The Advocates have extended an invitation to each of the candidates to submit a blog to our readers. Here is the first of the responders.
RCSC Board of Director Candidate, Jean Totten
I can’t begin to tell
you how disappointed and upset I was in February of this year when I asked to
be placed on a committee, and our present leadership pointed to my Sun City
Advocate badge and said, “That is a conflict of interest.” I totally disagreed, and I think that you do,
too.
But because of their uncommon interpretation of conflict of interest, I didn’t want to jeopardize my candidacy so I withdrew from Sun City Advocates. I didn’t want anything to stand in my way. Since then, I’ve also been subjected to two petty and frivolous Incident Reports, perhaps in an effort to discourage me. One was thrown out, and I have yet to receive a response about the second. I won’t be discouraged!
Del Webb’s vision was
of a responsible, self-governed membership; a community best served when it had
a voice. Over the years of an aggressive GM, that voice has softened and
practically disappeared. But the energy
in this group made the present Board sit up and listen. The Board majority continued to throw
obstacle upon obstacle at us. They don’t want change. They appear to like the fact that the GM
seems to be in charge, and they don’t want to provide oversight. They certainly
don’t want the General Membership providing oversight on them. As a candidate
running this year, I so want to trust and believe in our Board and our
Management, but past actions on the part of both have disappointed and
discouraged me to the point that my trust and belief are shattered.
Sometime between
September 2021 and today, you signed up to become a member of a group that
simply wants to “Communicate, Educate, and increase Participation” for the
members. Last year, the Advocates spearheaded
a drive to accomplish a feat that had not been obtained since 2009: achieve a
quorum of 1,250 at an Annual Membership Meeting to enable motions – lawfully
presented to the Board – to be heard and voted on. Sadly, the former did not
happen. Because the bylaws were
interpreted that the Board is required to examine those motions before they
make a decision, the members lost again.
I’m running for the Board because I am very, very tired of
their actions. It’s time to make changes.
We need a majority presence on the Board that will assure all members
will be respected, allow all members to be heard, and be more inclusive to all
the members wanting to be involved and help.
Campaigning at the
Sundial auditorium the other night, a member/voter asked me, “what are you
running for?” I said one word. “Change.”
He said, “Bingo! That’s all I
needed to hear.
I hope that you are also ready for change. I think this group is. This group is not a group of haters or complainers. This group is a group of doers. This group is a group that demands answers. This group is a group who are key to the return of self-governance to the members.
I will repeat
something that I
will say at the second forum: You
might want to wait to vote until after the November Member Board Exchange and
“formal” Board meeting. One can never be
sure what might appear on the agenda nor could one anticipate the conversations
that might ensue. Waiting might help you
make up your mind as to who to vote for.
Thank you for allowing
me to offer my views on the upcoming election. As always, the above represents
my opinions. Others may have opinions different from mine. I urge
everyone to study the issues, form and share their own opinions and listen to
the opinions of others.
Jean Totten
3 comments:
So well stated Jean and such a compelling message. They have tried to paint the Advocates as a group of disgruntled members who hate Sun City. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every step of the way, our message has been about ownership, accountability, responsibility and restoring that sense of community Sun City was built on and around.
We are within reach of returning to a time when the members voices matter. As the owners of the community, we need to be involved, to pay attention and become involved. If you understand nothing else, understand this: Self-governance doesn't work if members aren't part of the process. .
Thanks for everything you do and have done. You've got my vote, 100%.
Bill Pearson, Sun City historian.
Thanks Jean
Yes we want Change AND the end of arrogance that creates dysfunctional RCSC governance.
You have my vote
Jean,
I am sorry for your unsatisfactory experiences with RCSC. It sounds like the Incident Reports border on harassment. However the Management and Board hide behind their Executive Sessions so they don't have to divulge details. The latest is the distortion of your photo, as well as three other candidates, on the RCSC website. That is so immature and I don't believe it was a coincidence that the other three candidates' photos were perfectly normal. It certainly doesn't fit with the Civility List that President Lehrer read at the Exchange. You can hold your head high, Jean!
Janet Curry
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