Sun City Anthem

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

What Our Reader Discovered About Sun City Anthem Spending...and...Board Candidate Thomas Nissen

A Reader's Attempt to Obtain
Public Association Financial Information
(Part Two of Two)

right-to-know.jpg (640×530)

Yesterday we brought to your attention a Sun City Anthem unit owner's  attempt to obtain public financial information regarding reimbursed credit card expenditures concerning Sun City Anthem funds...

....and what we believe,  was an attempt  to "stonewall" that individual from sharing that information with fellow residents, by insisting he complete an affidavit that was subsequently found to be against Nevada Legal Statutes.

Today we will bring you the vital information that was obtained from discussing those findings.

Before we begin, we feel it important that Robert Nusser deserves a well earned thanks from all residents in his dedicated search to obtain this information.....

...and taking his valuable time to contact Anthem Opinions to discuss its contents.

Now...to what was discovered !

Mr. Nusser requested:

"copies of reimbursements issued to the Board of Directors for paid expenses in calendar year 2015"


Most information he eventually received was from August through December, 2015, and concerned the hiring of a new General Manager.

Keep in mind that YOUR DUES ALSO PAID A FIVE DIGIT NUMBER OF DOLLARS FOR A PROFESSIONAL SEARCH FIRM TO RECRUIT A GENERAL MANAGER...in addition to the following !


We found evidence of expenses that were authorized by Bella Meese with the signature of Thomas Nissen, current Board Treasurer and CANDIDATE FOR RE-ELECTION TO THE SUN CITY ANTHEM BOARD...

... on credit card receipts that were submitted and were reimbursed to  Thomas NissenPAID by YOUR ASSOCIATION FUNDS.

Let's start off by going back to August 10-11, 2015.

On those dates, interviews were conducted with potential candidates for the General Manager position currently held by Sandy Seddon as of April 1, 2016.

Common sense...and any concern for the financial well-being of Sun City Anthem would have held those meetings at our beautiful Anthem Center, right?

Think again....they were conducted at the M Resort...a popular place patronized with great frequency by our current Board President, Bella Meese and her husband.

On August 10, 2015 YOUR ASSOCIATION DUES  PAID

$437.71

...for a meeting room at the M Resort to conduct a session between SCA board members and potential General Manager Candidates....

...which included $49.00 for ONE GALLON of COFFEE...

...cokes and bottled water costing $3.15 EACH,

....and to keep their tummies full...

...an additional $30.80 for a DOZEN PASTRIES.

Then...

...on August 11, 2015 YOUR DUES PAID an additional...

$528.06

...for another meeting room at the M Resort to conduct a second session....

...this time with...

...TWO GALLONS of COFFEE costing $98.00...

... alongside the cokes and bottled water at $3.15 EACH...

...and another $30.80 for those ever so tasty DOZEN PASTRIES.

Total tab on the meeting rooms and goodies for the two days ?

$965.77

Let's now spin the clock forward a month to September, 2015 !

On September 4, 2015, evidently the final decision must have been close to hiring a General Manager because....

On that day, another meeting was set at the M Resort...

Again, we saw evidence of expenses authorized  by Bella Meese and  COPIES OF CREDIT CARD RECEIPTS signed by Board Treasurer, Thomas Nissen, for the following:

A meeting room with 6 Board Members and the GM candidate (Jim Mayfield was absent)...costing...

$720.76

and drum roll please....

...a PRIVATE RECEPTION held at the home of Board Treasurer, Thomas Nissen, attended by the Board members...costing....

$292.10

Total tab YOUR ASSOCIATION DUES PAID FOR THAT EXTRAVAGANA...

$1,012.86

Think that is the end of it ????

Think again...only let's go forward 5 DAYS to September 9, 2015.

Evidently that must have been the date in which the final decision and offer was made to  to choose Mrs. Seddon as the winner of the $250,000 annual General Manager salary along with a $30,000 additional moving allotment and payment of full medical insurance benefits for her AND her entire family.

And to present her with the "crown jewels"...

Yup...they did it again, this time in REAL STYLE !

On that memorable day, we saw evidence of an authorization by President Bella Meese AND COPIES OF CREDIT CARD RECEIPTS signed by Board Treasurer, Thomas Nissen, for what must have been a formal "coronation" !

A meeting room at the M Resort (why the M again and again) attended by all seven board members ????

(Any chance that the choice of the M Resort had any bearing on a certain association president having a HIGH ROLLER PLAYERS CLUB CARD ?)

Total paid with YOUR ASSOCIATION DUES:

$765.64

...and not to be seconded with a "paltry private reception" this time....

A total tab for the "celebrants" at ANTHONY'S STEAK HOUSE, for "only"

$825.35

Total amount PAID BY YOUR ASSOCIATION DUES ON THAT ONE DAY!

$1,590.99

Still not done folks !

On September 20, 2015...evidently there were some wrinkles to iron out with the General Manager agreement that  couldn't be handled by phone.

What to do?

Let's get another meeting room and pay for Mrs. Seddon's husband's fuel bill to fly a private plane to meet at Henderson Executive Airport !!

Add  a few "office supplies" and that total tab was "only"

$265.80

It's ain't over !

On November 9th and 10th...

Travel expenses authorized by Bella Meese and SIGNED CREDIT CARD RECEIPTS by Thomas Nissen to Palm Desert to meeting privately with Sandy Seddon cost YOU...

$466.92

So let's get a grand total of WHAT YOU PAID FOR to recruit a General Manager for a $250,000 job with benefits ?

$4,387.48

Makes the $2,600 "Hillary" buses look like a real bargain doesn't it?

What's the point in all of this?

It's just Stage Two of yet another episode of "Bella...gate".

Does this situation need close examination and most importantly, a change in leadership philosophy by a new board?

...or...

Do you want this type of waste to continue ?

Anthem Opinions encourages any Sun City Anthem resident who is outraged by this frivolous spending to make similar document requests.

Only then can one make a determination as to whether or not a person deserves to be a member of a Board of Directors, and swearing an oath to represent the financial interests of our retirement community.

Will you retain Thomas Nissen...and/or elect current board candidate Bob Burch who has again and again, supported the decisions of the current Board?

We hope not...because we wholehearted believe that electing either of these individuals will continue the problems of the past....

...problems neither choose to acknowledge, yet to many in our community realize,  require reform.

An alternative blogger has endorsed Nissen saying "Let Him Finish the Job"...

We say...BOOT HIM...before he "Finishes Us Off" !

Anthem Opinions Administration

Got a comment?


Send it to:


scaopinions@gmail.com

  1. From Tito Fernandez...to...Anthem Opinions

    As a Sun City Anthem resident hell bent on monitoring and cutting down on all of our expenses because of our limited fixed income like most of our neighbors, it was infuriating to read your article about all the inappropriate expenditures authorized by our Board President when searching for a General Manager whose starting salary, in most people's estimation, is inordinately high given the size and simplicity of our operations.

    We are not a complex functioning large corporation as most Board members would like to think.

    With the Republican Party primary elections currently going on and the front-runner hugging the news daily, one gets the feeling that somehow the "Donald" rubs on our Board members.

    Someone has to remind them that this is NOT a TRUMP Organization; it is a simple retirement community.

    1. Thanks to Robert and Dick for the courage to bring the above information to light. In a related example of extreme wasteful spending; I was under the impression that there was also a significant fee paid to a job search firm. Wonder how much?

      What bothers me the most is the salary of $250,000 yearly and benefits package, of an unknown amount, being paid to our new General Manager for an HOA with a population of around 13,000 residents. By comparison:

      The City of Henderson Manager, with 3,500 employees and a resident population of 260,000, gets paid $227,000.

      The Clark County Manager, population 2,003,613 and 6,755 employees, is paid $211,677 yearly.

      Finding a small City with similar population to Sun City anthem we look at Mesquite, NV with a population of 16,000 and 243 employees and the compensation is $110,000.

      So how the heck did this Board of Directors, under Bella Meese and Tom Nissen, arrive at the outlandish salary for our new General Manger? Of course they realized it wasn’t their money and wrote a budget that allowed this.

      We seem to have found a competent person in Sandy Seddon, but what a price!

      1. From Michelle G...to...Anthem Opinions

        I applaud Mr. Nusser for the information that was uncovered by his request.

        I recently purchased my home in Sun City Anthem AFTER renting here for 4 years.

        I was horrified after learning about the BUS debacle.

        I paid $1100 to get membership to this community and the Board thinks they have exclusive right to spend money as they seem fit.

        I wanted to write to find out what could be done so I am very grateful to Mr. Nusser for his knowledge of what needs to be done and following through.

        Should there have been a committee of residents OTHER than the board to hire a new CAM?

        I have felt that the board(not just the most recent one) have had a misplaced opinion that once they get elected that the community belongs to them and they are the only ones to make major decisions for the rest of the community(the people that put them in that position to begin with).

        Thank you again Mr. Nusser and to you for publishing the information. Please do not publish this BUT do use any part that you think will support the topic.
      2. From C. Corso...to...Anthem Opinions

        One would think that a potential G.M. candidate would appreciate viewing the facility.

        Why not hold these meetings in the defunct restaurant?

        Do we have a President or a Queen with Knights of the Round Table?
        1. |From Laura Shapiro...to...Anthem Opinions

          Please get these people out of office NOW.

          Just don't know how they have lasted this long. I have nothing but nasty words for all of them. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME and SHAME to all the people still supporting them.
        2. From Elaine Izaks...to...Anthem Opinions

          AMEN!!!!

          Let's get rid of all of them. There are many seniors living here (including me) that cannot afford a raise in dues, etc.

      3. Hard to believe that after reading all of these documented costs, that the alternative blogger is still endorsing Thomas Nissen.

        I guess when you've worked the system and recommended such incompetent and corruption in the past , it's impossible to break the habit.

        Water seeks its own level, doesn't it ?
        1. From Allen Weintraub...to...Anthem Opinions

          I know one of the headhunting firms that SCA interviewed.

          They told me that they thought they could fill the GM role for about a salary in the $180,000 range.
        2. From Tim Stebbins...to...Anthem Opinions

          If I recall properly the search firm was paid in the neighborhood of $30,000 to hire the new General Manager.
      4. From Josette Brink...to...Anthem Opinions

        We need to IMPEACH these people.
        1. From Patrick Importuna...to...Anthem Opinions

          Thanks for the information on the HOA’s expenditure issues. I think its alarming to learn about the expenditures and that residents have gone to great lengths to find out. What is more important here is has anything been done illegally? if so its time to file a complaint with the Grand Jury to determine if any illegal action has been taken by the Board. As you know from past news stories in the Las Vegas area several HOA organizations in our county have been investigated for wrong doing and individuals have been investigated and charged with criminal intent and some are now serving time in prison.

          If we are at that stage a Grand Jury complaint may be in order. Unless we correct bad practices by holding individuals accountable by threat of a criminal indictment it does not matter who sits on the Board they will replete the same mistakes.
        2. From Tito Fernandez...to...Anthem Opinions

          Thanks for your excellent job of informing us, SCA residents, on what's going on in our community especially the impudent and unchecked actions by our Board. They seem to think and act like they have no fiduciary responsibility at all and can spend our dues anytime at their disposal.

          (As a side note and I've mentioned this to Forrest who incidentally was again excluded by D. Berman as among the candidates he's endorsing. We've lived here for over 7 years now and one thing I noticed every Board election year, all the candidates without exception that David endorses win.

          Now why is that? Isn't that very unusual? Is he really that good in predicting winners? Does he have a magic glass ball? Is he that influential and powerful in the community to be able to sway voters?

          Maybe the vote counting has to be verified, audited and certified by an impartial and independent body?

          What do you think?
        3. Pat & Tito,

          What is most important now is ridding ourselves of the poison that has infested Sun City Anthem for years, whether that comes from those who have been elected, or those who cause people to deny their deceptive and self-serving actions.

          There leaves little doubt after the findings of Robert Nusser that waste has been allowed to run rampant for years.

          You can't dispute actual copies of paid credit card receipts along with official signed documents signed by those who have made waste a part of everyday life, fully detailing those wasteful expenditures...in order that personal reimbursements can be made to them.

          For years a number of such individuals with personal agendas have relied on unit owners remaining in the dark about the truth.

          ...and every bit to blame is an alternative blogger who has again and again, endorsed the corrupt system that exists.

          Even when confronted with the disgusting proof of waste, he maintains endorsing a person who has been a proven active part of it.

          You will note that none of these issues seem to be reported on that blog.

          In addition nothing on that blog has ever been reported about the vast expenditures made on Cafe V that have cost unit owners thousands of hard earned retirement dollars.

          Instead, he chooses to indict a group of well meaning residents who took it upon themselves to thoroughly research records and report their accurate findings to a community they love.

          Anthem Opinions and people like Robert Nusser have made an honest and sincere attempt to enlighten though hours of detailed research, and have now proven that improprieties exist...

          ...and that they have been allowed to do so by many elected board members who believe that their election is a mandate to allow them to spend our precious funds frivolously.

          ...that these same individuals, for some egotistical need to control, have literally sold their souls to an individual blogger whose corruptive influence has...until now... swayed residents through the elimination of reporting those improprieties.

          We...too...have an agenda....

          Having an HONEST ASSOCIATION where politics and self-interests are eliminated...

          For two reasons....

          One, because it's the right thing to do...

          and Two...

          ...because we live here just like you!

          We hope 2016 will bring a close to that evil; that the new era of self-management may begin with the election of those who see that evil, and will do their best to eliminate it.

          For that reason, we believe the best individuals who are strong in their unselfish convictions and who cannot be "bought"...

          ...are Forrest Fetherolf, Barry Goldstein, and Steve Anderson.

          We hope that the members of our Sun City Anthem society will look at things the way they are...

          ...and that the only action to correct them is to elect those who have the courage stand up to corruption, and make the corrective changes that are imperative to maintain the standard of living all of us hoped to have had when we relocated to this community.
          1. Our congratulations to Robert Nusser, whose article exposing Sun CIty Anthem waste, broke the Anthem Opinions single day record for readership.

            Over the past 24 hours,2,928 separate computers visited Anthem Opinions.

            On behalf of all of these caring residents of the Sun City Anthem community , we at Anthem Opinions, owe him a debt of gratitude for steadfastly being determined to obtain the information on which our article was written.

            I hope all of our readers will join us in thanking this resident.

            All of us who reside in Sun City Anthem, should have the courage to do what Mr. Nusser did...

            He is an example of what IS RIGHT in our community.
            1. From John Sprank...to...Anthem Opinions

              Robert Nusser's noteworthy findings, at the very least, present evidence of abuse of homeowner dues if not outright (willful) mismanagement/fraud.

              Is there any reason why these findings shouldn't be investigated by the Nevada Attorney General?


15 comments:


  1. From Tito Fernandez...to...Anthem Opinions

    As a Sun City Anthem resident hell bent on monitoring and cutting down on all of our expenses because of our limited fixed income like most of our neighbors, it was infuriating to read your article about all the inappropriate expenditures authorized by our Board President when searching for a General Manager whose starting salary, in most people's estimation, is inordinately high given the size and simplicity of our operations.

    We are not a complex functioning large corporation as most Board members would like to think.

    With the Republican Party primary elections currently going on and the front-runner hugging the news daily, one gets the feeling that somehow the "Donald" rubs on our Board members.

    Someone has to remind them that this is NOT a TRUMP Organization; it is a simple retirement community.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks to Robert and Dick for the courage to bring the above information to light. In a related example of extreme wasteful spending; I was under the impression that there was also a significant fee paid to a job search firm. Wonder how much?

    What bothers me the most is the salary of $250,000 yearly and benefits package, of an unknown amount, being paid to our new General Manager for an HOA with a population of around 13,000 residents. By comparison:

    The City of Henderson Manager, with 3,500 employees and a resident population of 260,000, gets paid $227,000.

    The Clark County Manager, population 2,003,613 and 6,755 employees, is paid $211,677 yearly.

    Finding a small City with similar population to Sun City anthem we look at Mesquite, NV with a population of 16,000 and 243 employees and the compensation is $110,000.

    So how the heck did this Board of Directors, under Bella Meese and Tom Nissen, arrive at the outlandish salary for our new General Manger? Of course they realized it wasn’t their money and wrote a budget that allowed this.

    We seem to have found a competent person in Sandy Seddon, but what a price!

    ReplyDelete

  3. From Michelle G...to...Anthem Opinions

    I applaud Mr. Nusser for the information that was uncovered by his request.

    I recently purchased my home in Sun City Anthem AFTER renting here for 4 years.

    I was horrified after learning about the BUS debacle.

    I paid $1100 to get membership to this community and the Board thinks they have exclusive right to spend money as they seem fit.

    I wanted to write to find out what could be done so I am very grateful to Mr. Nusser for his knowledge of what needs to be done and following through.

    Should there have been a committee of residents OTHER than the board to hire a new CAM?

    I have felt that the board(not just the most recent one) have had a misplaced opinion that once they get elected that the community belongs to them and they are the only ones to make major decisions for the rest of the community(the people that put them in that position to begin with).

    Thank you again Mr. Nusser and to you for publishing the information. Please do not publish this BUT do use any part that you think will support the topic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. From C. Corso...to...Anthem Opinions

    One would think that a potential G.M. candidate would appreciate viewing the facility.

    Why not hold these meetings in the defunct restaurant?

    Do we have a President or a Queen with Knights of the Round Table?

    ReplyDelete
  5. |From Laura Shapiro...to...Anthem Opinions

    Please get these people out of office NOW.

    Just don't know how they have lasted this long. I have nothing but nasty words for all of them. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME and SHAME to all the people still supporting them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. From Elaine Izaks...to...Anthem Opinions

    AMEN!!!!

    Let's get rid of all of them. There are many seniors living here (including me) that cannot afford a raise in dues, etc.

    Time for a MAJOR CHANGE.

    ReplyDelete

  7. Hard to believe that after reading all of these documented costs, that the alternative blogger is still endorsing Thomas Nissen.

    I guess when you've worked the system and recommended such incompetent and corruption in the past , it's impossible to break the habit.

    Water seeks its own level, doesn't it ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. From Allen Weintraub...to...Anthem Opinions

    I know one of the headhunting firms that SCA interviewed.

    They told me that they thought they could fill the GM role for about a salary in the $180,000 range.

    ReplyDelete
  9. From Tim Stebbins...to...Anthem Opinions

    If I recall properly the search firm was paid in the neighborhood of $30,000 to hire the new General Manager.

    ReplyDelete
  10. From Josette Brink...to...Anthem Opinions

    We need to IMPEACH these people.

    ReplyDelete
  11. From Patrick Importuna...to...Anthem Opinions

    Thanks for the information on the HOA’s expenditure issues. I think its alarming to learn about the expenditures and that residents have gone to great lengths to find out. What is more important here is has anything been done illegally? if so its time to file a complaint with the Grand Jury to determine if any illegal action has been taken by the Board. As you know from past news stories in the Las Vegas area several HOA organizations in our county have been investigated for wrong doing and individuals have been investigated and charged with criminal intent and some are now serving time in prison.

    If we are at that stage a Grand Jury complaint may be in order. Unless we correct bad practices by holding individuals accountable by threat of a criminal indictment it does not matter who sits on the Board they will replete the same mistakes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. From Tito Fernandez...to...Anthem Opinions

    Thanks for your excellent job of informing us, SCA residents, on what's going on in our community especially the impudent and unchecked actions by our Board. They seem to think and act like they have no fiduciary responsibility at all and can spend our dues anytime at their disposal.

    (As a side note and I've mentioned this to Forrest who incidentally was again excluded by D. Berman as among the candidates he's endorsing. We've lived here for over 7 years now and one thing I noticed every Board election year, all the candidates without exception that David endorses win.

    Now why is that? Isn't that very unusual? Is he really that good in predicting winners? Does he have a magic glass ball? Is he that influential and powerful in the community to be able to sway voters?

    Maybe the vote counting has to be verified, audited and certified by an impartial and independent body?

    What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Pat & Tito,

    What is most important now is ridding ourselves of the poison that has infested Sun City Anthem for years, whether that comes from those who have been elected, or those who cause people to deny their deceptive and self-serving actions.

    There leaves little doubt after the findings of Robert Nusser that waste has been allowed to run rampant for years.

    You can't dispute actual copies of paid credit card receipts along with official signed documents signed by those who have made waste a part of everyday life, fully detailing those wasteful expenditures...in order that personal reimbursements can be made to them.

    For years a number of such individuals with personal agendas have relied on unit owners remaining in the dark about the truth.

    ...and every bit to blame is an alternative blogger who has again and again, endorsed the corrupt system that exists.

    Even when confronted with the disgusting proof of waste, he maintains endorsing a person who has been a proven active part of it.

    You will note that none of these issues seem to be reported on that blog.

    In addition nothing on that blog has ever been reported about the vast expenditures made on Cafe V that have cost unit owners thousands of hard earned retirement dollars.

    Instead, he chooses to indict a group of well meaning residents to took it upon themselves to thoroughly research records and report their accurate findings to a community they love.

    Anthem Opinions and people like Robert Nusser have made an honest and sincere attempt to enlighten though hours of detailed research, and have now proven that improprieties exist...

    ...and that they have been allowed to do so by many elected board members who believe that their election is a mandate to allow them to spend our precious funds frivolously.

    ...that these same individuals, for some egotistical need to control, have literally sold their souls to an individual blogger whose corruptive influence has...until now... swayed residents through the elimination of reporting those improprieties.

    We...too...have an agenda....

    Having an HONEST ASSOCIATION where politics and self-interests are eliminated...

    For two reasons....

    One, because it's the right thing to do...

    and Two...

    ...because we live here just like you!

    We hope 2016 will bring a close to that evil; that the new era of self-management may begin with the election of those who see that evil, and will do their best to eliminate it.

    For that reason, we believe the best individuals who are strong in their unselfish convictions and who cannot be "bought"...

    ...are Forrest Fetherolf, Barry Goldstein, and Steve Anderson.

    We hope that the members of our Sun City Anthem society will look at things the way they are...

    ...and that the only action to correct them is to elect those who have the courage stand up to corruption, and make the corrective changes that are imperative to maintain the standard of living all of us hoped to have had when we relocated to this community.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Our congratulations to Robert Nusser, whose article exposing Sun CIty Anthem waste, broke the Anthem Opinions single day record for readership.

    Over the past 24 hours, 2,928 separate computers visited Anthem Opinions.

    On behalf of all of these caring residents of the Sun City Anthem community , we at Anthem Opinions, owe him a debt of gratitude for steadfastly being determined to obtain the information on which our article was written.

    I hope all of our readers will join us in thanking this resident.

    All of us who reside in Sun City Anthem, should have the courage to do what Mr. Nusser did...

    He is an example of what IS RIGHT in our community.

    ReplyDelete
  15. From John Sprank...to...Anthem Opinions

    Robert Nusser's noteworthy findings, at the very least, present evidence of abuse of homeowner dues if not outright (willful) mismanagement/fraud.

    Is there any reason why these findings shouldn't be investigated by the Nevada Attorney General?

    ReplyDelete