Sun City Anthem
Faces Dark
Cloud
in
2017 Board of Directors
Election
We knew this was coming...
...the day when 7,144 unit owners
housing 11,000 Sun City Anthem residents...
...would become so
disheartened with community governance, that it would be difficult, if not
impossible, to recruit open minded competent, and communicative individuals to
run for the Board of Directors.
As of this date, only 5 candidates remain to fill 4
open seats...one of which we have learned, has filed civil legal action against
Sun City Anthem.
What is more disheartening is that
Anthem Opinions made a concerted NON-BIASED offer to
each candidate to offer their views to the community in order that individuals
who own units may make an informed decision as to who would represent
them.
Of the 5
remaining candidates, only ONE...yes...only ONE...has bothered to respond to our plea to answer
resident questions in a forum that reaches approximately 2,000 visitors EACH
DAY.
Just what does that say about
leadership and those who wish to lead?
In our opinion, it simply says
this...
ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS...
IS IMMATERIAL AS TO
HOW THEY WILL RUN THINGS ONCE THEY'RE ELECTED !
Pretty sad, huh ?
Of course their "answer" ...if they
bother to answer....will be....
...go to the
sponsored community forums or read their campaign pamphlets.
And our
response?
Let's just
say....
Let's start with the campaign pamphlets !
Are they vetted for accuracy
?
These pieces of "literature" are personally provided propaganda that are...
They are unchecked, unedited, and in many cases, misleading.
Know what is required to
be a candidate in a Sun City Anthem election?
BE A MEMBER IN GOOD
STANDING...in other words, PAY YOUR DUES ON
TIME !
That's it folks !
That particular
individual could be a convicted felon, a child molester, an individual who has
declared bankruptcy, a person with extensive mental illness, one who has had a
history of dishonesty....or...ANY COMBINATION
THEREOF...
...and you'd never know it, because
they certainly won't voluntarily disclose it.
That type COULD be in possession of
controlling $9 million a year in association
revenue !
Think we haven't
elected some real "winners" in the past?
Think
again...
One writes a blog...that claims to have
chosen every winning board member.
He was elected the Vice President of
Sun City Anthem despite losing a law license, defrauding a client, and even
forging a judge's signature !
We've also had two who have been stars
on Channel 13's "HOA Hall of Shame".
We've had one who spent association
money on a PRIVATE POLITICAL ACTIVITY.
We've had some who knowingly chose a
woman and her husband, a man who had previously been convicted of robbing 8 Las Vegas banks and spending time in a Colorado
federal prision, to run a previous restaurant
operation.
We had two who, after being informed
of a first call financial judgment against an individual that had defrauded a widow yet to be paid a year after the
decision, approve that individual to operate a previous restaurant at
Anthem Center.
We had one demanding (and succeeding)
in wasting thousands of Association dollars to remove the words "Security Patrol" from the sides of patrol cars, in order to
substitute the words "Community Patrol" despite our
Summerlin Sun City counterpart to this very day, maintaining the words "Security
Patrol" on their vehicles.
We had one who had to call the
Henderson police in order to avoid a riot when he, and his fellow board members,
chose to "depose" a former Sun City Anthem Vice President...despite that Veep
having had more election votes than any other candidate...and to this day, STILL
HOLDS THE RECORD FOR TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES CAST FOR A
CANDIDATE.
We had three of them whose charity was
recently told to "hit the road" from Sun City Anthem
premises.
...and of course we can't forget the
most recent...the LIE of the current President of Sun
City Anthem (a current candidate running in the 2017
election) stating a specific number of "yes" votes had to be obtained in
order to go forward with major construction litigation...only to conveniently
ignore that PROMISE when it served a selfish interest to do so
!
That's
right...folks...know your candidate through a flyer they write !
History certainly has
proven that to be an effective manner in which to determine competency and
INTEGRITY, hasn't it?
Of course there is also
the community sponsored "debates"...
...or should I say
"debate" !
There was only one
scheduled this year, and if you didn't attend it, well, "too
bad, so sad". It was held on Sunday, February 26th at 3:00 pm at Freedom
Hall...
..."conveniently" announced only 4 days prior to the
event...
...and, according to most reports, was less than informative.
On the positive side, The
Current Events Club normally sponsors an open forum that is much more
informative.
The problem ?
Usually not more than
100+ people take the time to attend such sessions, and due to time constraints,
very little can be learned about the candidates.
So what other
available options exist?
There is the old "meet & greet" whereby the host carefully chooses their
handpicked favorites ... and handpicked friends ... to attend, usually with between
20-30 persons per session.
Candidates can walk down the
street...but recent break-ins have people so concerned, they won't even open a
door...
...and a candidate
can't even leave a pamphlet on a door !
So what's left and in our opinion
the only FAIR MANNER in which to allow people to MEET those who will represent
them?
That's where we made an honest effort
to come in.
Mass media
! Fair and unbiased mass media
!
We promised not to be biased and not to
endorse. No other publication made any such pledge.
That was our "deal" to EACH OF THEM...
All we asked was merely,
ANSWER ANY AND ALL
REASONABLE QUESTIONS MADE BY THOSE THEY WISH TO REPRESENT
!
We even followed our
article with private Anthem Opinions emails to EACH
candidate in case they did not read our
article....
...and with the one
exception, current director, Carl
Weinstein...
ALL
REMAINING CONTENDERS HAVE IGNORED NOT MERELY OUR OFFER, BUT IN
REALITY...
THE CARING UNIT OWNERS OF SUN CITY
ANTHEM
(although former
candidate Jack Reho did send us a cordial response that he was
withdrawing from the contest)
That is the sadness of
the situation, Sun City Anthem.
That is the sadness
unconcerned owners have allowed to exist by lack of demanding transparency,
merely asking their friends who they should vote for, and refusing to take time
to examine the individuals who will essentially control your financial
retirement future.
WE...have tried to make your choices easier by asking them
to be responsive.
THEY....have IGNORED not merely
us, but more importantly...YOU...
...because in this
election year, should any other candidate choose to drop out of the
race...
...there will be NO ELECTION....
...the remaining 4 will
automatically become members of the Sun City Anthem Board, and assume control
without even having to answer a single inquiry on anyone's
part...
...a dark cloud that will
remain in our community for years to come.
Though we promised not to
endorse any particular candidate, common sense would seem to say.....one should
think carefully...
ABOUT CASTING A BALLOT
FOR ANY PERSON WHO REFUSES TO ANSWER REASONABLE
QUESTIONS.
Furthermore, as a result
of the obvious uncaring attitude of 4 of the 5 candidates and lack of vetting
credibility...our position is simply...
"We've heard there is an election, but have decided not to
participate"
Anthem Opinions
Administration
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Got a
comment?
Send it to us
at:
Dick,
Some clarification. You do not even have to be a member in good standing to be a Board candidate.
Even those delinquent in assessments and fines ARE STILL ELIGIBLE to run for the Sun City Anthem Board.
Thanks for the clarification. Literally no requirements other than being a unit owner !
Amazing, and sad, and now it's even more evident as to the problems we have encountered year after year.
I was really distressed after reading today's blog about the people who are running for the Board.
It's difficult to understand why the people running for the Board are unwilling to enlighten the residents about their background, etc.
Not only do we have residents that are no longer interested in our governance, the new people running don't sound any better than what we have had if they aren't willing to provide the information that is asked of them.
In our minds, they should be referred to as "deplorables".
What else can we expect?
Last year a few good candidates were running......none were elected (although after observing the ballot count, I still question the results).
You MAY attribute this to residents' apathy....I believe the overall attitude is 'why bother - nothing ever changes.
I was also surprised that there was hardly any uproar when our HOA dues were increased.....an increase that can be attributed to past incompetence.
Guess it proves the old adage: "Sow and Ye Shall Reap"
Dick,
Did you ever get that "gut feeling," or feel the "hair raising on your neck?"
Are those signs you or me should be paying attention too?
Well that's what I felt at the open house when I went that Sunday to listen to them.
On the surface I was looking for more than what they were offering, and as to replies to questions from the audience of homeowners, but never got the answers I was hoping for.
So (once again) I'm agreeing with you (weird, isn't it).
Well so much for hoping for really capable people with real life experiences that match the needs of a rather large community.
As I said, only one met that standard for a new face.
How many times have we seen the community electing the incompetent, because they met the standards of some minimum requirements prescribed by the volunteer committee, and worse of all the homeowners electing the wrong people to do the necessary jobs they claim they can do?
Did you ever think one reason we are not getting people that want to run for the board and serve the community is the muckraking articles you seem to write on a daily basis attacking almost every board member?
Maybe you should try running for the board and really see how much support you get.
I think it is not serving the community well that you always make it seem that the people so giving of their time, and courage knowing what will be written about them by you, are either crooks or imbeciles.
I don't know why all you ever write is hit pieces on everything and everyone in our community. Not 1 of your hand-picked candidates for a Board election has ever won, if my memory serves me, so why is that do you suppose?
What have you offered to do for our community or community clubs that involves giving of your time and efforts.
I haven't noticed your name in any capacity in my 6 years living here, other than a self-styled investigative reporter.
Am I incorrect?
You do reach a lot of residences, I bet you could have a really beneficial impact for our community if you weren't always so negative.
Do you think I make these things up?
Do you really find these actions that I bring up an acceptable manner in which to govern a community?
Muckraking ?
If searching for alleged corruption and discovering its existence, is your definition of muckraking, then I am 100% guilty as charged.
I prefer to call it 100% truth.
If you find the actions I have summarized acceptable, that is your choice.
Those of us who CARE, do not.
As far as picking winners, that is for another blogger who has had a history that one should be ashamed of considering his past, as well as, the actions of those he has recommended.
Many have cost Sun City Anthem thousands of dollars in needless waste as a result of the incompetence he has recommended, and the resulting actions of those who were subsequently elected.
What do I do for Sun City Anthem? Always negative ? I think not, sir !
I try to encourage people to get outside the walls of the community to enjoy themselves providing entertainment news to people who enjoy life.
I provide helpful homeowner tips, Mr. Fix-It articles, Community Safety news and articles, gardening tips, and yes, editorials that are not only authored by myself, but by other residents and board members as well.
This amounts to about 5 hours of time each day.
I do not accept advertising revenue, nor do I seek power.
Do you really believe that serving on some sort of committee is the only form of community service ?
I have been an Entertainment Editor and Radio Talk Show host of The Vegas Voice, written 3 shows to honor World War II veterans, and have VOLUNTEERED MY ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE AND CONNECTIONS to Sun City Anthem for an annual salary of $1 of which that dollar would be placed in a Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time.
Instead, the General Manager has chosen to employ an individual on a full-time basis to do what I would have done FOR FREE.
...and unlike so many others you seem to compare me to, I prefer to do all of this anonymously without recognition.
All I want is a fair shake for all who live in Sun City Anthem. That is all I have ever tried to achieve.
I have been here for over 11 years and have taken the time to examine reality, rather than pretend it does not exist.
You cannot solve a problem until you accept the fact that one exists, and it appears your problem is refusing to acknowledge the problems exist. Instead you choose to criticize the individual who brings them out in the open.
If one chooses to stick his head in the sand like an ostrich and ignore the problems associated with the financial future of a community, then I send those individuals my sincere condolence.
Without Anthem Opinions, this community would be like you...refusing to accept reality.
And that, is my estimation, as well as, many others, is sad.
Have a pleasant day.
Our sister community to the west had 9 candidates for 5 board positions.
They had 40% of the residents send in their votes.
My guess is that with the interest shown thus far, Sun City Anthem's total will not even be close to that figure.
In the 11 years I have resided in Sun City Anthem, I have never seen such apathy or lack of interest in a Board election.
Why? Perhaps because only one candidate, Carl Weinstein, was willing to answer resident questions.
Perhaps that proves my point...why should anyone care, if only one of them does ?
His analytics, as always, portray his blog as wildly successful compared to this one because he records thousands more page views than does mine.
Though it has been explained to him over and over that my more than 1,750 subscribers receive blog posts by email rather than having to visit the blog directly, his "alternative facts" are what matter to him.
What he CAN'T explain is how come those thousands of readers have always deserted him each year when it comes time to vote for his preferred Board candidates.
Shouldn't be much of a problem this year, as there are only five candidates for the four Board seats in contention. This saves him the recurrent embarrassment of picking all losers.
What is doesn't explain, however, is how come those who would attack the unpaid volunteers who step forward to serve never run for the Board themselves. The answer, of course, is that they have little or nothing to offer. People who live in glass houses are always more content to throw stones."
Anthem Opinions sends out eblasts with headings, thus allowing individuals a CHOICE as to whether or not they read the articles.
When have you ever witnessed any article which brought out substantial losses to Sun City Anthem on his blog ?
NEVER
Mr. Burke's latest was out of the Berman school of "let's dig deep enough, and we'll find some mud to sling".
Well, this "fascinating" individual, Burke, a "Board meeting groupie", whose life consists of attending meeting after meeting and "observing", has now criticized what he referred to as some sort of error in my stating the Board forum was given a 4 day advance notice.
You see, IT WAS...in an eblast, but Burke needed something to "analyze"...that's his "expert style", so he decided to research the February issue of The Spirit where it was announced.
Can you imagine the type of fascinating individual this guy must be to actually take what little time one has left on planet earth, to search an expired magazine, in order to criticize an individual?
Please God, allow me to die before I ever turn in to such a creature who chooses to spend his life in that manner !
Well now, to you Mr. Burke, while you sit at meetings and/or read such fascinating material in a community publication where most articles have to be submitted 2-3 months prior to the printing, I instead look at life in what most FUN people do, namely enjoying the entertainment venues afforded by the Las Vegas valley...
...and...I try to share them with individuals who HAVE A LIFE and look for ways to ENJOY IT !
Mr. Burke, I've lived my fun lifestyle since I retired at the ripe old age of 54, 16 years ago, when I sold my business; and unlike you and so many who sit in those meetings constantly looking to advise individuals on how to live their lives...
...usually looking at "experts" like you, who have opinions without the relevant experience on which to establish credibility...
...I've been there, done that, and guess how?
With ingenuity, independent thought, and unlike so many of your types...
...with MY MONEY, even without a monthly social security check until a month ago.
Of course a solid track record like that in the minds of your "groupie" friends has no "relevance". You instead consider those who have "done it themselves" as inferior to your thought process, and ignore us instead, don't you?
...and one would have to have had their heads buried in a sand pile not to see how "well" those inexperienced decisions have served Sun City Anthem.
That's why our Anthem Opinions objective is for the "independent minded".
Unlike you, Mr. Burke, I did not retire to come to a new city to "veg" at community meetings as you seem to do.
Had that been the case, I would have died of boredom listening to individuals such as yourself.
Ever wonder why many of us don't attend your bull session meetings that endear so few? They attend one and afterwards prefer placing their index finger down their throats listening to the stupidity of decisions made by people who have rarely, if ever, made any such important decisions in their lives...that affect the lives of others.
That is not my idea of a "fulfilling" retirement experience, Mr. Burke.
Mr. Burke, just when was the last time you actually left this community and had a cold beer with someone outside the Sun City Anthem cubicle in which you choose to hibernate ?
Enjoy your meetings, Mr. Burke....and please, keep up your criticisms. At least David Berman might buy you that cold beer.
After all, in between meetings, he's usually sitting at at a Green Valley video poker machine having a discussion with a number of those machines that enjoy taking the money his wife earned while he was failing at everything else in his life.