Would the Real Forrest
Quinn
Please Step Forward
?
(Part One of Two)
Forrest Quinn is the Sun City Anthem Treasurer, and is now (along with other members of the Sun City Anthem Board) the subject of an impending formal Nevada Real Estate complaint resulting from actions that allege his interference with the Removal election.
This is the first part of a two part
series examining Mr. Quinn prior to his election to the Sun City Anthem Board
and his actions since that election.
Let's look at this individual closely and ask yourself:
Were the unit
owners DUPED when he was elected to the Sun City Anthem Board of Directors
earlier in 2017?
Mr. Quinn had been the former Chairman
of the association finance committee and had NUMEROUS disagreements with former
Association Treasurer, Thomas Nissen, one of the four individuals subject to
removal.
On February 25,
2016, he asked permission from Anthem Opinions to submit an article for
publication.
Because our publication welcomes
articles from current and past members of the Sun City Anthem Boards, we were
most happy to do so.
That article was
entitled:
"Former Sun City Anthem Finance Committee Chairman Asks Questions
of 2016 Board Candidates"
We suggest you read it.
It can be obtained simply by clicking on this link:
It can be obtained simply by clicking on this link:
Let's go back in time and look closely
to some of the points he addressed a year BEFORE he
was elected to the Sun City Anthem Board and compare them to his ACTIONS TODAY.
By reading the
article, you will see that he asked the 2016 candidates a number of
questions.
Quinn would first
ask:
Should SCA Board Members Be
Disciplined for Misconduct?
How should SCA’s
governing documents be changed to censure, discipline, demote, or remove board
members who fail to follow NRS 116, SCA’s Board Policy Manual or Board
Resolutions?
TODAY
As initially stated, he is now subject to a formal complaint for
actions he, himself, has committed , alleged to have VIOLATED NRS 116
regulations pertaining to ballot election interference.
If found to have violated the Nevada statues, what would be his
current position on HIMSELF?
What is Being Done and What Should Be Done, to Mitigate the
Liberty Center Damages?
Has FSR’s payroll (which SCA reimburses) been reduced to
reflect the reduction in service? If so, how much money is the community
saving per week, or per month?
Should/Has FRS’s monthly management fee been
reduced/suspended due to the reduction in services?
TODAY
Now that he is the current Association Treasurer, what has he done
to curb association payrolls?
The top 5 management positions in Sun City Anthem
now exceed an annual compensation level of $1,000,000 plus the cost of
benefits.
How Will You Evaluate Employee Performance?
Within a
year or so, SCA’s new employees will be expecting pay raises and/or bonuses.
How will you determine if they did an unsatisfactory job, an adequate job, or an
excellent job?
Will pay
raises be granted for increasing the number of bus trips, organizing more
parking lot sales, cleaner bathrooms…. Just how will employee performance be
determined?
TODAY
836 Sun City Anthem Unit owners have signed a "no confidence"
petition against Sandra Seddon, the Association General Manager.
The cover
letter which accompanied these complaints asked they be included in the employee
personnel file for purposes of future employee evaluation.
Has this taken
place?
In addition, formal complaints are being filed with the Nevada
Real Estate Division alleging the General Manager and Community Association
Manager for Ballot interference violation.
If found to be in violation of Nevada law, what course of action
does he favor in light of HIS own comments?
How Will You Measure SCA’s
Performance After Transition?
A
business can measure performance by:
Its percentage increase in sale, an
increase in profit, a cost reduction, its return-on-assets, its
return-on-equity, etc.
As a non-profit entity, other than lowering costs, none
of these business metrics are particularly suitable for SCA.
What
performance goals will you set and how will progress toward those goals be
measured?
On April 1, 2017, you will look back and say: “Transition was a
success(failure) because….?
TODAY
What is the Future Role of
SCA’s Finance Committee?
Should
the Finance Committee be an independent body like SCA’s Audit Committee,
providing independent analysis and opinions to the SCA’s community?
Or, should
the Finance Committee remain under the control of SCA’s board?
(Unfortunately, to the detriment to the community, the FC’s
original, useful and insightful work is often suppressed, censured, trashed
and/or ignored by SCA’s board).
TODAY
What has he done to increase the input by the SCA finance
committee?
Why hasn't he addressed the current insurance crisis that
exists?
Did SCA have Surplus
Cash on 12/31/15?
In the
three years from 12/31/12 to 12/31/15, SCA’s year-end cash balance has doubled
from $1,334,000 to $2,726,000.
This is an increase of $1,392,000, or nearly
$195/home.
How has SCA changed since 2012 so that SCA now requires twice as
much cash-on-hand?
TODAY
Now as the Association Treasurer, perhaps he might answer his
own question ???
Assuming We Can’t
Change its Use, How Much of a Subsidy Should a Restaurant Vendor Receive from
SCA?
I use
“subsidy” in the sense that a vendor pays less than SCA’s full cost to maintain
the restaurant.
I estimate SCA’s cost ranges between $160,000 to $200,000 per
year (See Note 1 below).
As I recall, Café V’s (then Vic’s) original lease was
$48,000 /year plus utilities, so they paid about $90,000/year against SCA’s
total costs.
Under my definition, Café V received a $70,000 to $110,000
“subsidy”.
Based on
our experience, it is unlikely any vendor can pay SCA’s full cost to maintain
this space.
Any future vendor will likely require either a direct and/or
indirect subsidy. Should SCA’s annual subsidy to a restaurant be:
$0 (zero)/year
$50,000/year ($7.00/home)
$100,000/year
($14.00/home)
$150,000/year
($21.00/home)
$200,000/year
($28.00/home)
$200,000+/year
For example, if SCA grants a $14/home subsidy, would a
restaurant provide residents with more than a $14/home return in
value?
If we can change the restaurant to an alternate
use, SCA’s cost to maintain that space will not drop to zero.
Any alternative
use will require a “subsidy” for utilities, reserve contributions, janitorial
services, R&M, insurance, etc.
This could easily be $80,000 to $100,000 per
year.
Note #1 SCA’s Cost to Maintain the Restaurant Space
SCA’s
accounts are not well organized, so SCA’s total cost is difficult to determine.
My estimated cost includes $80,000 to $100,000/year of Reserve Fund
contributions, $40,000/year in utilities, $15,000/year of Property Tax,
$5,000/year in Service Agreements, $20,000/year in Repairs & Maintenance
plus unknown amounts for Insurance, Janitorial Services and Other.
Even if the
Restaurant remains closed, many of these costs will
remain.
TODAY
What if it is true that
a tax exempt HOA is not allowed under IRS rules to subsidize a for-profit
business?
Tomorrow...we examine his election to the Treasurer
position a few short months ago.
Got a
comment?
Send it to us
at:
It is my humble opinion that an "on site" restaurant is an amenity that offers one more advantage over other properties.
The fact that it is ample in size with an outstanding view is an added benefit.
I have lived here since Trumpets. It appears all of our previous restaurants have missed the mark on what the residents would like what is offered.
It appears obvious that a "high end" restaurantis not wanted.
There are many of those in the city today. It seems, price, quality of food, and service are the criteria needed to be addressed.
It also seems to me the bar, with beverages priced right, is an excellent asset to this amenity.
Of course the area could be changed to just another meeting room if that is what the residents choose.
But I am sure that once the potential of a restaurant disappears, it will never return again.
So, I guess the question is, Is this an an amenity or is it just an unnecessary expense.
I think of it as an amenity.