I have never believed that recall elections are an effective tool. They end up dividing a community and pitting neighbor against neighbor with the losing side feeling that they were unfairly treated.

Now, for the second time in a few years, a recall election is being proposed in Sun City West. The organizers of the proposed recall have targeted three directors (as well as the Sun City West general manager) and have compiled a laundry list of reasons that they should be recalled.

I recently had a recall petition shoved in my face and was told “You need to sign this.” I declined to do so. I looked at a website where the group organizing the recall effort had listed their concerns. After looking over the information I did not feel that anything that was provided justified a recall election. There were a few specific items (such as closing the golf courses for 19 days during the COVID pandemic) but most of them were generalities, which I interpreted as “We just don’t like how you are doing things.” Differences of opinion are fine but when they are morphed into accusations of wrong doing that is not fine. If you don’t like how things are being run, then run for a position on the governing board and work to change things.

I believe the management team and the various governing boards have done a reasonable job over the last five years, which have included some of the most challenging times in our country’s recent history. There are always opportunities for improvements in how our community functions. I don’t think that any of the people targeted by the recall organizers would disagree with that. Constructive engagement seems better road to follow than the destructive environment a recall election generates.