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Fast: Embarrassed by what saw at meeting in Sun City

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I attended the Recreation Centers of Sun City board Sept. 30 and was embarrassed by what I witnessed.

To begin with there were three very heavily armed police guarding the doors. I am told that in a previous meeting the board threatened to have people who stayed after the meeting to discuss their concerns arrested for trespassing. And then there were signs to remind people they could not bring signs to the meeting. This was no doubt a sign of things to come.

The meeting itself got somewhat bizarre with oard members making rather unusual comments like, “Don’t sell your house today because it will sell in a day” or “There are so many versions of Roberts rules of order, which one should we follow,” or “I have an MBA …,” “We consult with our lawyer on these matters” and to paraphrase “We make decisions for the older members, the newer members will be old someday and then they can make decisions..”

I was embarrassed to see the level of animosity between the elected officials and the people who elected them. One after another residents who attended stood to universal applause as they told the board that they must (not may) follow Roberts Rules of Order and must have an annual meeting and must be more transparent. In each case some member of the board attempted to defend the seemingly indefensible. 

I am saddened when our governing body resorts to lawyers and police to enforce its edicts. The spirit of working together to make Sun City an even better place to live was sorely lacking at the meeting. I hope the board can take the members reactions to their actions to heart and make an effort to really connect with the membership in a spirit of open and honest communication around making Sun City the best resort community it can be. I can envision a future where police are replaced by board members greeting attendees at the door.

To quote the Beatles song “Imagine,” “you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one…”

John Fast

Sun City