By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Cedar Crest’s annual election season came to a close September 6, as residents cast the last few votes for the Resident Advisory Council (RAC).

The night before the election, the community held “candidates night.” Each candidate gave a presentation and answered questions from a resident audience. After the election, the new council met to elect officers and select committee chairpersons.

Out of nine candidates, the community elected three new members to the ninemember council. The candidate with the fourth highest number of votes remains in reserve in case a council member needs to step down.

Eyes and ears of the community
Council members chair committees that each correspond to a management department, such as general services, resident life, sales and marketing, medical services, dining services, human resources, and finance.

Committees and  department directors meet monthly to maintain open communication between residents and management. “We have found that as a council this has been a very effective relationship between residents and staff,” says Don Smith, who just finished his term as RAC president.

“We are partners with staff and the executive board in trying to be creative when dealing with possibilities or problems,” he says. “We are also advocates on the residents’ behalf and inform them of any initiatives or issues.”

Additionally, the RAC president meets frequently with Chip Warner, executive director at Cedar Crest, to discuss initiatives and any issues unresolved from committee-director meetings. And the entire council meets with Warner once a month.

Innovative initiatives
The RAC has created several programs in the past few years. One example is the telephone emergency alert system, which informs everyone at the community of an emergency within ten minutes.

Cedar Crest was the first Erickson community to use the technology, which is now standard at all 18 Erickson communities across the country.