This Autumn Get Educated, Communicate Your Thoughts and Participate in Elections and Meetings

 

Democracy is messy

 

I think it's safe to say, the Sun City Advocates are excited as we come to the end of the first year where self-governance was restored to our community. We won't bore you with the details of how and why we fell so far from our tenets and values; all that matters is we are on our way back. In a bit of honest reflection; I

had forgotten how messy self-governance can be. Top-down leadership style centers all the control at the top and hopefully the decisions made by the few are right.

• It's abundantly obvious there were multiple mistakes made by those before us
• Expensive mistakes that we will be paying for the next 5 years

While it is troubling, we know from Sun City's amazing history, every time there were challenges or ugly adversity, the community pulled together to find answers. This year will be no different and we (the Advocates) are encouraging each of you to do your part. :It can be as simple as: 

• Voting in the election
• Attending the multitude of meetings that are coming up
• Or just sharing with neighbors and friends the issues that will be center stage between now and the end of the year

Let's take a quick look at the hot-button items.

 

Elections have consequences

 

Irrespective of party affiliation, we've all heard the phrase, "elections have consequences." We know, following the 2023 board election, those consequences had a ripple effect. Three board members abruptly quit, and the board was left to scramble for replacements. Looking back, I think it is also safe to say; "those filling open seats and named by the board, also have consequences."

Rather than judging anyone, let's just say if there is an opening, screening the prospective candidate(s) should be a more thorough process. 

The same should be applied to this year's election; though in this case, the shoe is squarely on the feet of the membership. Single-issue candidates quickly become apparent; it's all they talk about when they appear in video or at the forums. I've written "Sun City is a sum total of its parts," more times than I can count. It was true the first time I wrote it, it still is today. 

Anyone who thinks their chosen activity or club is more important than any other is simply not qualified to serve as a representative of this community.

Here's a quick look at the election details:

·       Candidate forums are scheduled for Monday, October 23 starting at 2 pm and Wednesday, October 25 starting at 6 pm. Both are at the Sundial Auditorium with meet and greets a half hour beforehand.

· Two-minute video packages are online on the RCSC YouTube channel. The forums will be recorded and available online as well. You can find the YouTube channel here.

·       Each of the rec centers will have detailed candidate information sheets available.

·       Finally, voting begins online on November 6 at 8 am. You can log in on the RCSC portal to cast your ballot. If you aren't computer savvy, you can vote in person on Tuesday, December 12 from 8 am to 4 pm. You can also request an absentee ballot by calling the RCSC offices. Votes will be counted following the close of election day on Dec 12.

 

But wait, there's more, way more

 

The two hot-button issues that kept both board and committee members busy all summer are coming to a head. The Strategic Alternatives Committee (SAC) and the Budget and Finance Committees are on the verge of presenting their findings to the community. Interesting to note, they will be doing it in conjunction with a third committee who have crossover issues. The Long-Range Planning Committee will be joining forces to present membership Town Hall meetings. 

It will be an interesting exercise with 4 open format sessions where members can speak to the following topics: The Mountain View remodel (you can view the SAC meetings here). The recently released budget proposal (you can view it here) and the always popular long-range plans for Sun City. Each of these items could be a stand-alone topic, so it will be curious to see both the turnout and comments. When I was on the Board I advocated for regular town hall gatherings, so it's great to see. 

The dates, time and place for the Town Hall meetings are here:

1. Wednesday, November 8, from 7-9 pm at Fairway Rec Center
2. Monday, November 13, from 10 am to Noon at the Sundial Auditorium
3. Tuesday, November 14, 6-8 pm at the Mountain View Rec Center
4. Monday, November 20, 1-3 pm at the Sundial Auditorium

 

Let's talk bluntly

 

I know there's lots of information above, so I won't belabor this. I've attended Budget and Finance meetings for most of the summer. I was disturbed by what I saw and heard. Nothing more so than the 20 million dollars of deferred maintenance that had just been ignored. We had the money, but we refused to spend it. To compound it, we (the RCSC board and GM) pretended everything was fine. By not spending money, we looked like we were flush with cash. It was simply fool's gold.

All along we should have been spending (investing) in our future. All along we should have been taking small increases for both lot assessments and golf.

Now we are facing large increases in playing catch-up. There's an interesting proposal to increase the PIF to $5000 with $1000 dedicated to capital expense needs and $4000 to remain in the Preservation and Improvement Fund (PIF). As an aside, Sun City West is at $5000.

This motion will be voted on at the October board meeting at the Sundial Auditorium. That would be Thursday, October 26, with the meeting time set for 9 am. There are a lot of motions including increasing the budget for the Softball clubhouse. If you want to speak for or against a motion you need to sign up before the meeting starts.

You can find the meeting agenda and motions here.

 

My apologies for the length, but with so much going on, the Sun City Advocates' commitment is still to Communicate, Educate and to Participate.

 

As always, just one man's opinion.

 

Bill Pearson Sun City Advocates Panel Member and Sun City Historian