Past Decisions Proving Financial Waste
The Reason
New Tradition Team Must be Elected
by
Robert Latchford
Sun City Anthem Resident
When the idea of dismissing the professional management company from handling the operations of our community was mentioned, I, like many others, thought it was a good idea to eliminate the middle man in delegating jobs which could be administered by qualified residents, and getting more bang for our dues bucks.
However, a few years and mega dollars wasted have proven us wrong.
The level of transparency is vitally nonexistent to those of us who make an effort to find out what is being done on the sly before it comes to our attention.
The appeal of SCA to seniors looking for a comfortable place to spend our later years with a variety of activities and ambiance well kept in order to protect the property values, with homeowners dues that would not break the bank, especially on those of us without somewhat limited assets and/or retirement income, is likely to disappear.
We are seeing the ratings vs. similar communities plummet over the last few years, and in spite of how healthy our financial structure is, unless a deal was made during the last few weeks in our favor, we have the potential liability with a negative ruling in the Liberty Center damages lawsuit, which could be well into 7 figures.
This does not appear on the balance sheet as a liability, as it is pending.
This does not prevent our Board of Directors from spending like drunken sailors.
Most recently, I understand 4 new full time employees were hired by the management, with a benefit package that would made negotiators proud, in addition to the person hired at $40,000 per year to drive around and count trees.
All the additions to the payroll fail to keep the BOD or management from maintaining their “it ain’t my job’ attitude.
Within the last few months, in response to a homeowners complaint of advertisers leaving ads in driveways of vacant properties, a board member suggested it be turned over to the Police whom I would rather see solving burglaries and muggings in SCA.
Also, a Department head, rendering a response to a homeowner's report of door to door solicitation, gave the phone number of a city office to call, as they were not delegated enforcement privileges, while a phone call or a letter to the violator would likely solve such issues.
The current BOD has shown on many occasions that their lack of experience or respect for our expectations has been evident.
A previous Board, one member of which is running for re-election (Rex Weddle), was responsible for a loan of $40,000 to a deadbeat restaurant tenant, unsecured and below prime rate of our money, which defaulted.
Their hiring policy seemed to spend megabucks with a headhunter's search for a General Manager, but they could not find a job description to match that income, so their solution was merely changing the job title to bring the pay range up to the level they paid.
They hired an accounting firm to count the ballots of last year's recall election for a hideous sum (I believe close to $85,000), then rewarded the same firm with a 3 year contract.
This appears to be a warning to us not to upset their apple cart.
The favorite no-brainer they tried was to offer a company, G2G, a rent free restaurant lease with thousands of dollars in goodies in the Anthem center location after 5 failures, at terms that would cost us an estimated $250,000 per year.
They were willing to accept this deal without checking the company's financial past.
Being an LLC rather than a corporation should have been a giveaway that they couldn’t get credit.
The current Board VP recently stated in a meeting that 2/3 of the residents favored the restaurant reopening based on the mail poll they conducted.
Based on the ballots received, the poll read at a glance, the voter had a choice of paying $250 in subsidies or $750K per year as a figure selected randomly.
A no brainer with no other choices offered.
Also, renters with no vested interest were allowed to vote.
The BOD also claims a restaurant will enhance property values.
According to a respected real estate broker, that statement is untrue.
If this were true, higher values would only lead to higher taxes and would only benefit those selling in the near future or using the home's equity as collateral for a loan.
In light of this sub-par performance, a change is overdue.
The five candidates referred to as the New Tradition Team seems to have the background, desire and experience to get us out of this mess.
I strongly would endorse 5 seemingly most qualified:
Rana
Goodman
(1)
Karen Hadrick
(3)
Barry Goldstein
(8)
Larry Mayer
(9)
Bill Odelson
(10)
...to fill board positions.
We need a board who most likely will keep our community on the right track, so make sure your vote isn’t wasted.
Dick, I haven't written you lately but have to inform you of what is going on with the new tables and chairs for the gallery.
You know this has been a sticky point with me for quite a while.
Since we had a meeting last August and were promised the tables & chairs would be ordered in Oct or Nov to be delivered after the first of the year, nothing was done at that time.
Then the excuse of the potential sewer problem was brought up.
After that fiasco, bids were finally obtained in the last few weeks.
It seems as though new owners that have moved and bought here at SCA are not informed about the problems that the “old timers” have lived and suffered with as the Community has declined.
They think that those that criticize the machine and Dick Arendt's Anthem Opinions blog are terrible people.
This perception is so far from the truth!
Based upon the emails that I have received , THANKS TO YOU, the folks who are lucky enough to live here in Sun City, are behind the Tradition Team.
I saw that this was on the agenda:
I may not know much about furniture other than my wife purchasing it, but I did notice that they are planning to:
Approve the purchase of the lower gallery gaming furniture at Anthem Center from Castino Restaurant Equipment and Supply in the amount of$114,649.97 to be paid from reserves.
Basis for Recommendation:
The gallery gaming furniture is torn, chipped and broken and is in need of replacement.
Bids received:Arizona Gaming Rooms: $177,085.71
Billiard Factory: $160,786.56
BKMOffice Environments: $177,538.40
Castino Restaurant Equipment and Supply: $114,469.97
Hendricksen Butler: $137,666.94
Anthem Center Lower Gallery Gaming Furniture:
16 three-foot by three-foot square tables
$11,552.00
seven-foot oval gaming table
$2,620.00
five-foot octagonal gaming tables
$6,920.00
4.5-foot octagonal gaming tables $2,800.00
4-foot octagonal gaming tables $10,700.00
130 adjustable chairs with arms
$64,870.00
When my wife noticed that the chairs were ordered with arms, she was shocked. Those chairs will be destroyed in no time as a result of the arms.