The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein: It rejects it.
- Immunologist P.B. Medawar
Recapping PART 1: On the agenda for Monday's Council of the Whole meeting and last night's Common Council meeting were two intriguing items placed there by Mayor Taylor:
1. Current Mission Statement of the City of Franklin.
2. Vision Statement for a long-term vision of the City of Franklin as prepared by MSA Professional Services, Inc., December 2004 (unadopted as of April, 2009).
So, after much, much deliberation over schedules and possible conflicts, the members of the common council agreed to meet on a Saturday to discuss an “updated vision” for the city of Franklin.
Terrible idea.
Most of the work I do is as a consultant, so I’m very aware of a phenomena called “inside the bottle thinking.” Part of the reason it’s wise for organizations to bring in outside consultants - - other than to help me pay my mortgage - - is the fact that persons inside a company or department become expert at the myriad reasons why you cannot accomplish something in relationship to their idea, product or brand.
It’s just a fact of life I’ve seen played out over and over again. New or big ideas are strange proteins; the host will immunize first, ask questions later.
And, if you’ve ever attended a common council meeting, you’ve been treated to long discourses by various members of the common council as to why we can’t possibly do this, or change that, or create this other thing. The veteran members of the common council are virtuoso at explaining to us “why we can’t.”
They inoculate us against change.
“We’ve tried that before; it didn’t work.”
"We've been down this road before."
“Who will pay for that?”
“But what about the UDO?”
“Too complicated.”
“Let’s create a subcommittee.”
(The preceding are mercifully short condensations of loooong, sometimes folksy discourses.)
The fact is this: NOTHING worthwhile, useful, or stupendous in this world has ever been created without first ignoring a long list of reasons “why we can’t.”
And, further, an entrenched body like the common council seems incapable of ignoring the reasons "why we can't." They are "inside the bottle"; their world consists of endless permutations of red tape, regulations and ordinances, not to mention political realities that must be observed.
Are these the folks you want defining Franklin's vision? Will these people bring audacious proposals to the table?
No. That's why their role, I believe, is to MAKE IT SO - - after the people make clear their viewpoints.
Too hard? Well, that will have to be brought up when election time comes around. With digital recordings, it's not hard to index and post an audio litany of a specific alderman's admonitions as to how impossible it is to accomplish this, that, and the other thing. (You see, even though the city's Technology Commission repeatedly reminds us Why We Can't digitally record meetings, certain citizens do so anyway.)
So, how about this: Bring in the stakeholders (citizens!) and, armed with no conception of "why we can't," have them tell us their vision of Franklin.
Most importantly, provide advance information for these citizens in the form of visiting speakers and experts with presentations on various community-building, economy-stimulating innovations. Provide a vocabulary and context that the citizenry can use in describing their vision and goals. Widen their scope to beyond their driveways.
Let them know the choices out there beyond Franklin; do businesses have to be placed behind an acre of asphalt? Why a strip mall? How come roads in residential subdivisions are so wide and fast? What's the alternative? Can we really save money on emergency services with a better street grid? Are traffic counts accurate? Isn't it time to think about the mobility rights of kids and seniors?
Shouldn't my child be able to walk or ride a bike to a school that we can see from our house? Why not a public gathering place near the library anchored by a cafe and the library? Couldn't we attract more commercial business with slower traffic and a concentrated public square? How about a focus on one-stop, multiple utility zones? What can we do to encourage less traffic?
Why is the high school inaccessible except by car? Couldn't the Oak Leaf Trail be modified to actually lead somewhere useful? How can my child get to an ice cream shop at Andy's safely? Why no locally-owned coffee shops near the library and park?
The aldermen are not anxious to ask themselves these questions, because chasing the solutions simply creates more problems to wrestle with. Who can blame them? Aldermen have to work full-time on top of doing common council work; they are not getting rich in public service. Voices and mandates have to come from outside the cynical bubble that city officials often inhabit.
Again, I empathize with the position of an alderman. How can you get a good 100,000 ft. level look at the macro problems and issues of the city - - the long-term "vision" stuff - - when you're dealing daily with constant constituent complaints about snow plows hitting mailboxes, garbage collection times, tax rates, noise problems, etc.? Frankly, the majority of contacts an alderman has with the public consists of a series of little, individual-oriented problems and negatives.
"Re-assess the city's philosophy regarding right-angle turns in new subdivisions? My goodness, I'm up to my elbows in trying to get a variance for a constituent's backyard shed!"
You cannot blame that body for being inoculated against change.
I believe a bunch of aldermen sitting around a table on a weekend afternoon in search of a "vision" is just pasting feathers together and hoping for a duck. The ground is shifting beneath our feet; it's time to flex the collaborative muscle of this community.
Too hard? Too many obstacles? Logistically overwhelming?
Maybe.
But nothing worthwhile was ever constructed without first resolving to ignore the eye-rolls, world-weary sighs and lectures of those who would constantly remind you "why we can't."
Want to establish Franklin's vision in light of new and emerging realities? Look outside of City Hall.
BRAVO!
Posted by: Fred Keller | April 11, 2009 at 08:49 AM