To the Editor:
“People seem to hear but often times really don’t listen” — Mike Schulz.
As I meet residents, I seek first to listen and understand their concerns and am open to fresh, innovative ideas. Novel solutions are often unseen below the surface, but with searching and creativity may be applicable to multitude of circumstances and challenges.
Door-to-door canvassing exposes voters to candidates, but not necessarily candidates to voters. My door-knocking has allowed me to hear 50-year old love stories, concerns about traffic, safety, taxes, seniors, schools, development, community and open spaces. Yet, try as I may to my best ability I may not always understand peoples’ plight, despite spending 20 minutes of conversation. This popular campaign strategy may not be “effective in learning, as people are rarely prepared to speak.… and obviously you will never know unless it is stated” — Mike Schulz.
“There are known knowns……. There are known unknowns. … But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know” — Donald Rumsfeld.
Just as my family and I experienced with the loss of our son, people are not always comfortable with the difficult conversations which are part and parcel of life. Few are comfortable sharing personal challenges in public.
“It’s such a private thing. Yet it in my opinion is the majority” — Mike Schulz.
It takes building trust, and honest relationships in order to reveal these issues. Perhaps this majority grows as our taxes are increased upon those who can least afford them. Some communities such as Louisville, KY have a cap on taxes at age 70. Others such as Bristol, RI have a Homestead Act, which provides rebates to owner occupied properties. There are other examples to be found with further exploration.
If we base our level of concern by our voter turnout for municipal elections, refernda, open hearings and town halls, it seems that our community is not participatory nor engaged. Communications are key to these elements, and require increased methods, channels, efforts to achieve such goals. Perhaps simple things such as neighborhood town halls, Meeting Opt-in notifications, agendas, minutes are some examples. However, have we tried meeting locations in a variety of settings/locations, a variety of times to enable greater participation?
Our Board of Selectmen have many “Ex Officio” responsibilities, but where is the most urgent responsibility-to the voters and residents. We need to create A Resident Advocate “Ex Officio” role with our Boards and Commissions.
It does indeed take a village to raise a child, and I say this works both ways. Villages also need to take care of all residents and elders, whose experiences impact all of us.
I humbly ask for your support and vote. Please spread the word to friends and neighbors. I want to meet you and hear your concerns.
Steel is running for Board of Selectman in East Lyme