Sun City Anthem
2015 Board
Candidates
a
Hodgepodge of the Past
& Present
(Part 3 of
4)
This is the third installment of our
board candidate critiques, and today, we will closely examine the two incumbents
seeking reelection.
Let's start our summary by looking
at...
Bella
Meese
If
one were asked....
"Who is the biggest
disappointment as a board member?"
Bella Meese would sadly, hold that honor
!
What began 4 years ago with "optimism"
has deteriorated so rapidly over the years, that few who knew her "then", would have difficulty recognizing her "now" !
This candidate and current board member is referred
to in many circles as ..."I need a place to have
lunch" Bella as a result of her making that public statement when asked as to
why she continued to vote again and again to subsidize Cafe V with association
funds, you, the residents, contribute through dues
paid.
Her history of fiscal responsibility can best be
described as "SPEND SPEND SPEND".
This individual has NO BUSINESS experience, and that has
become quite obvious over the years through her voting record at spending
whatever has been proposed...
...rarely if
ever, questioning the amounts involved.
She has maintained a deaf ear again and
again from association members regarding a "checks and balance" procedure of
association expenditures.
Her background has been a "community
organizer" and has a past record of flipping between political allies and
opponents more times than a pancake on a griddle.
She originally
supported prior board member and current candidate, Bob
Frank, and ran alongside him a number of years ago... when he lost reelection.
At the same time she lost her first bid for election to the
board....
...she apparently realized that her
board member ambitions would be better suited and "politically expedient" to no longer
support Mr. Frank.
After that election loss, she decided
to cuddle up with members of the "Unity Party"
camp...
...the same
individuals who cruelly took action against Bob
Frank, the person she previously had heavily supported for
election.
...and with their assistance and
support....she has prevailed for the past 4 years.
Over that timeframe, those who
initially supported her would eventually realize that being elected also meant
abandoning a number of her long term friends and
associates.
George
Meese, her husband, has been influential as the "Content Coordinator" of a monthly publication entitled
"The Villages of Sun City Anthem", mailed to each
resident of the Sun City Anthem community on or about the first of each
month.
If one looks closely to the monthly
glossy cover page, those residents featured have almost
entirely been past ADVOCATES of the UNITY
PARTY.
This is a FOR
PROFIT publication, and questions have arisen as to whether or not it
creates a conflict of interest for Mrs. Meese as it
pertains to her fiduciary responsibilities as a board member.
Fiduciary responsibilities include
"avoiding self dealing" whereby "a self-dealing transaction is one in which a
director enters into on behalf of the corporation that directly or indirectly benefits the director personally."
This can
take the form of the director being a shareholder of another company that the
corporation is dealing with, the director having a competing
business, or the
director’s close family member standing to benefit from a contract that
corporation intends to enter into.
Rumors (unsubstantiated)
have arisen that the advertising revenue generated by
"The Villages of Sun City Anthem" monthly magazine,
have had a negative impact on revenue obtained by our community publication,
"The Spirit" each home receives
monthly.
We believe in order to dispel
those rumors and remove the "cloud" that currently
exists...
... it would benefit the
community if our association president, in one of her "president reports" would immediately publish "The Spirit" revenue prior to and since
publication of "The Villages of Sun City
Anthem" commenced.
We also would ask those figures be INDEPENDENTLY examined as well, prior to
disclosure.
A number of people have never forgotten
her words:
"Anything to get
elected"
In our opinion, there is no good way to
say it...
...she has plagued Sun City Anthem
financially for years.
We won't rehash her 100% voting record of using association funds to subsidize the
restaurant at each available opportunity.
In summary...a vote
for Bella Meese is
simply...a bad
decision...
...and we give her a
"D" as a board member who does
not deserve reelection.
Why? Simply
stated...
"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"
Two terms are enough for
any individual...especially one with her poor voting record.
Our next candidate for consideration is
incumbent....
Jim
Mayfield
Here's a guy who loves to "talk the
talk", but never seems to fully "walk the
walk".
His voting record closely parallels
that of Mrs. Meese; but on the positive side, he has
been a sharp critic of the financial abilities and failures of FSR, our
management company.
Jim Mayfield has the ability to do the
job...but he's also a "politician's" politician.
His attempts at making positive
change have often been rebuked by fellow board
members...
...and his frustration with their
inability to change...their need to maintain the status quo...is beginning to be
evident.
That became apparent when he and one other board member last voted to CEASE subsidizing the restaurant with association
funds...a battle he
lost.
When the management contract was last
reviewed and another firm other than our current FSR was chosen by a committee
in charge of searching out competitive bids, he and two other board members
traveled to Arizona to what was believed to be a "finalization" of the
deal....
...but....suddenly, that firm, shortly
after the meeting, decided to withdraw their bid to manage our
association.
It has always been difficult to
understand why a firm going through such an
extensive and expensive road to obtain a contract...
...be recommended by an independent
team charged with, and completing such an exhaustive
search...
...then withdraw their offer to manage
our association shortly after that meeting.
Perhaps Mr. Mayfield might fully
explain just WHAT HAPPENED at that meeting to cause
that firm to withdraw from a substantial contract that would compensate
them millions of dollars each year ????
He's tried a number of times to
convince other board members of his beliefs, but the "cronyism" of certain
other board members (current and those retiring) have prevented him from
achieving much success.
...and we believe any success he MAY achieve if elected to a second term, will revolve
around others being elected who share his "reform"
beliefs.
One very strong positive is that
Mayfield has the reputation of answering all emails that residents send
him...and for that..we commend him.
We may not like all of his
decisions...but we do appreciate a recent change he's
made....
....explaining why he made
them...another positive.
We believe Jim Mayfield gets a "C" for his
past board service, but with a short field of 6 candidates, we believe he deserves another term on the SCA
board.
In our final installment to be
published tomorrow, April 1st, we will discuss the final two candidates, Carl Weinstein and Rex Weddle.
Mr. Berman's "take" on Sun City Anthem governance is certainly quite different than we at Anthem Opinions see it..then again that's the difference between the FULL STORY and HALF OF IT.
ReplyDeleteFirst, he again starts his "love fest" manner of commentary (no hatred of course), by referring to another publication ( presumably Anthem Opinions because we have been the only blog to give our HONEST opinion based on UNTAINTED facts), as "hostile" and using anther word, "vigilante" which I am sure will be aimed at candidate, Bob Frank.
...and we believe that those who have witnessed his rants against those he "loves" will continue...it's what he refers to as "journalism."
He recently brought out his "endorsement list" by referring to some items we feel must be addressed.
Let's start with his comment on Barbara Holland of the Review Journal, a supposed HOA expert.
States Mr, Berman:
"HOA expert Barbara Holland wrote this about the role of homeowners-association boards:
Most associations are organized as nonprofit corporations, directors' first obligation is the corporation, not the homeowners"
Our comment:
First, Ms. Holland PAYS TO PLACE HER COLUMN IN THE RJ and has stood for anti-homeowner rights in every way.
She is a favorite of "bully boards" and attorneys that have anti-homeowner stances.
Second, if homeowners (the ones who pay for everything) are second in line to those who spend it, we have a problem...that needs to be fixed !
Now to some of the other comments made by Mr. B.
He makes a statement that $1,100 is the mark of success and that residents might even get some of it back!
Our comment:
That also means we've been overcharged and that surplus SHOULD BE returned. Why, it's the right thing to do, because it could subject residents to another IRS investigation and a "bargain basement fine" of ONLY $100,000 PLUS LEGAL FEES.
Next up...his comment that a $1.1 budget surplus allows a board to have "pleasurable" expenditures toward maintenance and capital projects.
Our comment:
That's for sure ! Even we couldn't top the word "pleasurable". That "pleasurable" attitude has caused more waste as a result of the bidding system, a good example of which was placing a new roof on Anthem Center...costing $500,000...that could have been easily repaired, rather than replaced....but the "budget" said spend it, and that overrode "common sense".
...and the capital projects part...sounds like a mini-golf course...that an Asset Enhancement Fee is used to BYPASS the VOTING of the electorate, and allow 4 people to spend at will !
The best of the best ! His comment about "stabilizing the on premises Anthem Center restaurant...that has never missed a lease payment...that runs for the next 3 years.
Our comment:
Oh please, spare us the malarkey !
We were unaware that "stabilization" also meant reducing the rent to a point (from the original lease amount of $4,000 to $2,000 to now, $1,000) that costs our association to lose money each and every month due to the property taxes the association must pay ($24,000 each year).
...and does "stabilization" also include lending them $20,000 at a 2% interest rate (below the prime rate) to pay their past due utility bills ?
Bottomline...just more "half truth" in order to maintain a system that is sorely in need of reform.