The Observation Deck

During last night’s LO Community Conversation at the Beck Café, it was brought up that some elected/appointed leaders may be interested in hearing your answers to the question, “What do you want from our local elected leaders?”

So, I am bumping this thread which began on June 3, 2010.

Hi Matt,

Thanks for bringing this thread back up. It inspired me to try to communicate.


"There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community, and communication. Men live in a community in virtue of the things which they have in common; and communication is the way in which they come to possess things in common. What they have in common in order to form a community or society are aims, beliefs, aspirations, knowledge--a common understanding."---- John Dewey, American educational reformer


No, I didn't get lost-- I don't think I'm on Facebook, posting quotes. I just find this quote interesting in the way it points out that there is no community without communication.

I guess I want to add this to the mantra that I'm worried people aren't paying attention to the meaning of anymore, "accountability, transparency," it's so easy to say, but how do you do it?

If you're accountable, and you're transparent--- but you haven't put a vehicle into place for communicating--- you can just sit there waiting to be asked I guess.

I know there's a balance between "micro-managing" and having bombs dropped on you when it's too late to do anything. This was the phrasing I used when I interviewed Jeff Patterson, our new School Superintendent. I said that parents didn't want to micro-manage, but we wanted to know. We wanted the idea of having what was in store for our children shared with us, well in advance, especially if we might need to prepare, and especially, if we might want to ask questions, or change things. A reasonable way of communicating. As opposed to "having bombs dropped" on you when what is happening to your child (or your community) is happening on the same day you hear about it.

Firesign Theater used to do an impression of the United States Government letting the Native Americans know that railroads were going to be coming through their territory: "Hey! Railroads coming through! Right now! Whoooooooo-whoooooooooooo!" And you hear the train.

When I interviewed Jeff Patterson, he talked about the pleasure he took in being in a community that was so active, and cared so much, and in general showed up for things. He is looking forward to meeting and working on education, and the way it grows community and the way the community grows it, in regular gatherings where we meet as one group, sharing the same identity, members of a community.

When I suggested getting input from parents, and receiving heads-up(s) from the District, he wholeheartedly agreed, and even broadened the idea, of "meeting and talking period" about education-- and where we could take it together-- beyond "just notifying people."

So I guess I'm saying what I want out of my elected officials is kind of the way Jeff Patterson laid it out. I guess it would be called "proactive." Accountable and transparent, with a way to actually know what that means, because we are TALKING, we are COMMUNICATING.

And the more we do it in front of each other, so everyone can read it, and potentially participate--- like on here, on the Deck--- where it isn't any one person's select group of "Friends" but the whole community--- and in the newspaper, that anyone can pick up and read at any time and wake up to the fact that they too are PART OF A COMMUNITY---the more actual community we're going to have. Together, listening to each other, making an effort to make sure that everyone knows, we can take it anywhere we want.

Betsy Voinovich