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Dee resigns post as exec director of Saratoga's senior center

By Shannon Burkey

Genie Dee, the Saratoga Senior Center executive director who has been at the center of recent controversy, has resigned from her position.

On Feb. 27, the Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council met to discuss the future of the center and its executive director following complaints from several members, volunteers and employees on the way Dee ran the center.

The problems with the center have been numerous, according to various members and volunteers, but they all began when Dee took over as executive director 3 1/2 years ago.

Several members said they feel that the center is no longer a friendly, welcoming place. One member claimed Dee was not senior-friendly, while another said she felt as if Dee did not like the people at the center.

Some members did not renew their memberships, while several volunteers recently quit because of their interactions with Dee.

Since the complaints have started to come out, the SASCC board of directors has begun looking into them. Chief financial officer of the board of directors George Bunyard said Dee was also working to address each of the complaints.

"Genie felt that she was making progress, so I don't know what happened to make her resign," Bunyard said. "We were in the process of making some evaluations on what should be done, and she decided she had had enough and was not getting enough support so she resigned."

With Dee's resignation, the center is now in a state of transition, but Bunyard said he sees this as a way to start over and rebuild trust with the unhappy members and volunteers.

"I have high hopes that we can continue with what we are doing here and that we can pull the center back together," he said.

Board president Doris Volz said the board will meet soon to "hammer everything out" and decide what to do next.

In the meantime, the city is planning to step in and help.

"The city is going to meet next week to suggest we loan them one of our staff, temporarily, to help run the place and to give them time to make a decision instead of hiring someone right away," Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith said. "They need to take a little bit of time to see what is the best thing for them. This would give them breathing room."

Waltonsmith, council liaison to the senior center, said she has received complaints over the last year and she has heard from people who "have voted with their feet" and no longer use the center because of the problems occurring with Dee. But, despite its past problems, she thinks the center can return to its roots as a place that offers core services to the seniors in the area.

"This is an opportunity, and I think we'll find a good compromise. The council is very hopeful that we can find that compromise," she said.

Many of the people who left the center because of the problems say they are eager to return.

John Feemster, a past board president, and his wife Phyllis were members of the center for many years and very active in all of its activities. But problems with Dee forced them to quit utilizing the center. Now, however, Feemster and his wife are looking forward to returning and feel the center can get back to what it used to be.

"This is the place we go to meet people who are our age and share the same interests, so we are excited to come back," he said. "I've talked to other people who have left and they are excited about coming back, too. We will definitely become quite active again."

Dawne Rossi, a volunteer for 15 years in the adult day care center, said she will also return to her work at the center.

Rossi, who said Dee demoralized the senior center, left the center in November 2006 after a run-in with Dee, which she called offensive and not the first.

"It really was not a good situation over there--she wasn't right for the job and everyone suffered," Rossi said. "I have already told the adult day care center to pick a day that they want me to come in and we'll start all over again."