The Logic of Bureaucrats
An Anthem Opinions Editorial
When it comes to comparisons of "amenities", how many times have you heard this one?
"We pay for swimming pools, tennis courts, and some many other things that are amenities that aren't used by many, so shouldn't we consider a restaurant in the same light ?"
Ever look carefully at those who consider such a statement logical?
I realize that there is an element in Sun City Anthem who do, but then there are others....like Anthem Opinions...who make every attempt to use a rather different form of "logic".
Ours is normally combined with "common sense" and "fiscal responsibility" which to that other element, appear to either be impossible to comprehend, or to coin a line from a famous film...
These individuals are firm believers in...
...which, in our context, can be defined as"
"Those Who Spend It...Believe It's the Duty of Others to Pay It"
However, to those of us who do have the ability to use the above reasoning on which to make intelligent decisions, we shake our heads and ask ourselves when listening to the logic of bureaucrats...
Now let's try the almost impossible, and ask that element to consider a few things and explain their logic when determining that...
"An amenity is an amenity", that all "amenities" should be looked on in the same manner, and treated equally !
Let's consider a few thoughts...logical thoughts... and then hear them make that statement with a straight face !
If an "amenity" is an "amenity", then all "amenities" should be treated equally. Anyone disagree with that?
That seems fairly logical, but let's look "between the lines" of that statement.
According to those who believe that they were "entitled" to a restaurant as their "amenity" and comparing to the others that exist in our Sun City Anthem boundaries; perhaps, in making such a comparison, they might look at the difference between them.
The restaurant deal will allow any stranger to walk through their doors and enjoy an "amenity" that 7,144 owners of Sun City Anthem are subsidizing at what is CURRENTLY projected to cost about $250,000 per year.
So...if that was to be acceptable to that element in our community, and if "an amenity is an amenity", why not allow those strangers to have free usage of all the Sun City Anthem facilities?
After all, how can you treat "amenities" differently and still call them "amenities"?
To be "politically correct" in the insane world we live in, that might be looked at as...
Let's take the Anthem Center as a perfect example.
An individual walks through the door to play cards, mah jong, billiards, use a fitness center, a swimming pool, or whatever....even sit with a bunch of friends for a "bull session" or watch a TV !
How long does it take before a monitor approaches them and asks to see a valid Sun City Anthem ID? Management makes sure that is done on a frequent basis.
Why would they do such a thing?
Why would they do such a thing?
Obviously, it was intended for Sun City Anthem residents ONLY.
After all, each of these examples are "amenities"!
If they are to be treated equally, as is the "battle cry" of those who believe they should be, my belief is that many of those same individuals would make more noise than a freight train !
Oh well, just thinking...LOGICALLY !
...and we would enjoy those who believe a restaurant is an "amenity" correcting such logic and explaining the difference.
Then again, the word "logic" doesn't seem to be included in the vocabulary of...
BUREAUCRATS
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Dick, you are on the right track.
There is a great difference between the restaurant and the other amenities.
First, there are over 200 food establishments within 5 miles. Not the same with the other amenities. The private businesses we support are much smaller in revenue than our association.
Second, the BOD is held to something called " the prudent businessman decision".
We are a 10 million dollar revenue business. G2G is a 70 million dollar revenue business.
What prudent businessman would spend 2.5% of their revenue to guarantee the profit of a business 7 times bigger than his?
If SCA signs this lease, we are now in the business of corporate welfare.
Some may even consider that this puts us in the business of banking.
Lets not forget the last time we gave out corporate welfare.
Not a good experience.
All of this because 3 to 4 hundred people are too lazy to drive a 1/4 mile down the road to a successful restaurant whose prices are competitive.
We don't have to be in the corporate welfare business to eat there.
Corporate welfare....that...is right on the "money".
Originally, when I read that the "Restaurant Committee" actually based their $250,000 subsidy numbers to guarantee a $70 million corporation a profit of $50,000, and even saw they agreed to pay the cost of linen cleaning, my immediate reaction was ...
That has to be a joke. Who would agree to something like that?
That they would chose a place who wouldn't pay a dime over one who was willing to spend $700,000 in renovation and pay $3,000 per month in rent, and pay the utilities?
That they would actually subject an entire community to an annual cost of $250,000 without even giving the community an opportunity to make the decision through a proper vote of the owners?
That they would do something like this based on 1% of the people going to a meeting?
And now...
"What's Next?
I guess this makes sense to bureaucrats who look to others to finance their inexperienced spending habits...
...and adding a librarian who received 40% of the vote to recall her and defeated in a reelection bid with a person with a degree in linguistics who wrote a book specializing in a language spoken in Nigeria...
..to the SCA Board...
...certainly should clinch the deal for success, don't ya think?
Oh well, keep in mind that this actually makes sense to some people !
SCA does not welcome the public to shows, debates, fund raising event.
Remember the event when many clubs got together to put raise funds for Henderson Hospice and the battle we had to be allowed to advertise it even for the Anthem communities?
The public can only come to events if there is no advertising and seats are left at the end.
If there is an event in Anthem Center security guards must be hired per the activities office.
Is the restaurant going to have them?
Of course not.... so its not the same.
Very good and logical……oops, that means about 125 people who want others to pay for their restaurant will likely will not like the article.
...hopefully Sun City Anthem will realize that this current group of "know nothing" bureaucrats who are forcing this down the throats of the entire community will be looked for what they are....and how they will have squandered our funds for this losing proposition...
...and sent packing if any want to run for reelection in the spring.
I believe a "Dog" park would get more use than a $250,000 per year restaurant.
Yet a small group squelched the Dog Park, and a large group can't seem to nix a restaurant.
Nuff said.
Shame on you for using Common Sense!
You cannot use rationale when dealing with irrational people...however your article IS a refreshing interlude from the dribble being fed to us by the Board and their Minister of Propaganda.
I got a kick out of the latest "Minister's" B-Sheet...comment.
...that I was a coward for not meeting with him.
Why would anyone want to spend a moment of their lives with a person whose childish and all too often medicated and demented behavior belongs in a padded room?
About the only moment I'd ever love to spend with him is in a ring with boxing gloves !
He is what he is...a nutcase without a life, preaching to others how important he is...to himself !
Great article.
One would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to logically support this restaurant as an amenity, especially with the cost to homeowners supporting a profit making company who will be open to the public.
I think the main point here is that we are NOT subsidizing any of the other “amenities” in SCA, we are maintaining them.
There is a huge financial difference.
For example, Ms. Findlay’s spa, were we giving her a subsidy, then that would be something to compare.
These people must match apples to apples.
From Roseann P...to...Anthem Opinions
Swimming pools not being used..... You are so WRONG!
I get to the indoor swimming pool at around 7:00 am & all 4 indoor lanes are taken. I have to wait 1/2 hr.
Good comment.
Can you imagine the swimming pool "amenity" being shared with the public?
You are, of course, correct that this amenity is being treated a little differently than others. Many of our ammenities are open to guests for a fee. But here we are planning on opening it to the public for a fee (presumably residents will be afforded a discount which means others pay more). This is no different than the original Trumpets restaurant which was here when many of us bought in. It was one of the ammenities that helped sell me on the place.
The reason that it is open to the public is obvious. It is an expensive ammenity and inviting the public is a way of offsetting some of those costs. I would prefer the Village Pub option in which the costs are much lower, and had we chosen that option, it would be open even longer to the public.
In either case, it is still an ammenity and the costs should rightly be shared by all members -just like other ammenities. If some chose not to use it, well that their loss. I rarely use the pools, and that's my loss. But I don't complain about the cost of the pools. And if one became unservicable, I'd be in favor of rebuilding it rather than repurposing the real estate. I really don't see much difference with the restaurant - except that you don't like that ammenity
John, every person is entitled to an opinion. In this case, I disagree with yours for various reasons..
I don't like ANYTHING that is forced on a community in which the owners haven't had the opportunity to make the decision.
This restaurant deal will cause a continuing financial strain on SCA, and it's my belief that losing money on anything should have the CONSENT of the owners, not merely 4 of 7 people to make a decision.
Your comparison to the use of other amenities for guests is wrong.
Other amenities such as the pool limit guests to only a few times per year. That certainly would not be the case about a restaurant open to the public which, I might add, subjects all owners to additional liability as a result; examples include slip and falls, and in the worst case scenario, possible bodily harm should an undesirable element enter the building with intentions of robbing the place.
There has been no mention of any resident getting a break on anything regarding this newest restaurant deal to my knowledge.
Comparing it to Trumpets is also a mistake.
The original Trumpets deal was a losing proposition that Del Webb installed to assist a builder sell new homes. It lost thousands. It eventually was evicted improperly, and Sun City Anthem paid them a $250,000 settlement as a result.
Since Sun City Anthem transitioned from Del Webb and Pulte, the losses of each successive restaurant have been staggering, and the individuals who have been chosen to replace Trumpets have been a financial nightmare that have produced losers...EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
The individuals contracted included a woman and her husband, the husband having served 6 years in a Colorado penitentiary for robbing 8 Las Vegas Banks.
This was followed by a guy who had a $150,000 civil judgment against him which had not been satisfied, with the plaintiff having first call to any revenue and eventually was caught removing SCA equipment out the back door when he decided to exit without notice.
This was followed by a group who had a TV chef who produced the worst food and service imaginable.
Then a previous Board (Rex Weddle one one of them) took it upon itself, without asking the owners, to lend them $40,000 at a below prime rate, payable at the end of a 2 year period.
The loan was never paid and the Board forgave the parties of the debt because of the fear of them suing SCA...a fear that a guy who was evidently broke, would somehow come up with $350-$500 per hour to pay a lawyer to sue us.
Now we will have a new guy with a "deal" where a PRIVATE PROFIT MAKING FIRM will be fully subsidized for rent, utilities, cleaning linens, have full catering rights, and will affect other Club fund raising activities in SCA.
In other words, this will more than likely be a total financial LOSS to owners, and obviously a continual annual commitment in the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
John, Now to your comment about a restaurant being open as a means of offsetting an expensive cost.
Just how is a restaurant that we are paying the full freight, deferring any cost?
If anything, it increases it due to the requirement that a commercial enterprise subjects the association to real estate taxation...which the owners (you and me) will pay, not the tenant under this ridiculous losing arrangement.
The formula derived before we "recover" our first nickel requires revenue that will never be achieved. We did some math and in order to receive anything from the guy, we would have to average 350-400 people a day eating there !
Finally, you bought a home because of a restaurant?
If you read our recent article that was based on actual real estate sales, a restaurant had NO BEARING on any decision of any individual who purchased a home from this realtor in his 15 years of real estate experience. In addition, it had no bearing on home prices.
On the other hand, pools, tennis courts, etc certainly do have a bearing, but your comparison didn't mention that those amenities are free of real estate taxes and are 100% owned by the community.
John, somehow you survived without a restaurant, didn't you?
You somehow managed to get out of the community to feed yourself, and...likely did so on a buy one, get one free basis...that didn't cost the community anything.
So, enjoy a restaurant that likely will follow a similar path as the others after a relatively short period when "the flavor of the month" will wear off and others will somehow find the next place to eat, likely one down Eastern Avenue or part of the Inspirada Master Plan shopping district that will shortly be joining them.
The only difference as I see it, is while the "flavor" of this new place will disappear over time, it's cost will likely increase to make up for it, and that means YOU and I will be paying dearly as a result because only a select few "had to have" something that required others to pay for it.
I was at a meeting recently and we were discussing the “restaurant amenity”. One person talked about the $250K per year it is going to cost us, the homeowners, then someone else, who is apparently vehemently in favor of a restaurant, said that we now pay $50K per year to maintain the restaurant area and we need to put the restaurant in to save us that extra expense. You know I am usually not speechless but this time I just didn’t know what to say. Let’s spend $250K per year with no profit for the space or only 50K per year? Say what??
I bought my house 16 years ago and Trumpets did not have one iota of influence on my decision to live here the rest of my life. I think I went there only twice and once was when the real estate agent took me there for dinner. The other was when one of my international customers stopped over for a trade show in California that we were both attending. I had not moved in yet but he and his wife were interested in seeing my new house. I took them to Trumpets strictly so they could see one of the best views in the Valley. They weren’t that impressed with the food either as I recall. I have spoken to many of my friends and not one single one of them was influenced by having a restaurant available. We liked the location, the houses, the landscaping, the safety and the peace and quiet of an over 55 community. That was our choice to live out our “golden years”. Now those years seem to be turning into a nightmare due to a small group of board members who think it is “their way or the highway”. When did common sense go out the window? Did it happen because we all got older? Or, because no one cares any longer? Disgust breeds apathy.
I have never seen a breakdown as to how that $50,000 figure came, and I would very much like to see it.
Until we do with DETAILS, it's just another number from the Bull Sheet and friends.
Besides, my guess is that those were artificially high numbers to "sell it".
If we do ever see the breakdown, I would love the opportunity of finding other competitive bids that don't involve "friends of the management" or the SCA Board.
When I. managed the strip mall for my dad and Honey Baked Ham was one of our anchor tenants, in their lease they had a cause stating that it was their responsibility to clean the grease trap on a regular basis.
I believe I saw something about that when Vic’s was going in there. Suffice to say it was not done and from the looks of the quotes, has not been done in years.
Now that we have a free-bee tenant coming in, are we to add almost a half million dollars to our donation do supporting them or are they going to be made to pony up for this maintenance expense when they take occupancy... I mean, if they won’t pay to launder table cloths, will they pay to clean the grease traps?
We brought that subject up previously as to who should pay for the traps to be cleaned, and of course, it was ignored.
Considering this new guy will get everything free, I would have thought a $70 corporation would have at the very least, shared in the expense.
But...of course not, the guy knew he was dealing with ...a "machine" comprised of dummies.
Just another example of utter incompetence and the worst case of ignoring their fiduciary responsibilities.
Ever hear the saying, "Some people deserve to get screwed?"
I think this is a perfect example of it's applicability.
I went to the Wed 15th meeting, this was my first meeting (yes I am guilty of not attending).
I think there might have been more people siting at the front table than attending the meeting.
I feel we are doomed.
If more people don't attend and hear what going on and make their voices heard, there will never be any changes.
I want to thank you for all the information you give to the community and all the research and time you put into your column.
I'm sorry you had to experience what I've been talking about for years.
Don't feel guilty for not going to meetings. As I's sure you experienced, they are both boring and the people running them couldn't care less about an audience.
Their minds are made up before the votes are taken and are decided in executive sessions. The actual meetings are just a legal show.
It's my belief that most people either don't care or have such little respect for our governance, especially after witnessing the removal election's "fixed" fiasco, Darcy Spears report, and especially reappointing a woman to the Board who received 40% of the votes to remove her on top of her losing her reelection. That was their way of insulting the community and essentially telling all of us, "We'll do whatever we please".
This freebie restaurant, without giving the owners any vote in the matter, is yet another insult to the community in spending $250,000 each year to finance a $70 million corporation.
We need new HONEST blood on this Board and the only way that can be accomplished is seeking out individuals who are willing to run.
I got a phone call from a friend about Gary Lee's resignation.
The rumor is that he essentially resigned because he was shunned by the remaining Board members for not playing ball with them.
He realized that anything he might do, would be quickly outvoted by "the machine".
Please talk to your friends, ask them if there would be any interest in running and tell them there are many who would do anything to reform this once wonderful place. We need 4 strong candidates.
If we can achieve that, we could win a majority of the board, and literally change everything....
...the first, firing the General Manager and her million dollar staff.
With the recent mugging in our community, as well as many other crimes mentioned the have occured as well in recent times, I would like to encourage everyone to read some of the suggestions offered from residents in current AP editions which could prove helpful providing an extra bit of security,
In fact, any suggestions a reader would think of that possibly could make our neighborhoods a little safer would surely be welcome to share by dropping an Email to this publication or the Security office.
While most crimes we think of are thefts, break-ins, carjackings and the like, one crime that seems to be well upon all properties here at Sun City Anthem.
If it is not too late, our self serving Board of Directors is trying to shove a costly, useless, and largely unwanted restaurant in the clubhouse down our throats.
Since no restaurant of any consequence could operate profitably with the very limited traffic this site provides, our board has offered then a sweetheart deal-
No rent (until a grossly unattainable sales figure is reached), free utilities, free janitorial service, free linen service and who knows what else,
Consensus figures show this ‘subsidy” will cost us about $250.000 per year of our dues.
Besides that, we also have to pay for any repairs and deferred maintenance, and providing equipment to the satisfaction of the tenants (are they called tenants since they do not pay rent), who are the owners of many Denny’s franchises primarily. Since the board rapidly filled vacancies so a quorum could be reached, and presumably can push it through without our approval.
What can we do?
Possibly very little, as they are counting on complacency or lack on knowledge of much of the residency, and manage to do everything hush hush, leaking information only on a must know basis.
However, the next ‘OPEN TO ALL” board meeting if 1;30 pm on August 23 (thursday) in the Delaware Room and as large a turnout would let them know they are being watched, if not enough to have second thoughts.
Remember, they do not volunteer information, but must answer what they are asked and they there must provide documentation of agreements made.
There will possibly be some supporters to act as shills, inclined too sugar coat, but it’s your money.
It is a sham, it will hurt the community financially, and will likely have so little support as a result.
This current Board will likely be the most distrusted and disliked in the history of Sun City Anthem.
Their continued bully tactics and those who support their way of doing business have demonstrated themselves to be the enemies of a fair society and must be eliminated in the next Board election.
But...to so do, requires dedication of 4-5 good individuals who will step forward, run for election, and convey this message:
"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more".