Resident Advisory Council is voice of the community
By Jeff Ostroth
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
“If it weren’t for the Resident Advisory Council, our new emergency telephone alert system would not have happened,” says Don Smith, who recently became president of this body.
The Resident Advisory Council is a nine-member board elected by the community to represent its interests to the management of Cedar Crest. One of its major accomplishments during the last year was to work with the staff to implement the alert system.
“The idea for it came from a member of our Future Planning Committee,” says Don. “We took the idea to management, and then members of the committee, both residents and staff, studied the possibilities. As a result of those efforts we found a supplier for the system, and it’s now fully operational. In the event of an emergency, authorized personnel can reach everyone living at Cedar Crest within ten minutes.”
Cedar Crest’s Resident Advisory Council consists of nine members. Each member serves a three-year term, after which he or she must step down for at least one year. Terms are staggered, so that every year three new council members are elected.
Newly reorganized
Following the most recent election last September, the community held its annual meeting. Outgoing council members were thanked for their service, newly elected council members were installed, and the council reorganized, choosing officers for the new fiscal year running from October 1 to September 30.
The council elected Don as the new president, and in accordance with the community’s constitution, the prior president David Way became a non-voting member ex-officio.
‘Considerable effect’
“The Resident Advisory Committee is the channel of communication between residents and management,” says Don. “We advocate for the residents to management, and we interpret the actions of management and staff to the residents.