I have not attended any Recreation Centers of Sun City board meetings in person because over the last several months I was out of the country and upon my return was hospitalized for pneumonia.
I have, however, been able to watch the meetings online. My reaction was surprise to say the least, if not concern.
I would never assume the board has bad intentions as I am sure they care about our community or they would not have taken on the work the board requires of them. I would hope, however, they remember that they were elected to represent the members, not dictate to them. The board is currently dealing with a very bad perception issue and as we are at one time or another told, perception is reality. If they haven’t, I would suggest they watch the video replay of their meetings.
What struck me most in watching the video replay was the attitude and tone the board used when anyone they disagreed with approached to speak. They made open comments, loud enough to be recorded, when someone who didn’t agree with them approached the podium to speak. One such comment was, “her again,” combined with visible eye rolling and facial expressions that clearly telegraphed their opinion of the speaker. The speaker followed the rules, and the board may not have liked her comments, but she had the right to be treated with the same respect the board expects. Had this been a corporate board and these actions taken place at a corporate meeting, I would suggest at the very least the board members would be severely reprimanded, if not removed.
It is my understanding the same individual was also removed from the slate of candidates for the board due to missing a candidate orientation meeting. Per what I read, this meeting was missed because of possible exposure to COVID-19 and the desire not to risk infecting anyone. If that is the case, all I can say is, really? Could you be more transparent in your feelings about this person? Also, in the age of COVID where people are dying from this infection, should someone be punished because they acted with an abundance of caution? Was it absolutely not possible to reschedule an orientation for this individual when it was safe to do so?
In another circumstance a member approached the podium to state his feeling about an issue. One board member loudly kept saying, “you aren’t listening. We tabled that until January. You aren’t listening.” The board should remember that just because an issue was tabled does not take away the right for a member to have an opinion or to voice that opinion.
As elections are now open, I hope that each member of RCSC takes the time to get to know the candidates and their reasons for running as well as their view of the role. I would also hope the current board consider meeting with and listening to members in this community to see if we can come to a better relationship between the board and the members as it currently appears to be less than ideal.
