SUN CITY – Sun City has reached a political crossroads, partly because of the pressures of transitioning from the management of the original developer to decision-making by a resident organization and partly because of recent decisions that divided residents and the association management.
All of this has brought about one good result – a lively election campaign that offers residents choices. Seven candidates are competing for three open positions on the Sun City Community Association board of directors.
Many issues have been addressed in the last several weeks – assessment levels, home resale values, maintenance of the Sun City lifestyle and amenities, an open governmental process, the ongoing transition to resident control, facility-use guidelines, etc.
One over-riding issue remains strong – the relationship and communication among residents, the association staff, and the board of directors. This goal unifies everyone, but the methods developed to reach it often are controversial.
Instead of editorially addressing many of these matters, the Sun Day decided to ask all seven candidates ONE question: What is the single most important issue facing the community, why is it important, and how would they address it if elected?
Here are their answers, published in reverse alphabetical order. Resident voting begins this week. Online voting started October 3 and continues through October 18.
William Ziletti
Incumbent Board President
(Retired insurance executive)
Economy and related financial trends are our most important issue. This includes resident stagnant income with rising medical, food, and energy costs, association fees, and declining home values. Controlling association costs while maintaining a beautiful facility for residents and guests to enjoy will achieve the goal of expense control and home values. These two factors will assist residents by keeping assessments in line with income expectations (flat) and maintaining property values by offering a pleasing and inviting environment for prospective buyers to purchase a home. Working closely with the Finance Committee, I will make sure we have reviewed all expenditures necessary to accomplish the above goals. Finally, it is critical to maintain an adequate reserve fund for future maintenance and repairs and avoid special assessments, which again will attract buyers who seek a stable financial environment.
Anthony Troy
(Officer of Arcadia Condominium Association)
Sun City is the most desirable 55+ community in the Midwest. Since the housing bubble, home prices have been reduced to attract new buyers. Now is the time to lower our assessments to attract even more buyers without reducing amenities or services. The way to accomplish this is to renegotiate all contracts and leases and eliminate waste. This is the focus of my campaign, and the message I am trying to convey through campaign speeches ands fliers. If you agree with my campaign, please vote for me.
James Lunn
(Retired real estate executive)
We need total transparency in the operations of our association. We are a community of intelligent, active senior citizens who want open and effective management of our money and property. The attitude of the existing board and management of the association needs to change. This association is at a point in its development where it needs to declare its independence and shake off the past. This association is in charge of its future, but it is relying on the past as its guideline. The documents that created this association were designed to give the developer total control of the association throughout its development period. This was logical, but it is not best now, or for the association’s future. I feel that together we can change our attitude toward the association’s documents and push against their restrictions, and not accept the secrecy that has permeated their application to our lives.
Jerry Kirschner
Former board member
(Retired business executive)
The single most important issue facing our community is keeping our dream alive. By that I mean maintaining all the amenities and the reasons we moved here in the first place. Why is it important? We want to keep our lifestyle intact and make sure that our community is one that people want to move into. We must keep our monthly assessments at an acceptable level while maintaining financial integrity. We must keep Sun City a secure place to live. We must improve the communication between the Board of Directors and residents. The board must be responsive to the community. The relationship between the residents and the staff has to be improved in such a way that the staff realizes that they work for us, the residents. We deserve respect. We pay their salary and benefits. I will work to make this happen. Please vote for me.
Al Drogosz
(Retired architect and business executive)
Develop a strategic marketing program with a competitive advantage for attracting future residents and enhancing our resale market. Why? We have lost the original story and our own identity under our current developer. As a community, we need to recapture that identity and differentiate our retirement experience from the other “want-to-be” communities. We all have a story to share on why we live here. Now is the time to collectively start a new phase, leaving the developer behind, and market our mature environment to a new generation that will buy into our experience. How? Form a Homeowners Advisory Council with a related mission and objectives; engender a community-wide “can-do” vision; enhance relationships with local businesses; use community leverage for tax reforms; utilize effective forms of communication; package collateral material on community and neighborhoods; and work with SCCAH to improve revenues and minimize assessments. Let’s work together to improve our community.
Linda Davis
(Retired public school teacher)
An important issue to be addressed is how to bring back respect and trust between the board and residents. Decisions were made that divided the community. It’s easy to say, “Let’s forget the past and move on.” How do we do that? We’ve all heard the word “transparency” during the campaign. A friend who studies words made me think about the word transparency. A magician shows you his hat and says, “Look, nothing there.” He turns it upside down and inside out to prove there’s nothing in it. Then he says the magic words, and presto, a rabbit appears! It leaves you wondering what else he has up his sleeve! Rather than being transparent, the board should be less secretive. I will work to regain the trust of the community. I will listen, respect the opinions of others, get facts before making decisions, and let the community know about important issues as they are discussed, not after the fact.
Bonnie Bayser
(Incumbent and retired nurse and hospital administrator)
I believe the most important issue today is assuring that decisions made by the board are made by representing the majority of the people in our community because this community belongs to the residents. The community will face many issues that can and must be solved together. Decisions will involve choices and priorities that should be made with resident guidance. Residents must be involved and listened to in board deliberations, decisions, and policies. Some options to support such structure include open discussion forums, utilizing current committees that are in place, and increasing collaboration between the Neighborhood Advisory Council and the board, and utilizing input from the Charter Club Presidents’ Council. The board needs to let residents know what topics are being proposed, and the residents must be allowed to let the board know what they are thinking. I will listen to residents, be open to their views, respond in timely fashion, and represent fairly, with respect.
