Poll Results - A Members Matter Poll - Your Comments

We really think these informal surveys are a great way to gather some broad-based input on today's issues.

We love your feedback and diversity of opinions.  There were a lot of great ideas from this poll.  We hope you read all 6 of the blogs that recap the results.

Please continue to share your comments in the Comment Section below this post.

Once again, Thank You!

The Final Question: 

Unlike the RCSC survey, we want your thoughts on what we can do better. See your comments below.

The members need an obtainable forum so our voice counts.

The documents of incorporation and bylaws need to be rewritten to get us back to community control, if this is truly a city of volunteers the volunteers need control of the city. Control cannot be governed by 9 plus a GM that does what he wants.

"1   Start calling owners, OWNERS not members; they are the OWNERS.  2 Revise bylaws back to what they used to be, 3 make needed changes to start taking motions from the floor and vote by Owners at the annual meeting, 4 start looking for a new GM"

Add more Pickleball courts. Don’t build the theatre nor a basketball court (bad decision).

All meetings open to the members, more transparency as to what increases are for and member input to those increases. Mostly everyone is having a hard time financially and to raise the yearly fee is a real hardship. Some people  aren't healthy enough to use the facilities and should be given a lower fee to be fair.  Single people shouldn't be paying the same amount as a couple.  Until the economy gets better, no more increases!

Although I answered the survey, I found the answers biased and somewhat juvenile. I really expected you to be better than that. That's what we are fighting with the board and GM. Your sample base is too small and biased to carry an impact.

Board directors should have SC neighborhood affiliations and each should have town hall mtgs 4+/yr with their neighborhood to better know the needs of SC citizens.

Common sense, common courtesy go a long way.

Communication is the key for all the homeowners in Sun City. 

Communication is the key.  I don’t care to sit through an hour of mindless procedural tripe to find out what was discussed at a board meeting.  Give me the important highlight in an abbreviated version and we'll go from there.

Continue to post & share information on BOD, exchanges, other information that could get missed on other sites. I attend when I can (partly for the ‘show’) but enjoy finding more transparent info on the Advocate site & opinions of others.

Continue to work to preserve the livability of our community.

Do repairs as they come up. Make an indoor area for the dog lovers as It’s too hot or cold many days. Pickleball is often full and a very large club so looks like they need more space. Equate it to the new golf.

Doing a great job-keep up the good work!

"Educate the Board Members! No matter who sits at that table and represents us it should be mandatory that they get the training and help they need. There are many times when they don’t know how to proceed with an action during the meeting and it makes us look like idiots for voting for them. Hopefully this new Board will be able to find better direction and improve from their first meeting.

Find a way to improve and renovate the rec centers rather than bulldozing them and starting from scratch. Tearing them down and starting over makes absolutely no sense and all it does is waste the community members money.

There should be a way to help the single property owners by reducing their fees or finding another way to give them some benefits. It is totally unjust that a dual property owner is given more benefits. Along those same lines, people who are allowed to come to our community and participate in our activities (golf, of course) should be charged much more and should not be given any perks and allowed to use our systems to do that!!!"

Encourage respectful conversation between the board and management. Put on listening ears as people can change their opinions given all the fact. Encourage open dialogue. Work as a team together instead of warring factions. We are not politicians, and we should strive for the betterment of our community as a whole.

Find a way to bring peace to the members and board without creating anger in solutions.

"First in my opinion, some residents think if they didn’t do it then it’s a waste of time. Not true, Sun City should have something for everyone.  At the last general meeting someone got up and said - cancel the indoor dog park, cancel Mtn View and cancel something else.  A very short-sighted opinion. 

Sun City corporate has been accumulating a cash reserve for emergencies, this is important but how much should it be before spending some of it.

The fact that we let our IT dept get so far behind is just wrong. Someone should be held accountable, and I don’t mean fired I mean it’s someone’s job to inform the board, what are the issues and what the remedy is. 

Excess cash from one year to the next should be used for clubs needs as long as we have our safety fund. 

The proposed gym, I plan on speaking for this again.  Summer residents really have not too many indoor options to be active in the hot summer months.  We can exercise and we can walk indoors.

Get everyone together to try and set an appointment with the General Manager for Fridays. He works from home on Fridays (but gets paid full for it). How can a GM ever manage to do a credible job when they are 45 minutes away from the property?

Get rid of Cook and Brian, we need people who can handle these golf courses.  a director who has some experience dealing with our type of community.

Have an informal gathering once a month and open it up to anyone that wants to join in. Do not allow individuals to use the Sun City Advocate Facebook page to promote individual club events. Screen comments made on the site that are negative and combative to our mission statement. Private message any person that doesn’t seem supportive to our cause and keep the debate one on one, or better yet, ignore those posts all together.

I believe you’re on the right track with more transparency.

I don’t know if this is a RCSC thing or someone else, but I wish someone would do something about the non-golfer use of the golf course!! I feel I am the only one who follows the rules and I’ve been accosted 3x because I don’t break the rules and must walk my dogs along 111th Avenue (I live on 111th). If you’d like more information, please contact me or let me know who I need to contact. I don’t golf, but I follow the rules! Why can’t the others?

I don't have any brilliant ideas, but I love the Advocates!  Thank you for keeping us informed!

I feel you are doing a wonderful job keeping us informed. 

I imagine that we don’t have a large audience within the SC Advocates. Many people read the Independent and maybe the letters to the editor should be published with the Advocates comments

I just appreciate your honesty and keeping us owners in the know if what is happening around Sun City.  I am still working full time and cannot attend meetings and at this time I don’t have time for clubs but I can’t wait for that day to soon come.  I believe residents need to be involved in our City or it is going to change from what we bought into.  I read and hear so much of how people don’t care or want rules changed to benefit them and their families and take away the reason Sun City has lasted as long as it has.  I just appreciate everything you are doing on behalf of our City in getting the word out and letting us know you need our support.

I like your way of doing

I liked the professionalism of RCSC survey.  Yes, it was long but we are a big entity. It as one piece of the puzzle. Please don’t put it down. The questions asked in this survey were good although it was clear what answer was preferred.

I think a significantly lower rate should be offered people in the community who can no longer physically use the rec centers. You will find these are the same people who can also least afford it. In my opinion Sun City is in great shape but there has never been any concern with cutting costs. We need to cut costs. The fee increase this year, while we have a fat bank account, WAS OUTRAGEOUS.

I think we really need the theater.  It could be used for so many performances.  The chairs and seating arrangements at Mountain View are terrible.  I do not belong to any of the groups who would make use of a theater, but I love watching.  Please, at least give us the theater even if we have to wait for the rest.

If at all possible, we should try to get our CC&R's firmed up for some of the things that are showing up in SC lately. The oversized buildings that obviously are an eyesore as they don't blend with the surrounding area and the age restrictions and how to keep those from trying to bend the rules to their benefit. We all bought here and signed documents stating we agreed to the CC&R’s, but the new owners come in and seem to think that these rules are for others and not themselves. I'm not sure how these changes could be accomplished but sure would like to see them tried.

I’m frustrated with things taking so long to get done, or not done at all.  Comments by some board members correcting other members statements under their breath, not realizing it is picked up by the microphone.  Everyone needs to give each other some grace. 

Involve members more. Survey is a good sounding board of our thoughts, but there needs to be more we can contribute. Ask for volunteers to speak at the Exchange and board meetings about a specific concern and/or motion. Personally ask members who are passionate about an issue to speak or write a letter to the editor. The same Advocate people tend to speak and write letters about board issues.

"It's time to look at ways to engage the younger residents.  We want to participate but still have 10+ working years so most activities are not available to us.  We should have the same opportunities to use the workshops and facilities as everyone else, but when they close at 5 pm or earlier during the week and have maybe 2-3 hours of open time in the weekends it prevents our use. 

Sun City was sold as a community, but I have never been made to feel a part of a community.  There's 4 HOAs on my street alone and no one mixes with the others.  It's just sad, especially since as a year-round resident we keep an eye out when people leave for the summertime. 

Gen X is old enough to purchase and live in Sun City.  We want to enjoy the freedom that comes with this next phase of life when kids and grandkids visit but don't live with us.  We want to know and enjoy a sense of community that our prior walled neighborhoods didn't provide.  But it doesn't seem like the RCSC or anyone else really wants to include is yet. “

Just remember you can’t win all the battles.  So, choose them wisely.

Keep doing what you are doing until the Board listens to the members and works in their best interest!

Keep doing what you are doing. I am learning so much from you.

Keep up the good work.

Keep up the good work by informing us what is happening. 

"Keep up the good work. I think the new board has already forced a change in Bill Cook's demeanor based on the last meeting. That is a direct result of The Advocates efforts. Continue to work holding management's feet to the fire; press for accountability. Continue efforts to put members first, e.g. golf issues, annual fee increases with > $10 million if carry forward, wasteful spending such as the extravagance that is to be Mt. View. There is no doubt the theater and seating at Mt. View warrants improvement. Perhaps there exist unknow structural ailments being kept from members. I have been told Sun City has the best lawn bowling rinks not just in the southwest, but in all of North America. And a $70,000 survey compiled by ASU, that reads like a 2nd grader wrote it aren't needed to illustrate the need for more pickleball courts. Yet the past board ignores the members, rips out the lawn bowling and eliminates the pickleball courts. In German, it is know as "Wahnsinn".

"Listen to residents.  They are the constituents of the Board.  "

Listen to the members.

Listen to the members input respectfully.

Look after the Clubs

Love the straightforward commentary. Keep it up!

Make 2023 communities, positive, and moving forward with outstanding repairs. There will always delays with new construction or remodels, but our timeline appears to be due to lack of complete research and commitment from contractors. Hence IT updates!

Make sure the board is transparent and doing the work of the members. Stop with the board prioritizing their own pet projects. Be proactive in getting a quorum...have a process of actively encouraging proxies for those that can't attend. And just because not a quorum shouldn't mean members voices and opinions don't matter or hold any weight.

More brainstorming sessions when in planning process of most things. Seems we only have meetings after things have basically been decided by staff or board so comments at that point are moot. RCSC board/committees needs more contact with members not just in formal meetings, but info gathering ones. Board members need to be reminded they are our representatives and should bring our concerns to the attention of the board if we write to them rather than always expect us to attend meetings and present them. They used to have little meetings where we could sign up and speak one-on-one with a board member but there never was any follow-up and they stopped the mtgs anyway. If I have a suggestion, it should be logged in, given a number, and then followed through the pipeline, not just listened to and forgotten.

"More Street lights. Sign petitions on RCSC property. Recall for board members"

More surveys to pass along to the board so they know what members think. The meetings are tortuous so glad to watch the videos. I'm glad there are people to step up to be board members.

"My biggest concern is the unlimited spending on our recreation. I am all for keeping things in top condition. I do not think that entails tearing down good buildings etc.  Building new rec centers when our population hasn’t grown. And marketing to young population. I do not think we have ever had a problem selling houses.

I think our history we had one project and paid for and finished before we voted for another.

I think RCSC needs to work with SCHOA and the county and understand and an make rules that reflect our retirement and are the same for county and city.

I would limit the management team members. I think we have too many and many who do not seem qualified.

I think the RCSC made a big mistake with the Posse. They are the face of our city.

I have lived here over 20 years through the good and bad. Everyone will never agree but I think we need to make our local government an example of how our federal government should be run and maybe we can bring common decency back"

My thoughts are reflected in the choices I selected under each item above!

None

Not a "better" thing but a "keep doing it" thing -- continue to hold the Board's feet to the fire in order to respect the members and do right by them.   The Board needs to know that they MUST listen TO THE MEMBERS, and they should NOT allow the GM to intimidate them.  He is just an employee, AND HE IS EXPENDABLE.  NOBODY IS PERFECT.

Put a muzzle on Darla

Read the results of these polls to the board and remind them there purpose is to enact the majority of the residents

Reduce one golf course and construct a walking and running park that no dogs are allowed.

SCA has kept me informed through the last couple of years. I appreciate their time, interest and efforts and I like a forum where I can express my thoughts. Thank you for this poll!

See comments above. DO NOT do the Mountainview project, get rid of the current GM, he is a Jan Ek clone therefore serves no useful purpose for the betterment of the community or the direction that Sun City needs to strive for in meeting the member’s needs.

Send out sympathy cards to all our members. Sun City is plagued with problems

So appreciate you!

"Spin ball led and spin class.

4th pool lane at Sun Dial when no class in session

White stripes for bike lanes/ golf cart lanes throughout Sun City major roads

Board should reflect the people’s will! Represent us!

Take power away from the GM and hold him accountable for all his actions. RCSC is being sued by homeowners and the Board has given the GM no direction or limits on what he can or cannot do. As far as I know most of the Board is unaware of the lawsuit or how it is being handled. Those bringing the suit are all members of RCSC. The Board is failing to do its job.

Thanks

The advocates can also take a survey on whether a motion should be passed or defeated and publish the results in the Independent.

"The meetings should be capped at two hours. Each speaker should be capped at 3 to 5 minutes no exceptions. We need to find another Venue and or another time for these RCSC meetings 9 AM is difficult for the majority of the people to attend.

How can we make these meetings a little bit more enjoyable can we do a 50-50 raffle at each board meeting?

How can we encourage attendees and Board Members to meet each other look each other in the eye and maybe shake hands?"

The original Bylaws revisions completed by the ad hoc committee should be adopted in their entirety.

This isn’t a real poll.  The questions are so loaded why are you even bothering asking?  Why not ask real questions?  Perhaps, you also are so set in your opinions you don’t want to hear what members actually think?

Too bad more people don't take an interest in the meetings.  They just want to do nothing but complain. 

watch the spending, get more bids, stop using only vendors that management wants. We may have to start looking for a new G.M.

When I play golf, I pay if I bowl, I pay. Pickle ball free. Darts free. Billiards free. Lawn bowling free and very expensive to maintain. Something is broken with these user items more revenue could be received with only minimum charges for use.

You are all doing a wonderful job.  I wish I knew how I could help further.

You are doing a great job!  Taking the right steps to give RCSC members an integral part in the governance of our community.  It will take a long while to restore that process.  Thank you!

You folks are doing the right thing. Keep staying on top of the situation. I am not sure what else you might do.

You're a small minority of people led by a guy who hopelessly lives in the past and will write volumes to nitpick minutiae.  Seek out the opinions of the silent majority of residents who are very happy living here and not interested in the drama that your group thrives on. 

You're doing a great job.