Sun City stirred up over elections

In some communities, it's all the homeowners association can do to round up enough people willing to serve on the board.

But the upcoming election for the board in the senior community of Sun City Summerlin has attracted not only an opposition ticket but controversy and mud-slinging reminiscent of the recent statewide election.

"This (election) has many of the residents up in arms over the accusations made against the board," said Sun City Summerlin President Billy Paris, one of the board members not up for re-election.

At the heart of the controversy is how the nine-member board has managed hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by the $490 each resident pays in annual dues.

Ten Sun City Summerlin residents are running for four open seats on the board. Voting begins Thursday and runs through Tuesday, the official election day.

Those who support the current board are pleased with a cash surplus the association carries and stable dues that have not been raised the past two years.

The opposition group has sent out fliers accusing the current board of misinformation and poor management.

"We use to get a finance report every month, but we haven't seen one in six months," candidate Sheldon Factor said. "A lot of people have been turned off and a lot of our committees have members serving in perpetuity. Without new people participating we won't have any new thinking."

Factor is running with fellow retirees Orin "Bud" Cook and Jack Davis.

The opposition ticket started with four members, but one of the candidates, Marshall Fruman, 61, died Jan. 9 at a local hospital. His name will remain on the ballot.

They are running against incumbents Paul Van Rossen and Don Silverman, who were appointed last year to fill vacancies, and residents Bob Baldwin, Bob Dawson, Bernard Tracht and Tom Yamashita.

An opposition group flier alleges that the board has run up a loss of more than $2.6 million in the three years ending on June 30, 1998, and that the loss was not reported to the homeowners.

The $2.6 million figure comes from an audit by an independent accounting firm hired by the Sun City Summerlin Home Owners Association board.

"We have $301,282 in a cash surplus for the end of the fiscal year and $1.6 million in reserves," Paris said. The opposition party points out a $591,584 loss uncovered by the audit, but, said Paris, "The figure they are talking about is the applied depreciation for tax purposes. It's not a cash loss."

Sun City has more than $60 million worth of buildings, furnishings and fixtures, which are depreciated on an annual basis. The Internal Revenue Service allows the practice to reduce the tax burden.

"We've done an outstanding job financially," Paris said. "We are very stable financially and they know it because we have answered their accusations several times."

The opposition says its goals include payroll accuracy, cash controls and giving the homeowners more control over the board.

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