Gibbs Has A New Job.... Just Call Tom Duncan! Issue One Elder Abuse

The more I think about the Subject, the more I'm convinced that this age-restricted Common Interest Community, Sun City Summerlin with 7,779 units and about 12,200 resident owners has been, and still is, being subjected to senior abuse.

87% of the residents are over 65 yrs old.

56% are 65 to 70 yrs old 

2.5% are over 70 yrs  with a few in the 90s-100 yrs old.

Now when we elect our Directors in the normal process, many are influenced by the Candidate Flyers published and distributed in the monthly periodical of Sun City ... THE LINK.

Some attend the Meet The Candidates Meeting(s).   Here one has to be careful.  Ask a question that Sheila McCanna objects to and one may be physically assaulted.  I know, because I was.  She was very fortunate, as I did not follow up filing charges of assault, or defending myself in the way I normal ly would.  I sure had a lot of witnesses, including a couple from Las Vegas City Counsil.  She certainly didn't appear to be very professional and I'm informed that she may have lost a couple business prospects right then.

Additionally, we have a group of Concerned Citizens and stheir front runners, a duo, Sheila McCanna & Stan Bjonerud, aka the King\Queen makers. 

McCanna is a real estate agent and works hard to gain name recognition.  This, she almost always does by posting a disclaimer that she is not soliciting business from other Realtors.   Bjonerud owns a chat line and publishes a periodical known as the Viliage Voice.

This duo in the past has not hesitated to publish strong recommendations, on who to vote for as Board Directors to those members who because of age are not as mobile as younger persons.

Additionally, in the past, they haven't hesitated to make very serious deleterious statements about the candidates they were opposed to.  I do believe that they're toning down their acromony in this election.

Last year, on August 19, Bjonerud in collaboration with McCanna sent to all Board Directors a memo with a large Attachmen wherein they threatened to disclose some very personal claimed details regarding the President David Steinman if the Board decided to dismiss the Exec Director. ( I have the documents ).   This in my opinion could be classified and probably adjudicated to be a simple case of extortion or worse.   The Board did not report this or file charges against this 'duo'.

I am personally not so offended because of this duo's lobbying for Directors of their choice, denigration of other candidates, all of which may be classified as normal election politicing.

I do however believe that after we have elected the Directors, their organized threats are tantamount to attempting to invaldate the choices of the voters.  Is this not "Senior Abuse".

Is it not "Senior Abuse" when for many years we have have increasing costs for membership dues to cover the losses of what is now the maintenance of 3 golf courses that are so under utilized the losses have grown to well over $2,000,000 last FY per year and this Fiscal Year  2011 will probably exceed $3,000,000.   All of this with the words from several of our aclaimed leaders such as Conrath, Beers, the duo of King\Queen makers, and others, that the golf courses cannot be converted to a recreational park with desert landscape because of the need for "Flood Channels" and the high potential for law suites.  I say this is false because they are now known to be drainage channels and would remain so in a conversion process.  Furthermore I do believe that if the Board decides to close one of three courses, the less than 6% residents who play golf here would not be denied golf opportunities. 

This Board and prior Boards have not responded to the demands for a bonafide BUSINESS PLAN and accurate accounting of Revenue and Expenses.  I strongly suspect that the change of classification from employees to Individual Contractors was one of those slippery ways to reduce Golf Operating expenses by about $275,000 per year.  Less taxes FICA taxes for our Association and a great possibility that the Individual Contractors managed to minimize or avoid paying taxes on their income.  THIS IS NO WAY FOR A FIDUCIARY TO MANAGE.

Regarding litigation.  I doubt if any homeowner has in their deeds a guarantee of  a "view of a golf course.  Add to this a judge or jury evaluating the increasing losses and the savings of water; I doubt if there would be any problems.

Meanwhile, I do believe that many of us in this Sun City Summerlin are being subjected to 'Senior Abuse' from those who would play golf for low cost at the expense of the seniors.

 Bernard Silver

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