Improving communication
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We all make mistakes. Right? I hope I am not the only one anyway. I recently presented to a group of high school students, and one of the points I made to them was that as they begin to grow and be challenged in leadership positions, they should expect that they will make mistakes. And here I am, two weeks after that presentation, recognizing that I just made a mistake.
I voted on something that I thought I had a full understanding of, and as it turns out, in hindsight, I did not. I honestly do not know if I would have voted differently, there are good reasons for why the vote went the way it did, but I know that I wish I had gotten more clarity and had further discussions about this topic prior to casting my vote. In preparation for each meeting I try very hard to read material, do additional research on my own, ask questions, and have full understanding of what the issues are and my reasons for why I support whichever direction I do. In this particular case, I unfortunately discovered that I had not fully covered my bases.
Having all the information can often times be challenging in our roles as elected officials. Although we always post the agenda information online prior to meetings, we understand that our citizens are busy and are not always able to read this information and come to meetings to weigh in on the matters at hand. I believe if the affected parties of the above mentioned topic could have triggered a red flag prior to the meeting in which we voted, we would have had the opportunity to do more thorough research, get a better understanding of the implications for our citizens, and made a more informed vote.
This all being said, I would like to use my mistake as an opportunity to try to make improvements in our system. I welcome ideas from the community on how we can better inform you of upcoming issues, and how we can receive input from you.
Currently, we post the agenda packet (agenda plus follow-up documentation) on the City’s website (cityofpolson.com) sometime between Thursday at 5 p.m. and Friday at 5 p.m. prior to a Monday meeting. We also post the agenda (without follow-up documentation) in the window at City Hall. Regular meetings are held the first and third Monday of each month starting at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Following meetings, we will post the meeting minutes and an audio recording of the meeting on the city’s website.
In addition, I will occasionally write articles similar to this one to inform citizens of details happening within our City. And on one occasion I held a community gathering at the golf course restaurant.
I would like to invite you to share any ideas you think would be helpful for us to consider, in an effort to increase and improve communication flow. From giving you a heads-up on upcoming issues that will be discussed at City Commission Meetings, to filling you in on a project status, to offering you an avenue for providing us with input. The Commission wants to do the best job we can at serving you and our community.
Please call or email me to provide us with your suggestions – mayor@cityofpolson.com, 406-883-8205 (office), 406-212-0489 (cell). We look forward to hearing your ideas.
