Karen Hirst
Last week I wrote of having been apathetic in the past concerning local politics and the governance of the town. This week I struggle with the barrage of issues deemed by many to be deficiencies in how the town is being managed, resources distributed, a perceived lack of comprehensive planning and agreed upon priorities.
I find myself at a loss as to how the elected officals can ever get the train back on the track and begin the healing process that will find both them and local citizens in harmony with each other. Three or four common themes keep appearing in discussions.
First I believe it has been recognized by both sides that communication must be improved and this is not unique to politics. The lack of communication is the underlying obstacle to success in most relationships.
Second , a list of priorities needs to be established. There are those essential to health and well being — in a municipality these would include roads, sewers, water and safety and security. Following are those in a “bucket list” category.
” Bucket list” items include those that address all age groups with a broad range of interests and herein lies a potential for conflict. I believe an expanded collaborative planning process between the elected and the electorate would minimize this.
The final source of dissent, I believe, is related to inadequate maintenance of what we already have in our communities. I think a general consensus would be —“look after what we have before developing and allocating resources to anything new.”
Whether a park, a rink roof, a river walkway, a ball diamond,—the rule of thumb voiced by many is to keep these treasures in prisitine order and accommodate all age groups and disabilities who may choose to take advantage of what is offered. What we choose to do—“do it very well and look after it.”
We wake up every morning with the luxury of living in relatively safe, harmonious communities within Mississippi Mills and we have so much natural beauty and unique points of interest that define our individual towns, villages and surrounding country side. Concerned, caring and willing to engage in the process for successful functioning of our communities — our most precious commodity, our people.
We don’t need to be grasping for what we can’t afford or compounding the financial burden of small business owners or homeowners to realize a vision that our municipality may not be ready to achieve—we need to maximize the well-being and health by addressing the priority needs , working slowly and methodically towards an enhanced quality of life, when and if we have the means to do so.
Our legacy—Pride in Quality Living for All
Thank You
