Poem: a City Commission meeting

cover of North Mountain Neighborhood Plan, 1996

05 Dec Poem: a City Commission meeting

Posted at 18:03h in Poetry, Ashland Life by

My poem is dedicated to everyone who has served on the City Council, the Planning Commission, any of our city committees or commissions, or on the boards or committees of any community group. Thank you!

Ashland Planning Commission meeting

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Details
Photos 
Drawings
Discussion
Questions 
Questions

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Discussion
Photos 
Charts

Details 
Questions
Discussion

It could be boring
Okay…it is boring
Or is it?

What is decided today
will touch thousands of lives
Today’s discussion and decision is considered (I hope)
in the mind and heart of each commissioner 

What is decided today
may last for generations
Details Questions Discussion Motion Decision Generations Life

Transportation Planning Advisory Committee, list of members, 1994.
Transportation Planning Advisory Committee, list of members, 1994. Not long after I moved to Ashland in 1991, I was appointed to a Transportation Planning Committee. To be part of a caring, sharp group of people and to receive guidance from Planning Director John McLaughlin was a valuable experience for me. I encourage those who care about Ashland to volunteer for city advisory committees. That is where a lot of the planning work in our community is done. It can be “boring” at times (see poem), but this is the day-to-day work that helps create the community we want to live in.
cover of North Mountain Neighborhood Plan, 1996
Planning Commission reviewed the North Mountain Neighborhood Plan while I was on the commission. This is the cover of the 42-page plan.
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5 Comments
  • Paula Hyatt
    Posted at 10:26h, 27 December Reply

    Your poem rings so true. I would add that I often leave advisory committee meetings better educated, both by staff, and also our fellow community members. Thank you for sharing your work and for your service to our city.

    • Peter Finkle
      Posted at 15:02h, 27 December Reply

      Paula,
      Thank you for your note about becoming “better educated” during sometimes-boring committee meetings. That is in fact a primary reason why I have enjoyed serving on multiple city committees and commissions. I always enjoyed learning from staff, fellow committee members, from our required reading and from community members. Only through this learning could I hope to make hopefully-helpful recommendations and decisions. In addition to that, learning is a joy on its own.
      Peter

  • Risa Buck
    Posted at 07:53h, 19 December Reply

    Ashland has a rich history of community involvement and extensive service in elected positions and nominated committees and commissions. It’s democracy in action which is a critical aspect of participatory governance. Thank you everybody today, yesterday and long ago.

    • Peter Finkle
      Posted at 13:27h, 20 December Reply

      Risa,
      Well said. People sometimes complain about how active Ashland community members are, especially when there is a lot of controversy. The only time this bothers me is when some people do not treat others with respect. I would be more concerned if community members were passive and allowed just a few to make all the decisions.
      Peter

  • stefani seffinger
    Posted at 14:02h, 07 December Reply

    Thanks for reminding us our decisions are important

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