Members may remove any elected or appointed Director in the following manner, and any vacancy so created may be filled in the following manner." Clearly the founding document accounted for both the reason for it's existence and the authority conveyed to the membership. What is troubling is twofold: The by-laws (which by virtue of the Articles of Incorporation cannot be in conflict with them), have been rewritten time and time again. Along the way, liberties were taken that have greatly exceeded the original intentions of the Articles. I would argue abused, but when the only arbiters are the gm and board members who have abdicated their authority, there is little surprise as to the outcome. The second piece and even perhaps more troubling is the board and management are now interpreting them without regard to what they say. Let me be blunt; making shit up to fit the narrative just isn't cool. Sadly that is where we are and tomorrow on September 30 we will witness a further erosion of members rights and gluttonous grab for even more power. If you think i am blowing smoke up your backside, show up tomorrow and see for yourselves. More to come, but for now, you really need to watch this unfold in real time.
The key here is to get MEMBERS involved to exercise their rights to remove directors (all of them) and to change the bylaws back to their original content. Just stating that bylaws may be changed or modified by the MEMBERS is not enough. You must get the MEMBERS involved. That means a member quorum at ALL meetings. OOPS!!!!! I did it again - gave ammunition to the board to change even more bylaws.
