PROMISE MADE One definition of promise is “an indication of future excellence or achievement.”  From its inception, many people have had great hope for the Promise of Anthem. Families came as Del Webb/Pulte promised a great place to live, work, and play- a friendly place to raise a family. Business leaders came and invested time, money, and dreams into the community. Retirees came to realize a lifetime of preparation. As Anthem grew, community leaders invested time and energy in seminars and workshops intended to prepare the community for self-rule-- all with the expectation of realizing the Promise of Anthem.

Up until 2008, Pulte invested a lot of time and money into this promise. Community events were supported, Community Center activities were subsidized, and community assets were maintained. The average resident needed only to show up and enjoy. Pulte took care of making the promise a reality for Anthem’s early residents. It showed Phoenix, Arizona, and the nation what a well-planned and well-executed Master Planned Community could provide for its residents. They did it so well that residents became comfortable with the idea of just paying their assessments and enjoying the ride. All of that changed in 2008.

PROMISE SIDETRACKED In April of 2008, Pulte turned Anthem over to a new, all-resident council (see Anthem Governing Structure). Each of the HOA’s had already completed transition, so this was the culmination of a long process. Hopes were high as many in the community stepped up to take positions of importance on the committees being formed to support this new Anthem Community Council (ACC). As the newly elected council members accepted the responsibility of serving on the new ACC, each did so with a commitment to openness, communication, and resident involvement in major decisions. Disenchanted with the authoritative and often autocratic way that the Pulte Council ran the community, the new ACC hired a communications director who would orchestrate information gathering and dissemination on a scale never before reached in the history of this young community. Every Anthem resident would be “plugged-in” to the decision making.

It is two years later, and that dream is still evolving. While not legally bound by Arizona’s Open Meeting Law (see info. link- bottom of page 54), the ACC has verbally committed on more than one occasion to living up to the spirit of that law. At heart the law has two essential tenets.  1) All meetings of any public body shall be public meetings and anyone who wishes can attend and listen. 2) All meetings are to be conducted openly with notices and agendas provided which contain reasonable and necessary information to inform the public of the matters to be discussed or decided. This concerns both the ACC and any of its committees. The HOA’s are already required to follow this law.

Today, closed-door, backroom ACC and committee meetings are the norm, not the exception. Some are labeled “working sessions,” without notices or agendas. The public is not encouraged to attend. Others are ACC “executive sessions,” some legitimate, but many of which create reasonable doubt as to their need for confidentiality. ACC open meetings are often called on short notice and for times when the majority of working people are unable to attend. Notices and agendas, when provided, are incomplete and uninformative. For example, “Saint Rose Proposal,” as listed on one recent agenda, gives no indication that 60-foot to 80-foot light poles were being proposed for church-owned ball fields at the corner of Daisy Mountain and Meridian Drives- information that is both reasonable and necessary. Given the Council’s budget for communications, annotated and informative agendas should not be too difficult to obtain for both ACC and committee meetings.

Good communication needs to return to the top of our Council’s agenda along with a commitment to adhere to Arizona’s Open Meeting Law. If Phoenix and surrounding towns can hold open, public hearings that allow resident input on major issues that affect them, the relatively small community of Anthem should be able to follow their example. Listening is an art not commonly practiced by some council members. Take note of those who become belligerent and confrontational when challenged on issues of community concern. Note those who would remind you that “the Council has no members” to defend their refusal to listen.

Another perception that needs addressing is the apparent personal agendas of a few council members. Abraham Lincoln once promised his constituents that, “While acting as their representative, I shall be governed by their will, on all subjects upon which I have the means of knowing what their will is; and upon all others, I shall do what my own judgment teaches me will best advance their interests.” Recent decisions on the issues of forming our own water district, single-mindedly pursuing the purchase of the 3715 Building, continuing to publish Freedom Way, or adding solar panels to the Community Center parking lot, have revealed bias on the part of some ACC members, clearly demonstrating their reluctance to “be governed by [the people’s] will” and a reticence to do what “will best advance” the interests of Anthem citizens.

PROMISE REVITALIZED Two seats for Anthem’s Community Council are now open. The term is for three years. There is one seat for a Country Club resident and one for a Parkside resident. The candidates have published their bios and are preparing to answer questions at their respective “Meet the Candidates” nights.   It is imperative that every homeowner educates him/herself on the issues and each candidate’s qualifications and competencies for dealing with them. This year it is possible to choose a representative who will bring a new perspective to the challenges facing our community.

Look for platforms that include incorporating Arizona’s Open Meeting Law into the existing by-laws. Check each candidate for a commitment to open, two-way communication. Scrutinize their values and check them for hidden agendas and personal bias. Review their record of commitment and service to the Anthem community. Are they ready and willing to make a commitment for community input and approval on all new capital purchases and projects? Are they committed to a policy of fiscal responsibility? Will they support local businesses and ensure Council initiatives do not compete with them in the local marketplace?

These are but a few of the factors to weigh into your decision when voting in the 2010 election. It is time for representation of the people, by the people, and for the people in Anthem. It is time for new ideas and fresh approaches to our governing process. Get informed, get involved, and get Anthem moving again on a path that will revitalize the original “Promise of Anthem.”

For more information about Arizona’s Open Meeting Law see page 35 and check out the following website at:
http://www.azleg.gov/ombudsman/Open%20Meeting%20Law%20101.pdf, or Google: OPEN MEETING LAW 101;
Arizona’s Open Meeting Law in a Nutshell; Information compiled by: Liz Hill, Assistant Ombudsman - Public Access