Back around the turn of the century, Sun City West was going through a difficult time. An organization with an acronym of SCWOOG, or something like that, was causing lots of flack in the community. They hated the idea the communities business was done behind closed doors. They ran candidates who forced the community to look at a more open style of governance. Now 15 plus years later, they operate under a structure that voluntarily complies with much of Title 33 of the Arizona statutes. The most notable difference is that all of their meetings are open to residents. Don't know how many of you follow Sun City West or Sun City Grand, but i try to. It's always good to learn from others successes or failures. The past month has been a tough one for West with 2 board members resigning. The last one left with some scathing remarks regarding the SCW board. I won't belabor you with the what's and why's, but what i found most interesting were the comments from the current president regarding their governance; they are worth repeating: We, the Association Board, operate completely open and above board! We do not meet in secret. All our meetings are open to the community and the media. The meetings are publicized so you know what we are talking about at that meeting, even committee meetings. The reality is, when there is an open policy of governance, there's nothing for people to hide from or behind. When things are done behind closed doors and secret votes, it sends a horrible message to the masses in the community who care what is going on.
SCWOOG? Obviously an internal organization. Was it's only purpose to change how the board functioned?
I was surprised to find this article from 2002 that better explains Sun City West Organization for Open Government. Very interesting.
