Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    • Home
    • Sedona News
    • Business Profiles
    • Opinion
    • Mind & Body
    • Arts
    • Elections
    • Gift Shop
    • Contact
    • Cart
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Home » Letter to the Editor: A task force, a project team, a commission all engage the citizens
    Letter to The Editor

    Letter to the Editor: A task force, a project team, a commission all engage the citizens

    July 19, 20131 Comment
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Reddit WhatsApp

    By Judy Reddington
    (July 19, 2013) 

    Dear Editor,

    logo_lettereditorWhats the difference?  A task force, a project team, a commission all engage the citizens.  But, how can we best hear the voice of the people?

    A task force member has a relationship to the task.
    A project team has  a commitment to their project. 
    A commission has a focus and listens to the voice of the people.

    Commissioners are appointed and take an oath.  Their recommendations go to council.  Before they’re appointed they submit resume and submit to interviews.  They have terms of service and specific responsibilities.  They specialize and become informed experts.  They acquire a sense of “history” that saves time and informs decisions.  Their value increases with time.  They build relationships and resources.  They relate to other citizens with like concerns. Their terms often traverse administrations. They get an education and training in city governance.  Some will serve elsewhere or seek leadership or council positions for which they become well prepared.  They are a ready referral for the city’s tasks, avoiding time consuming education and preparation.

     The city makes a commitment to the commissioner too, that they will accept their opinion, and respect their recommendations for their term.

    Sedona Gift Shop

    Naturally they sometimes  “clash” with the council that appoints them…after all, the council is responsible to the citizens too..  The council has the final decision and can  reject the recommendations of their “experts”.

    Rejecting the commissioners along with their opinions would avoid the conflicts.  But disbanding the commissions leaves an unsatisfactory void in the linkage between the population and the issues the councilors were elected to serve.

    I’ve served on  Task Force,  2 Commissions, AdvisoryCommittee. Professionally I’m familiar with and use surveys, focus groups and facilitated discussions.  I have a lot of respect for a town hall.

    I believe there is a really significant difference.  It’s the level of mutual respect, and commitment.

    Sincerely,
    Judy Reddington

    1 Comment

    1. Jim Eaton on July 22, 2013 9:30 am

      This is an excellent and succinct description of the differences between the various appointed volunteer bodies that serve the Sedona public. Thank you, Judy!
      These commissions, task forces, project teams and committees serve an important purpose. If properly used they can save time for paid employees, save taxpayer money, and give the citizens’ perspective to city affairs.
      If not properly used, which is sometimes the case at present, paid staff can spend too much time messing with them or even see these public-service citizen groups as an inconvenience or even (wrongly) as a threat.
      Before replacing citizen public service with more costly bureaucracy, Council needs to take a new look at how to make best use of these volunteers.


    The Sad Lesson of Tyre Nichols
    By Tommy Acosta
    Having grown up in the mean streets of the Bronx there is one lesson we learn early on, and that’s don’t mess with the cops when they got you down, and outnumbered. The beating of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the police preceding his death at the hospital could have been avoided if only he had the sense to not resist them. People fail to understand that on the streets, cops are basically “God.” You can’t fight them. If it takes one, two, five, ten or twenty officers they will eventually put you down and hurt you if they have to in the process of detaining or arresting you. In the Bronx we would fight amongst ourselves but when the cops came it was “Yes, officer. No, officer,” and do our best to look as innocent as possible. People need to understand that cops on the street represent the full power of the state and government. Read more→
    Recent Comments
    • Mary Ann Wolf on The Sad Lesson of Tyre Nichols
    • Rob on The Sad Lesson of Tyre Nichols
    • Jessica Williamson on Letter To The Editor
    • Buddy Oakes on The Sad Lesson of Tyre Nichols
    • Intbel on The Sad Lesson of Tyre Nichols
    Check out the Tlaquepaque Magazine
    Categories
    © 2023 All rights reserved. Sedona.biz.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.