I’d like to address Debbie Johnson’s letter that criticizes my work for the RCSCW Chartered Clubs Committee on the Rules Regulations & Procedures for Chartered Clubs.
She apparently missed my statement during the recent candidate forum about how committee and governing board members are required to represent the consensus when speaking about committee matters, even when they disagree.
When speaking to the Chartered Clubs Committee and the board about the revised RR&Ps, I stated, then and at the forum, that I personally did not agree with some changes, but I was representing the consensus. This is what a responsible board member does. If a vote doesn’t go my way, I don’t keep arguing with my colleagues, as some candidates indicated they would.
The Chartered Clubs Committee unanimously recommended the changes be adopted. After making one amendment to the draft, the board voted 7-1 to adopt the revised RR&Ps. If this was such a terrible document then I would have thought more than one director would have voted no. Johnson should be criticizing all who voted to adopt these changes rather than target a candidate she does not favor.
Johnson also criticized my statements about a salary and wages benchmark that shows we pay 12% less than the Arizona average for the same or similar job. She claimed not enough research regarding wages had been done at other retirement communities.
For the sake of brevity, I’ll simply say that we compete for our employees across the whole of the surrounding area. When our maintenance team needs an electrician we have to pay wages comparable to any electrician’s job in the West Valley, not just Sun City and The Grand. The same applies to just about every role we have.
As for questioning the conclusions of management, I do exactly that. Those who believe there is “something funny going on” will never accept the answers, whatever they are. As for myself, I trust but verify.
Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Share with others
